Ranch Cucumber Salad

Select fresh, firm cucumbers for your salad.

Cucumbers are light, refreshing vegetables that are rich in vitamins and work well in many dishes. A ranch cucumber salad is a simple way to accent the vegetable's main flavor. The salad utilizes onions to make the dish filling, along with common seasonings and ranch dressing to keep the meal interesting. The salad works well as a light side to any meal or a healthy snack on its own. The salad requires approximately 20 minutes of preparation time and one hour of chill time. A basic recipe yields just enough for two servings.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife
• Two large cucumbers
• Large bowl
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• Wooden spoon
• Plastic wrap
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed

Instructions

1. Slice two large cucumbers thinly with a sharp knife. Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl.

2. Sprinkle the sliced cucumbers with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon to coat the slices in a thin layer of the seasonings. Cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Add 1/2 cup chopped red onion and 2/3 cup ranch dressing to the cucumbers. Toss with a wooden spoon to coat the onions and cucumbers in an even layer of dressing.

4. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed over the top of the salad and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap.

5. Refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes. Toss the salad once more before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Add 1/4 cup of your favorite chopped veggies with the red onion and dressing to personalize the recipe to your tastes.

References

• "500 Salads: The Only Salad Compendium You'll Ever Need"; Susannah Blake; 2010
• "Cooking Light Cook's Essential Recipe Collection: Salad"; Editors of Cooking Light Magazine; 2007
• "Cooking Basics For Dummies"; Bryan Miller, Marie Rama and Eve Adamson; 2011