Easy Tomato-Cucumber Salad With Zucchini and Avocado


On hectic days when  I need to be able to throw together a quick nutritious lunch, this salad fits the bill. I invented it to make use of veggies I can always buy at Costco in bulk for cheap. I also wanted a raw salad made from ingredients that are relatively easy to chew (for TMJ issues,) compared to a lot of my other favorite raw salad veggies--such as red cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower--which are more difficult to eat when my jaw is feeling overworked.

This is my basic recipe, to which you could happily add spinach, red or green onion, quinoa, and/or black olives. (If I don't have a ripe avocado--you have to plan ahead for those things--I add 4-5 black olives to console myself.)

P.S. - I use flax oil because I really love the taste on this salad, but feel free to use another healthy oil of your choosing.

Easy Tomato-Cucumber Salad With Zucchini and Avocado


3 Campari tomatoes (or one or two Romas,) diced
1 - 1.5 cup peeled and sliced English cucumber
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 large avocado or 1 small, diced
Chopped parsley (optional)
Generous drizzle of Flax Oil
Splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Sprinkle of dried oregano or Italian blend spices
Sea salt to taste

Combine all veggies in a bowl, sprinkle on the dried spices and salt, drizzle with oil and squeeze some lemon juice over the top. Toss lightly and enjoy immediately or pack in your work tote and let marinate until lunch (if using spinach or other greens, just set those on top of the diced veggies and mix it all together when you eat it.) It gets better after sitting a couple of hours, and in Colorado it doesn't need refrigeration before lunch. I wouldn't leave it in the car though. :-)





Comments