An Unexpected Salad

My local grocery store puts out a free seasonal magazine that has all sorts of great recipes (all featuring the store's branded products, of course). The recipes all looked great (gotta love professional food photography), but I was a little skeptical of some of the flavor combinations. Cucumber and blueberry salad? Really?

Yes, really. And it was delicious. Here's the recipe: Cucumber & Blueberry Salad with Feta

The whole thing took maybe 5 minutes to put together. It can be served right away, but I'd recommend letting it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together and the salad to chill. We used less salad dressing than recommended and I noticed that at first it tasted very strong anyway, but the longer it sat, the more it mellowed. So if you make it and you think it's a bit pungent at first, don't worry, it will probably be fine in a little while.

Cucumber, Blueberry, Feta, Mint, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette. That's it!

Originally I made it as a light dinner for me and my friend, but then last night I had it as a side dish with some lemon garlic chicken breasts that Brian encouraged me to buy for a night when I wasn't up to cooking a full meal (great suggestion, honey!). I think I like it better as a side because the meat served as an anchor for it. I definitely felt more fulfilled the second time around. The reviewers on the recipe site suggested bringing it to a BBQ as an alternative to pasta salad and I wholeheartedly second this idea.

This recipe made enough for 3 full meals and 2 side dishes, which I'm going to say averages out to either dinner for 4 or side dish for 8. Then again, it's so good, that you might find it goes a lot quicker :)