Meatless Monday: Cucumber Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cheese

Cucumber Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cheese

I read "Gone with the Wind" when I was 11 years old, renaming my recently-cast-off Barbie doll Scarlett, and constructing elaborate dresses using embroidery hoops in the skirts. I read and reread the book all that year, and once forced myself into sleep by mentally naming all the characters, major and minor.

A bookish, somewhat solitary child, I memorized entire passages, and lived the book as much as a young girl can in the second half of the 20th century. I recall asking my father (who read everything) to name his favorite part of the book, and I recall his reply verbatim, "When they were grubbing for food at Tara - that was my favorite."

Ever my father's daughter, I have to admit: I love that part of the book, too. I love being forced to do a lot with a little. I am always up for a challenge.

These days I grub for food in my own larder, and I am rarely disappointed in the outcome of my food pairings.


I was grubbing for leftovers when I made this salad with cucumbers and feta cheese, the latter left over from the last time my husband made this recipe.


Cucumber Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cheese (3-4 servings)

• 1 medium cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup green olives
• healthy pinch herbs de Provence
• healthy dash dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cucumber into 1/3 inch slices, then quarter and place in a medium-size bowl. Add feta and red peppers (my red peppers were from a jar, which I always keep in my pantry for culinary emergencies).

Chop both white and green parts of onion and add to the salad mix, along with the olives. Add herbs and seasonings. Cover dish and chill for two hours. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving. I added a dash of lemon juice before serving. You might also add a dash of olive oil, but for the most part, this salad needs no dressing: The olive and red pepper brines create the dressing.

I'd recommend serving this as a side dish with roasted chicken and potatoes.

Now that I've opened that jar of red peppers, I've got to come up with a way to use it up...