Quick Greek Cucumber Salad

It's hot out there right now, so something that is quick and refreshing and requires no heat is in order. Serve on the side with leftover grilled chicken, or steak and you have dinner in less than 15 minutes. I use the baby cucumbers, or persian cucumbers, because they have few seeds. There are very few ingredients, so use the best quality ingredients you can find.

Serves 4

Salad
4 cups chopped cucumbers
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup mixed olives, preferably pitted
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 oz. crumbled good quality feta cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I used fresh flat leaf parsley since that's what I had on hand)

Dressing
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions. Mix. Garnish with feta and fresh basil.

Orzo Cucumber Tomato Salad

I had some orzo I wanted to use, and I had everything on hand to put together this refreshing salad. It's even better the next day. I like to serve this as a side with my grilled lemon garlic chicken - left overs make a great lunch the next day..

1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion ( to tone down the sharpness of an onion soak it in some water for about 10 minutes, drain, and pat dry with a paper towel)
kalamata olives, as many as you like
1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup good quality feta cheese ( I like Valbreso french feta sheep's milk - expensive, but I'm worth it!)
balsamic vinaigrette ( I like Newman's Own) or Greek salad dressing

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dry orzo pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients add 1/4 to a 1/2 cup dressing to taste. You don't want it swimming in dressing, just enough to flavor everything. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Cucumber & Dill Yogurt Dressing

Use this cucumber dill yogurt dressing with my  Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with feta cheese and kalamata olives in a pita, or on top of grilled salmon or fish, as a dip with pita chips, or fresh pita bread

1 heaping cup chopped baby cucumbers, 1 small

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced, or pressed through a garlic press

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

3/4 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

1-2 Tablespoon  fresh dill - depending how dilly you like things

mix  all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate so flavors can meld.