Cucumber Salad

This recipe was inspired by a local restaurant, Istanbul Grill (http://www.grillistanbul.com/), that makes a delicious cucumber salad. We often order takeout from this restaurant for lunch at work. Istanbul Grill has an incredible vegetarian menu that has given me lots of ideas for vegetarian recipes. This is my personal take on the Turkish cucumber salad.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, peeled and cubed

1 cup tomatoes, cubed

1 red pepper

1 avocado

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

6 ounces plain fat-free greek yogurt (1 small container)

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 T olive oil

1 t salt

*The traditional cucumber salad also includes one diced red onion, but I am not the biggest fan of raw onion, so I left it out.

This recipe is best made with all fresh ingredients. The crispiness of the fresh vegetables is one of it's best features. Chop cucumbers, tomatoes, and red pepper into similar-sized small pieces/cubes. Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Being careful not to slice through the skin, slice a checkerboard pattern into each half of the avocado. Remove avocado from the skin using a large spoon, and you should end up with pieces about the same size as your other cubed vegetables. Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, and avocado together in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine parsley, cilantro, yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, and salt, and mix well. Today I used a jalapeno balsamic vinegar from Great Lakes Olive Oil company, a store in Frankenmuth, Michigan, that has a wide variety of delicious flavored olive oils and vinegars. I LOVE this company, and I'm sure you'll hear me mention them again. See http://www.greatlakesoliveoil.com/ if you are interested in more information.

Add yogurt and spice mixture to veggies and mix well until all pieces of vegetables are coated in yogurt. This salad can be eaten plain, or in a tasty wrap with falafel, hummus, and/or your favorite meat. When I am eating meat, I like to add it to a doner kebab (similar to a gyro) from the restaurant mentioned above.