Thai Cucumber Tomato Salad with Mint, Basil and Cilantro

My love affair with cucumbers continues with this salad.  I ate a similar salad earlier this week when I lunched with my good friend, Adriana, at Plum Alley in Salt Lake City.

If you're been reading for awhile, then you know that I love Thai.  We eat Thai several times a week because most of the family loves it (except my son who only eats the rice), it's a good way to eat up our veggies, it's delicious, and the most important reason of all--it's fast.  Dinner can be on the table in the time it takes to cook the rice.

So, this salad.  It's another recipe you'll want to add to your repertoire for all of the reasons above.

Plus, summer produce is at its peak, and this salad is made that much better because of the vine-ripened tomatoes and cucumbers I received in my CSA share this past week.  If you have an abundance of cucumbers, I bet you'll love them in this salad and make it once or twice a week.  (And drink the sauce from the bottom of the bowl when the veggies are gone.)

I think I like Thai food so much because of the punch of flavors going on.  This salad has no shortage of flavor--garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, fresh herbs and hot peppers.

My husband got home late last night from a film shoot.  It was after midnight and I said, "Hey, you want some of the salad I made for dinner?"  I handed him the bowl and a fork.

"What is this?"

"Why?  Do you hate it?"

"No...I love it."

That's how I feel about it too.

Thai Cucumber Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

2-3 small cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, if desired, and cut into 1/8" slices
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small hot peppers, thinly sliced crosswise (I used banana peppers)
1 cup chopped or torn fresh herbs
juice of 1 limes
1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce*
1 Tbsp. cane sugar
1 large garlic clove, grated or finely minced

Instructions:

Place all of the veggies in a bowl with the herbs.  Add the other ingredients and toss lightly.  Let stand a little while before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Makes enough for 4 as a side, 2 as a main dish.

*You can use vegetarian fish sauce or soy, if you're vegan, and if you can find it. :)

Other great recipes I recommend:

Wake Up Your Mouth Thai Cucumber Salad from Kalyn's Kitchen (one of my very favorites)
Cucumber Salad with Dill from Simply Recipes
Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill from Martha Stewart




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