Cucumber & Yogurt Salad

So I will confess another secret... Mr. Vittles and I are not huge into vegetables, at least not of the cooked variety.  We eat a lot of salads as sides to our meals, as we seem to prefer uncooked veggies.

And for the past two summers, I have grown my own cucumbers from seed out on the back deck.  This year we are going to try to grow them again (this is an old picture from May 2008 & the deck is way more jam packed now - but you get the idea, cucumbers were just getting going toward the back of the picture :))

Now, as you can imagine, two people can only consume so many cucumbers cut up over a green salad.  Sure, I give some away to family and friends, but we always seem to have some laying around.

So... I came up with this recipe for my friend the cucumber to have a salad all to itself!

Interestingly enough, Mr. Vittles really does not like vinegar, but he does seem to like this.  I also made it for his family at a dinner for his parents 30th wedding anniversary & everyone that tried it appeared to enjoy it. (More on that later, too, as I have photos and a recipe from another item I made that night - marinated grilled flank steak, yumm!)

Anyway, its very simple but quite delicious and has all healthy ingredients.  I've seen various other recipes for cucumber salad using sour cream, but I think the Greek yogurt gives it a nice tang and it's better for you as well. 

And I mean, after bombarding you with bacon and pepperjack cheese, I have to give you something that won't instantly throw you into cardiac arrest, right?

Cucumber & Yogurt Salad

1 cucumber, peeled & cut into slices
2 T. plain, Greek yogurt  (I prefer Greek because it seems more substantial, but you can use any plain yogurt)
2 T. white vinegar (you can also use red wine or apple cider vinegar if you prefer)
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. onion powder
1/4 t. celery seed
salt & pepper to taste

Mix yogurt, vinegar, garlic & onion powders, celery seed, salt & pepper in a bowl.  Add cucumbers and toss to coat.  This is best after it sits for a few hours in the refrigerator, to allow the flavors to meld together.


Original Recipe