Recipe Spotlight: Summer Cucumber Salad

This is a great salad to prepare in advance to have a quick meal when you return home from work or a day relaxing by the pool.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders (or chicken breast sliced ½ inch thick)
• 1-1 ½ tablespoon olive oil to grease the pan

For Marinade/Dressing

• 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (2 small lemons)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For salad

• 1 large avocado-diced
• 1 cucumber -diced
• about 1 ½-2 cups cherry tomatoes-halved
• 1 small-medium red onion- sliced
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese- to sprinkle on top if desired

Instructions

1. First, in a medium bowl combine all ingredients for marinade/dressing and stir well.
2. Reserve half of the mixture for later use as salad dressing (cover and store in the fridge).
3. Now, place chicken tenders in remaining mixture and flip the chicken to coat well, then, cover the bowl and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 15-20 minutes.
4. Grease grilling pan with olive oil, heat over medium high heat and grill the chicken a few minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked completely. Cool for a few minutes, then chop the chicken in bite size pieces.
5. In a large bowl combine diced avocado, cucumber, sliced cherry tomatoes, red onion and chopped chicken, pour reserved dressing over the salad ingredients, stir well and serve cold.

Julie Fortenberry is a registered dietitian at Touro Infirmary. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Southern Mississippi. Julie believes that lifestyle changes and wholesome nutrition are obtainable, and brings real-life understanding to wellness and nutritional counseling.