Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen. Cooking for Two 2012. (2012) Brookline, MA: Boston Common Press Limited Partnership. p 74.

My Comment: Cucumber salads are the epitome of refreshing on hot summer days.  As a big fan of America’s Test Kitchens, I knew this salad would be perfection – a descriptor I would NOT have used with my previous iterations of this salad. Thanks to the chefs at ATK, here is a salad that has crunch and flavor.

Ingredients:

2 small cucumbers, peeled, halved length-wise, seeded and sliced thin
2 1/2 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp  lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 TBSP chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1 small shallot, sliced thin
12 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 1/2 TBSP sliced almonds (toasted & chopped coarse) I omitted these

Method

1. Line baking sheet with paper towels and evenly spread cucumber slices on sheet. Refrigerate while preparing dressing.

2. Bring vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium-low heat; continue to simmer until reduced to 1 TBSP, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperatures, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil, sugar, lemon juice, 12 tsp salt and pinch pepper until well combined.

3. add cucumbers, olives, shallot, and oregano to dressing and toss to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes, then toss to redistribute dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with almonds.  Serves 2.

Nutrition information (almonds included):

Calories (60), fat (3.2 g), Carbs (8.2), Fiber (3.9), Protein (1.0).  Hormonal carbs (Metabolic Effect = 3.3)