Charred Cucumber and Onion Salad over Arugula Greens

It’s grilling season! Take advantage of the preheated grill to whip up your whole meal, keeping clean-up to a minimum and enjoying those charred flavors!

All in the family. While we typically equate the cucumber with a nice garden salad, maybe even venture to identify it as a fruit, we can take one step further away and see this as a cucurbit, or a member of the gourd family. Unlike its relatives, I find cucumber much more enjoyable to eat raw, but when cooked, it brings another world of opportunities when you start thinking about it like a squash! By grilling, the flavors of a sweet cucumber give way to the meaty interior, that absorbs those sauce flavors perfectly. A great new way to try this salad favorite!

Balancing strong personalities. When making dishes, especially salads, I find it is a lot easier to take one or two really strong ingredients and pair them with a few more muted veggies, than to have a bowl of competing flavors. In this case, arugula will be a strong stand-out flavor (you can swap any green if you’d prefer). For this reason, I chose to pair with a soft goat cheese and walnuts, both of which are not too bold in flavor. The soy and balsamic tame down a lot of the char taste, and act to infuse that roasted essence, giving this salad a surprising amount of depth while not overpowering any one ingredient. Delicious and easy!

Looking for some great sides using similar ingredients?! Try out some of these delicious dishes!

Mustard on Mustard Salad with Pickled Radish and Arugula

Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese with a Sweet Apple Cider Mustard Vinaigrette

Stacked Portabella Caps with Arugula Microgreen Pesto

Slivered Sugar Snap Peas with a Honey Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

Grilling season is a wonderful time to play around with different ways of cooking those seasonal veggies! Stay tuned for a a great summer of flavor! Check to website as new recipes are posted often!

Head over and Like and Follow Goddess of Garlic on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest to receive updates as new recipes are posted!

Charred Cucumber and Onion Salad over Arugula Greens

Hannah

An easy side dish to make with your grilled entrée! Perfect for those nights when the grill is already heated, to add a bit of fresh!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 2

Equipment

• Grill Could use stovetop or oven-goal to get crisp outsides
• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen knife

Ingredients

  

• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Soy/Liquid Aminos
• 1/2 squeezed Lemon
• 1 clove Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 large Red Onion
• 1 large Cucumber
• 4 handfuls Fresh Arugula
• 1/4 cup Goat Cheese
• 1/4 cup Walnuts

Instructions

 

• Heat grill. In mixing bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy/aminos, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
• Slice cucumber lengthwise into quarters. Carefully laying each quarter on the cutting board, trim off top peak of seeds.
• Slice onion in large disks, about 1/2 inch thick. Lay both onions and cucumbers on dish/baking sheet.
• Drizzle with the oil mixture, flipping to coat. (keep a small amount of sauce in bowl-about 1 tbsp). Place on grill and cook each side until a char is formed, about 5-8 minutes per side.
• Remove from the grill and set aside to cool.
• While veggies are cooling, toss arugula greens in the remainder of the oil mixture and plate.
• Slice cucumbers and onions in large, diagonal slices and add to the greens. Top with chopped walnuts and goat cheese. Serve with a wedge of fresh lemon. Enjoy!

Keyword Aurugala, Charred, Cucumber, Fresh, Goat Cheese, Grill, Heatlhy, Keto, Low-carb, Onion