Tomato Cucumber Salad

In my last post, I served my Pesto Chicken Salad sandwiches with a simple cucumber salad.  Again, this is not a typical fall recipe.  But I find you can always find some decent tomatoes and cucumbers in your local grocery store, even when some veggies are out of season.  So, I made this quick salad!

Cucumbers release a lot of water and can really soak down your salad.  This salad has a light dressing so I tried to minimize the excess water by salting and draining the cucumbers first.  I was amazed at how much water I drained off.  The salad did seem a crisper!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 English cucumber, peeled and cubed

Salt, to taste

6 Campari tomatoes, cut and seeded

1 T diced shallot

1 T red wine vinegar

½ T olive oil

Pepper, to taste

Place peeled in cubed cucumbers in a medium sized bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and refrigerate for about four hours.  Remove from refrigerator and pour off excess water.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.   

Notes:  I used Campari tomatoes because I like their crisp, sweet taste.  You could substitute 3-4 plum tomatoes or 10-12 cherry tomatoes.  I also used a shallot because of its mild flavor.  You could substitute red onion, if preferred.