Cucumber avocado salad

For a refreshing summer salad, combine cucumber, avocado, and mint with a little olive oil and lime juice.

Make a simple salad with just cucumbers, avocado, and mint with a dressing of lime juice and olive oil.

Kitchen Report

June 22, 2014

We’ve been holding our church services at Spontaneous Celebrations, a community center in Jamaica Plain. I was standing outside after the service in the bright sunshine with Rebecca and Jenny when I noticed there were huge bunches of mint growing between the sidewalk and the bottom of the stairs.

Mint can take over a garden like an invasive weed, so I had no qualms about helping myself to a bunch of mint. It’s wonderful to not only have a mint in a vase to perfume the air but also to keep it handy to chop into salads, or add to a glass of refreshing ice water or lemonade.

That’s when Jenny started reciting a recipe for the cucumber avocado summer salad she had found on Food52. It was perfect. I had several ripe small avocados sitting in a bowl on my kitchen table. So I just stopped off at the store and picked up an English cucumber and a couple of limes on my way home.

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I chopped up the ingredients as soon as I got home. And to make things even easier, English cucumbers have a thin enough skin so you don’t have to peel them. In a burst of inspiration, I added a teaspoon of dill seed. To make it a complete lunch, I toasted a whole wheat English muffin, and then shared the meal with Jenna before we zoomed off to Walden Pond for a swim on a bright summer afternoon.

Cucumber Avocado Salad

1 English cucumber, diced
1 large, or 2 small avocados, diced
1 bunch of mint, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
Tablespoon of feta or goat cheese
Teaspoon dill seed

1. Combine the cucumber, avocado,  and mint in a medium sized salad bowl.

2. Sprinkle with dill seeds

3. Emulsify the lime juice and olive oil by whisking rapidly. Add salt. Pour over cucumber and avocado and stir gently to combine.

4. Add feta or goat cheese on top and serve.