The Salad with a Crunch
I hope you had a wonderful weekend, like me. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. The weather has been moderate and pleasant. Right now we are having a cool drizzle and fall temperatures. My lawn is finally being watered by nature. I wonder what the weather is like wherever you are. Please share with me.
I have been eating a lot of cake, lately, so yesterday I decided to have salad for lunch. I always have some English cucumbers in the fridge so my best bet was cucumber salad. English cucumbers are nearly seedless, have a great taste and crunch, a delicate skin and are burpless too. If you normally get gas or bloating from eating cucumbers, you’re less likely to get it with English cucumbers, hence the name, burpless.
I first I thought I would have a vegetarian lunch, but after battling with my thoughts for one hour, I decided to add some sliced chicken to the salad. (the day before I had vegetarian dinner, anyway). The salad tasted great. I added some ginger, mint and honey to the dressing. It tasted very nice. I hope if you ever make this salad, you’ll like it too!
- Ingredients for Salad
- I red apple, quartered, cored and sliced (I used Royal Gala)
- 1 Granny Smith, apple, quartered, cored and sliced
- 2 cups diagonally sliced English cucumber
- 1 cup diagonally sliced celery (2 stalks)
- 2-4 cups arugula (optional)
- 3 cooked, barbequed or grilled chicken breasts, sliced and seasoned
- 4-8 radishes, quartered (for garnish)
- 8-12 cherries (for garnish)
- Mint Leaves for garnish
Please always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start
Ingredients for dressing
To make dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake vigorously to combine. Adjust seasoning. (If you require more dressing, double the amount)
In a large bowl, combine the apples, cucumbers and celery.
Drizzle some dressing and gently toss to combine.
Place a bed of arugula (if using) on 4-6 individual plates
and divide the tossed salad, among the 4-6 plates. Drizzle over, the dressing and garnish with radishes and cherries (if in season) and some mint leaves.
Top with chicken and drizzle more dressing .
If you’d rather not serve it with chicken then just omit it. I absolutely enjoyed eating this salad, with lots of chicken and some fried rice on the side.
Cucumber, Apple and Celery Salad with Chicken
Preparation time: 30 minutes; Assembly: 5-10 minutes; Serves: 4-6 depending on the portions
Ingredients
- I red apple, quartered, cored and sliced (I used Royal Gala)
- 1 Granny Smith, apple, quartered, cored and sliced
- 2 cups diagonally sliced English cucumber
- 1 cup diagonally sliced celery (2 stalks)
- 2-4 cups arugula (optional)
- 3 cooked, barbequed or grilled chicken breasts, sliced and seasoned
- 4-8 radishes, quartered (for garnish)
- 8-12 cherries (for garnish)
- Mint Leaves for garnish
Red Wine Vinegar Dressing with Ginger and Mint
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2-3 teaspoons finely chopped mint
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the apples, cucumbers and celery. Drizzle some dressing and gently toss to combine.
- Place a bed of arugula (if using) on 4 individual plates and divide the tossed salad, among the 4 plates. Top with chicken, drizzle over the dressing and garnish with radishes and cherries (if in season) and some mint leaves.
- To make dressing: combine all dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake vigorously to combine. Adjust seasoning. (If you require more dressing, double or triple the amount, whichever, suits you)
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Those cherries look amazing in there! And I really love keeping the skin on my chicken – the crispiness, when it’s done right, really adds some excellent texture to a good meal!
Hi Chef,
Oh yes they absolutely changed the taste of the salad. I love skin too, especially in fried chicken. It tastes very nice. Thanks for visiting me and for the many likes I got from you. I wish you a lovely week.
Liz
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I love putting celery and apples together! This looks so great, I think I’ll try it this weekend.
Thank you for the multitude of likes and the compliments. Enjoy the salad over the weekend and enjoy the rest of the week, and the weekend.
This salad looks so amazing. I’m gonna try this soon!!
Thank you, Priya. Enjoy it when you try it!!!
