This salad is inspired a bit by the salads my in-laws make. The chopped cucumber makes for a refreshing salad and the addition of mint makes it even better. It’s quick and easy to put together.
This cucumber apricot salad is made with a spring salad mix, English cucumber, apricots, mint and a balsamic dressing. It’s a great salad for spring or summer.
Cucumber apricot salad
Serves 3 to 4 people as a side dish.
1 package spring salad mix
About 3 inches of English cucumber, chopped
2 apricots, chopped
4 to 5 mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
I like to make my dressing in a big empty bowl. This is just a way to have one less dirty dish at the end. So, the steps reflect that.
Add the olive oil, balsamic, salt and garlic powder to a big bowl. Mix with a whisk. Then add the salad mix and toppings, and toss. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese. Add chicken to the salad or on the side to make it a meal. If you don’t have apricot on hand, some other stone fruit such as peach or nectarine would also go great with the cucumber and mint.
Notes: The easiest way to chop mint, that I know of at least, is to chiffonade, which is a big word but it’s not hard. Williams Sonoma has a great tutorial on how to chiffonade herbs, with lots of pictures.
It helps to have a bowl that’s bigger than you think you need when tossing salad so that all the leaves get properly coated in the dressing. I always think of when I worked at a restaurant and would see the cooks tossing a small salad in a big stainless steel bowl. That place wasn’t great but the memory makes me happy.
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