| ITALIAN VEGGIE SALAD 3 medium sized cucumbers 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes 1 cup purple onion, diced 1 cup ricotta cheese 1 cup pitted black olives, drained and left whole 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped fine 1 cup Italian salad dressing Wash and peel the cucumbers or if the skin is tender, leave the peel on, then slice and dice. Place in a medium sized serving bowl Rinse the cherry or grape tomatoes and slice each one in half or quarter it if the tomato is large. Add these to the cucumbers along with the diced onion, cheese, olives and cilantro. Drizzle dressing over the top and toss with a fork to evenly distribute. Chill for at least one hour and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Note: A fun way to prepare thin skinned cucumbers is to score the entire surface of the skin from one end of the cucumber to the other with a fork. When the cucumber is sliced, it makes a cool design. |