Chopped Veggie Plate

Sometimes, just a plate or bowl of my two favorite veggies, tomatoes and cucumbers, is enough to satisfy the tastebuds.  I know tomatoes are botanically referred to as fruit, but in my world, they are vegetables.  The are considered a vegetable for culinary purposes.  I gathered a large bag of tomatoes at the market this weekend and another similarly sized bag of cucumbers.  I also picked up some lemons and limes.

As you can see, these tomatoes are kind of "pink" which means they were mass grown, probably in a soilless medium and then shipped out to various retail grocers.  Unfortunately, this is what we have to look forward to until we can begin to grow our own tomatoes again next year.  So you take what you've got and you make it better.

I did a rough chop on the tomatoes and cucumbers and combined them in a glass bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I enjoy salt on my food, so I probably salted these a bit more than most would like.  Mix together with clean hands.  Cover with cling wrap and let set on the countertop for 30 - 60 minutes.  The salt and pepper help to bring out the flavor just like sugar helps to bring out flavor when sprinkled over fruit such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.  Just before plating, I added a few cocktail onions to the mix.  Stir the whole thing by hand and then transfer to a plate.  A drizzle of olive oil and a small squeeze of half of either a fresh lemon or lime over the entire thing, and you are set to enjoy a delicious and healthy salad.  You could also sprinkle with some fresh cilantro.  I'll definitely add the cilantro next time.