Cool As A Cucumber Salad

Got heat? 

This past week was so unbearably, oppressively hot, even my sandals were sweating. We finally had to break down and put in our air conditioners a month earlier than we normally do; judging from the periodic brown-out’s experienced in our neighborhood, we were not alone.

As north-easterners, some would say we have a reputation for never being satisfied with the weather: it's always either too cold, or too hot; but really Mother Nature? A hundred degrees PLUS high humidity? It's just not fair.

On days such as these the only thing you want to do it sit on a beach, in a pool or in a puddle-anything will do to just stay cool.

When it comes to feeding the family, no mom wants to be inside cooking: outdoor grilling and summer salads are the way to go. We usually stock up on family sized cole slaw and potato salad so we always have our go-to sides, but I love a great summer salad recipe to mix it up with, and I found a great one for cucumber pepper relish that is a great accompaniment.  

Most cucumber salad recipes I've come across are very sweet, with a ton of sugar, but not this one courtesy of the online recipe site AllRecipes.com where the flavors of the vegetables themselves are the star of the show.

The addition of naturally sweet yellow peppers, makes this dish very figure friendly and satisfying at the same time. I added just a pinch of sea salt and couple of cranks of pepper to the recipe, which I doubled to feed my family of six. By pairing it with a spicy grilled chicken, as suggested, you get the perfect blend of spices and coolness.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Stay cool, and Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Breast With Cucumber and Pepper Relish

• 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, prepare the relish by mixing together the cucumber, parsley, chopped onion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cumin and chili powder with the olive oil. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, and place in a shallow dish. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
3. Prepare the grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Serve with cucumber relish.