Here’s what I made for lunch a couple of days ago. Its success is built on simplicity. My strategy remains similar, week in and week out. Nevertheless, it is never quite the same, and always delicious. Thank you to Alice Waters for teaching me to eat simply. This salad makes one single serving, but is infinitely flexible if you’d like to invite a friend or an army to your table to share a meal.
1 medium white potato (organic), cooked
2 small (pickling) cucumbers (approx 1 in x 5 in)
8 grape or cherry tomatoes
2 tsp. sunflower seeds
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
a small handful of fresh herbs (choose from among chives, basil, mint, thyme, oregano)
Dice the potato into 1/2 inch cubes, and add to a bowl.
Halve the cucumbers the long way, and slice into thin half-moons.
Slice each tomato in half.
Mix together the vegetables, and add the herbs. Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Mix well.
Sprinkle the top with sunflower seeds just before serving.
Thank you, Alice Waters.
What on earth is a “small” cucumber? A “small” cucumber in my neck of the woods is abut 400 grams, or just under 16 oz or 1 lb, and two of them would be a lot of chewing for one portion. Do you mean gherkins (aka baby cucumbers)? They weigh in about 100 grams each and are tender and delicious. Accepting that food names differ each side of the pond, or even in different parts of the same country, and despising the tyranny of exact measurements (I came across a recipe which included 375 grams of carrots for God’s sake) some indication of the relative proportions of each ingredient is sometimes helpful.
You are not the worst offender, Dr S, but do spare a thought for those of us who may have different ideas of what is a “medium” potato or “small” cucumber.
PS I love the blog so keep it coming!
A small cucumber is a pickling cucumber, perhaps 1 inch in diameter and 5 inches in length. As opposed to a foot-long, English cucumber, or at least that’s what we call them here in the U.S.
Thanks for the clarification. BTW if the potato is cooked and cooled the starch in the cold potato is partly converted to resistant starch which is not digested in the upper intestine but passes to the colon where it feeds friendly microbes. These convert it to healthy compounds including butyrate which is a type of fatty acid with many health benefits. For example it is anti inflammatory, and important for gut-related diseases from autoimmunity and obesity to colon cancer. It is also good for your brain! (Wikipedia has a useful entry in butyrate)
Yes — thank you! That is the best description I have seen yet on this. My understanding is that it also applies to rice. Do you know anything about this? What are your professional interests, and where are you going to learn about nutrition? Be well 🙂 RBS
I made this salad as my dinner tonight. Unbelievably delicious.
I also have to mention I now have a 3 ring notebook with only recipes from Dr. Sukol!!
Wow Cheryl — thank you!
Great and simple salad, I will have to try it.
It is very nutritive too
Thanks John! I’ll check out the link, too!