Hi Liz, This salad looks so good to me. Such a great combination of colors, crunch, and flavors. I wouldn’t have thought of putting in cherries, but like the idea. Here in Arizona it is still very hot, but we got a lovely monsoon storm tonight that cooled everything off, at least for now. Glad it is cooling off where you are. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much for describing it as I would to you. I loved the cherries, they really enhanced the flavour. We are also expecting some rain and a mini-storm tonight. Our summer is not too hot this year. Thanks so much for visiting me and wish you all the best in everything!
This salad looks so refreshing! Would really love this for dinner!
I somehow always eat my salads at lunch time. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just a habit? Thanks for complimenting. How goes life in Singapore? Wish you a fabulous week!
I made thistasty salad this evening! My husband & I loved it! It was divine! X
Hi Sophie,
You are the most versatile cook I’ve ever come across. You’re so full of energy. Thank you for making the salad. I really hope you enjoyed eating it. Oh, yes, you’ve said, it was divine. Thank you Sophie, wish you a fabulous week!
Now yer talkin’!!! Mmmmmmm – salad and chicken!
Salad and chicken is one of the best things ever. I wonder whether there is anytime I have ever made a salad and failed to throw in some chicken. I don’t remember. thanks for popping in. Wish you a wonderful evening!
Beautiful salad! I love the addition of cherries, it sounds too delicious. I read your previous posts, I’ve only gotten to like them now, though. (And I myself have yet to post something, tsk tsk, me) Ever since Eid happened, we’ve been to another city, about 500 people’s houses and generally ‘outside, plus my camera’s wire is lost so posting (And I’ve already written it) is quite difficult but I’ll try hard to overcome these obstacles! Sorry for rambling, (You just inspire me) I hope your day is blessed and thanks for sharing.
Hey Girl,
Where have you been? I’ve really missed to see you, and I’m mighty glad you’re back. Thank you for reading my previous posts, and thanks a million for liking them all. I am truly grateful.
I really hope you’ll start posting again, coz I miss your posts. I am so glad to hear you’re visiting lots of people in another city. 500 is a huge number. I am sorry about your camera wire and I hope you’ll soon get back to your normal life and start posting again. No need to be sorry at all, you’re not rambling. I love reading my messages and I must say you inspire me too, in many ways. My day is fabulous and I hope your’s is too.
Thank you so much popping by and I really look forward to the time when you’ll start posting again. I wish you all the best in everything, you’re doing right now and my warm wishes to your family and friends. Take care!
P/S Thank you for complimenting the salad!
The salad looks so fresh!
Wouldn’t it be lovely to enjoy it while having a picnic, surrounded by nature? 😀
Hi Hari,
Yes of course it would be lovely. Thanks so much for complimenting and have a wonderful day`!
wow! I will try this soon. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you. Please enjoy it when you try it. Have a wonderful week!
Oh Liz! That looks like a beautiful and healthy salad! Just perfect for our summer days!
Oh Lidia, (I love your name!) the salad was very nice. I ate it as a complete meal at lunch time, Thanks and have a wonderful week!
This salad is such a great mix of flavors and textures, Liz. I love apple in salads and I’ve been tossing a few blueberries in lately. I need to give cherries a try next. Above all, that dressing you prepared sounds tasty and would really accent rather than overpower the ingredients. WIth or without the chicken, this is a fantastic salad,
Thanks, John, for complimenting. I love apples too. They give a very nice crunch to the salad. Never thought of tossing blueberries. I somehow, always use them for making pikelets for breakfast. I love blueberry pikelets. Thank you John, I wish you a lovely week and my best wishes to Max. I truly appreciate your constant and continuous support!
Looks simple and sounds delicious. Thanks.
Thank you. Have a wonderful week!
We here in South Carolina had unusually cool weather overnight. When I told Jack to feel outside before we went to the bus stop he went outside and informed me he would need his winter fleece coat. It was 59 degrees Fahrenheit! My southern boys can be wimps! He settled for a hooded sweatshirt. This salad looks so yummy. I love apples and pears on a salad, throw on some chicken and it is a complete meal. Will have to try this dressing soon. Enjoy the week.
