Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad has been a staple at picnics and summer BBQs for decades. It is always a crowd pleaser and it’s no surprise why. This light and refreshing side dish has it all: salty, sweet, crunchy and that vinegary zip. Traditionally, these fruits and veggies are marinated in a brine of water, vinegar, salt and sugar. By simply modifying the type and amount of sweetener, we have an easy, SCD legal salad that our whole family loves!
There are many variations of this salad. Some use large tomatoes and chop them into pieces. Some de-seed and peel the cucumber. Some add spices or oil to the brine. But I chose to keep it simple…and simple is oftentimes the best! Plus, I typically have all of the ingredients to this salad in my fridge/pantry which is why Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad makes the perfect side dish when I need one in a pinch.
Simple ingredients
For this salad I use:
Grape/Cherry Tomatoes: I’ve found these tomato varieties to be consisitently sweeter. I love the somewhat crisp bite on the outside. They are easy to cut- just a simple slice down the middle and I’m done. (Plus, I have very productive tomato plants right in my backyard!!)
Mini Cucumbers: This variety is so fun! They naturally have few seeds and the seeds they do have are small. There is no need to scrape seeds out and so all I need to do is cut them lengthwise in half and then slice in bite sized pieces. I do not peel the cucumber either. The peel is what houses most of the nutrients!
Sweet Onion: White, Yellow, Vidalia they all work great! Pickled onions (which is essentially what this recipe does) are well loved by my family.
White Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar works great too. But I love the bite of the slightly stronger white vinegar.
Honey: No sugar is allowed for my Specific Carbohydrate Diet following family. Honey is the only SCD legal sweetener. This excellent, whole food sugar swap is a great modification to this already healthy dish.
Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad Finishing Touches
This dish is perfect eaten right out of the bowl. But if you want to kick it up a notch, try serving it with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of parsley, freshly grated black pepper and/or some crumbled feta cheese. Yummy!!
While summer is the obvious time of year for this salad, we eat it year-round. It pairs well with any grilled or baked meat like this Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Shredded Pork. Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad is also particularly delightful with Mediterranean style dishes like these:
While traditionally a summer dish, Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad is quite possibly the most perfect side to compliment a variety of meals year-round! This SCD legal version has become a family favorite. This salad has it all: sweet, salty, crunchy, vinegary and best of all, a breeze to whip up!
Ingredients
Scale
5oz cherry or grape tomatoes- halved (see notes for options)
3 mini cucumbers- cut lengthwise, then sliced (see notes for options)
1/4 medium sized white, yellow or Vidalia onion- sliced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar if desired)
1 heaping Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
Optional:
Feta cheese, crumbled
Parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Black pepper
Instructions
1. Whisk water, vinegar, honey and salt in a bowl and allow it to sit until the honey and salt completely dissolve.
2. Chop tomatoes in half. Cut mini cucumbers in half lengthwise, then chop into bite sized pieces. Cut onion into thin bite sized slices.
3. Add all fruits/veggies to the marinade and give it a good stir. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours (or more!) to allow the brine to soak in.
4. Serve cold as is or top with optional feta cheese, parsley, black pepper and/or a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
This salad is extremely versatile…it’s hard to mess up! See below for some options:
I like the tomato and cucumber varieties listed in the ingredients. But any tomato or cucumber you prefer will work great. Peel the cucumber or remove the seeds if you prefer (especially if you are using a traditional cucumber with larger seeds).
Try apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. They both taste great!
Use as many or as few as the fruits/veggies as you like. If your family prefers tomato, add more tomatoes. Sweet bell peppers would be a nice addition as well. Just be sure that the brine covers most of the produce.
