Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

I love this refreshing salad in the summertime. Face it the best tomatoes and cucumbers of the entire year will be in our grocery stores soon. They are a natural combination and to add some feta cheese is just divine.

The dressing is a simple balsamic vinegar vinaigrette that also goes really well on any tossed salad. Be sure use the best quality balsamic vinegar you can afford. The better the vinegar the smoother the flavor of the finished vinaigrette. Pull out your better extra virgin olive oil too. I only used about half of the amount of dressing for my salad so I have some left to use on a tossed salad later in the week. Just store it in the fridge until needed, allow to come to room temperature and then shake to combine and use as desired.

If you happen to have a white balsamic that will be a bit prettier but won't make a huge difference in flavor.

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

Vinaigrette:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ clove of garlic, minced finely or grated

dash of freshly ground pepper

Salad:

2 large tomatoes, sliced

½ large cucumber, sliced

½ cup (about 2 oz) feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

In a small jar combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette and shake well.

On your serving platter alternate the slices of tomato and cucumber, you will need the same number of slices of each. Sprinkle the feta cheese and oregano over the top of the tomatoes and cucumber.

Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette, the amount is up to you. I had about half of this amount leftover but you may like to use more or less.