For wife Jan’s birthday, I am making carrot salad. Daughter Miriam is having trouble chewing and eating carrots might be a bit hard for her. I decided to make a tomato and cucumber salad with tender greens just for her.

Karl’s Central Asian Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Warning!: I bought my mesclun from the farmer’s market. While I have bought these tender greens many times from this particular farmer, today there was a toxic thistle in the mix—a strong laxative. Two of the party spent a bad night after having only bitten—but not swallowing—bits of the weed. Carefully check non-commercial salad mixes for weeds that should not be there.
Karl’s Central Asian Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Dressing
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. honey, local preferred
½ tsp. dill, dried
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. Kosher salt
3-5 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded
3 Persian cucumbers
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
6 oz. mesclun, mixed baby greens
Directions
1. Mix the dressing in a small bowl and let stand for 10-15 minutes to meld.
2. Slice the tomatoes and cucumbers into similar sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
Tip: Sometimes I like to roll-cut the cucumbers. Take a diagonal slice from the cucumber and then roll it a quarter turn. Take a second diagonal cut. The cucumber piece will be wedge-shaped on one side and rounded on the other. This is a more interesting shape that simple round or half moon slices. Continue rolling and cutting until done.
3. Add the sliced onions and dressing to the bowl and mix well.
Tip: Let the vegetables stand for 20-40 minutes to briefly marinate, tossing occasionally to distribute the dressing.
4. Wash the mesclun and place the greens in the bottom of a serving bowl
5. Pour the cucumber/tomato mix on top of the greens.
Tip: I prefer to use the greens as a bed for the other ingredients, so I do not toss the marinated vegetables with the greens.
6. Serve at room temperature.
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