Cucumber Radish Salad is a crisp and tasty welcome to summer vegetables! Garnished with edible chive flowers, it’s a beautiful side dish. Vegan and gluten-free.
As the weather continues to warm and spring vegetables slip away to summer, I look forward to the simple foods that summer’s bounty brings.
Just this weekend, I found the first cucumbers at my local farmers’ market — little baby cukes that would be perfect for pickling if not for the fact that they were even more perfect for eating straight up and slicing into a salad. (My own cucumber plants are about 3″ tall at this point and more than a month away from first fruiting. Sigh – anticipation.)
Their surprise appearance at the market was a happy (and rare) overlapping with the chive flowers still in bloom in my garden, and my own homegrown Cincinnati Market radishes, which are quickly winding down.
Chive flowers are beautiful little frilly puff-balls in the loveliest shade of lavender — and they’re edible, adding a subtle chive flavor and a pretty burst of texture and color.
Cucumber Radish Salad comes together in less than 15 minutes — so fresh, bright and crisp — I didn’t even wait for it to marinate, although the chilled leftovers the next day were amazing.
Oh, garden vegetables, how I’ve missed you so [muah]!
Karen xo
Cucumber Radish Salad with Chive Flowers
Ingredients
for the vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup sugar (I used half sugar and half truvia)
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon your favorite chopped flavoring herb , such as dill, celery seed, basil, oregano (optional)
for the salad
- 3 or 4 baby cucumbers , sliced
- 2 or 3 medium round radishes (or one French breakfast or carrot style radish), sliced
- 1 small red bell pepper , diced
- 2 chive flowers , florets removed from the flower head base on the main stem (or 1 tablespoon chopped chives)
Instructions
- Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- Add the vegetables and about half of the chive florets to a medium bowl and toss lightly. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and give it stir. Sprinkle the remaining florets over the salad as a garnish.
- Chill for at least an hour. Can be made a day ahead.
Nutrition
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Diane (DeAnna) Johnson
Saturday 2nd of June 2012
Bellisimo! It is such a nice touch to add the chive flower petals. Your salad looks so fresh and delicious.
Heather
Friday 1st of June 2012
What a beautiful looking salad. Your photos are gorgeous.
Martyn
Friday 1st of June 2012
That salad looks so nice! I would love to have some in the coming days.
Nancy
Tuesday 29th of May 2012
You know you are eating healthy when the produce is so beautiful!
K
Tuesday 29th of May 2012
Simply gorgeous! I had some chive flowers on a salad this weekend and I just love the extra little lift they offer.