Summer Tomato Salad: Fresh, Crisp Perfection

Last week my dad gave us a big bag of fresh veggies from his garden- cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapenos, carrots, and my favorite, tomatoes. These tomatoes have always been the juiciest and sweetest tomatoes we eat during the year. One of our favorite ways to eat them is to make kachumber, a simple Indian salad where tomatoes, cucumber and onion are sliced thin and mixed with a little salt, cumin and lemon juice. I've made my version a little different by cutting the vegetables into chunks instead of the typical long thin slices. Yes, it looks a lot like a salsa but it's eaten more like a salad than like a dip.  I've also used black salt instead of regular salt. Black salt has a very distinctive mineral taste. I find that it goes well with these vegetables but you can always use regular salt if it's not to your taste. Along with some herbs, we planted tomatoes in containers on our balcony this year. We've had success in the past, but I think the tomatoes were confused between the heat spell and random cold days. They are tall and leafy with flowers but have not produced a single tomato. It's been very disappointing but at least I know I can always count on Dad as a source of good summer tomatoes. He gets just as excited about his garden vegetables as he does donuts. That must be where I get my foodie trait! If you've garden fresh tomatoes (or can get your hands on some), I highly recommend you try out this summer salad. It requires no dressing. Just a small amount of lemon juice and spice mingling with the juices of the vegetables gives this dish a lot of flavor.  If you love that cucumber and tomato combination, you'll also adore Urvashee's Bombay Sandwich Recipe! Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe Print This Recipe Ingredients 1 cucumber, medium 1 large whole tomato 2 tablespoons onion, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced, optional 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon black salt 3-4 mint leaves, minced 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro Directions Peel and dice the cucumber into ½ inch pieces. Cut the tomato in quarters to deseed then dice into ½ inch pieces. Combine the cut tomatoes with the cucumber, onions, and jalapenos. Gently mix in the cumin, salt, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with mint and cilantro leaves.  Notes Black salt has a strong sulfurous taste so you may want to try it out in a smaller amount at first or substitute with regular salt. There are no real amounts in this recipe. All ingredients can be adjusted to taste. Be careful with fresh jalapeno. Some have more heat than others. via Food Fanatic http://www.foodfanatic.com/2013/08/summer-tomato-salad-fresh-crisp-perfection/

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