59F is 15C that is a bit on the cold side although this summer our temperatures hovered around 62-65F for sometime, but this place is much colder than South Carolina so it’s quite in order for him to feel cold. Thanks for popping in despite your very busy schedule. is your hubby back yet? Take care and enjoy the week too!
Looks delicious 🙂
And tastes delicious!
This will be the perfect little salad to make for lunch or dinner at my house this Fall as apples are coming into season! I’m thinking of adding some peaches just to use everything in my fruit bowl.
Thank you for liking the salad. I hope you enjoy it when the apples finally come into season. Please add all that suits your palate and share with me your version. I might want to make it too. have a lovely week!
Hi Liz, Perfect timing! My husband and I have just been saying that we need to start eating more salad again. You have inspired me with this beautiful salad and gorgeous photos. Thanks so much!
I am glad my photo is beautiful and it inspired you to start eating more salad, again. That is what this blog is all about to inspire you to make or start eating something. I hope you enjoy this salad and you’ll share your salad ideas too. Thanks and wish you a wonderful week!
Winner winner, Monday dinner! It has been really fantastic weather here on the west coast this summer. The man on the weather channel promised rain this morning and mostly through the week. As I sit enjoying my morning coffee, gazing out my window, the sun sparkles off the water like a thousand bright diamonds….well, my windows are telling me I need to clean them or it would be brighter! This salad looks wonderful Liz, and all I need to do is cook some chicken breast and it’s a done deal. Thank you so much! When I hear about the fires and floods and other nasty weather around the world I count my blessings to live in this beautiful place and country.
When I woke up, we had a drizzle but now the sun has come out and today it’s gonna be a soft sun, so it’s very welcome. Our man also promised rain…I am so envious. Waking up to see the sun sparkling on water. All my windows need cleaning and mostly around the hinges and frames, I keep on saying, I shall do it tomorrow and of course tomorrow never comes. That sparkling sun reminds me of Khaled Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns” did you ever read that book?
Thanks for complimenting the salad-I enjoyed eating it. Talk about fires, the one in Yosemite National Park is still out of control. I am counting my blessings too. Thanks. Sandy, have a sun-filled day!
Apologies Liz, I’m substituting grapes for the radishes and cherries. Red and green ones. I’m not a fan of radishes, and I don’t have cherries. Sigh! Window cleaning in progress…..just taking a breather! No, I’ve not read that book but I have seen it for sale. Perhaps I will see if it is available from my library for downloading to my iPad. I shall send you a review on the salad later – through FB. I’m really looking forward to this tonight and the dressing!! Our sun turned soft too. Weatherman may be right, but that is ok. I hate to hear about forest fires, but almost as bad, torrential downpours and flooding. I love that – a sun-filled day. Lovely! Thank you.
You shouldn’t apologize at all. I wanted to use grapes because we currently have lots right now at a good price and extremely sweet too. but they are not photogenic. I always have to take into consideration the photography factor into recipes. Radishes and cherries give the best photos and the cherries were very sweet too although very expensive. I just bought a handful.
I think the book is even available on the internet as a Pdf document. My library here has many copies because he’s a favourite author. He published another book the other day but since I started blogging, reading has been neglected quite a bit. I don’t seem to be able to do both successfully and take care of kids as well…sigh. I love reading but to be sincere, I don’t do it anymore. Blogging takes a huge chunk of my time. Enjoy your salad and please feel free to give it your own twist I always do so with many recipes. Wish you a lovely evening, and thank you so much for your support!
Looks lovely Liz. Wonderfully fresh! We have been making the most of a bank holiday without rain (something of a rarity!). I have my fingers crossed for a final few weeks of sun to get the last of the tomatoes ripened.
Thank you. We haven’t had much rain lately, in fact right now the sun is coming out. I wasn’t expecting it. I keep my fingers crossed for you too. Hope you enjoy the tomatoes. I’m sure you’ll do. Have a lovely week!
This looks lovely – so light but so tasty. An excellent meal for summer. Thanks!
Thank you for complimenting and for visiting me. Have a lovely week!
What a beautiful refreshing salad! Perfect balance of sweet and savoury. The dressing looks yummy! I’ll try this and let you know, though I will have to swap chicken for maybe mushrooms. Have a lovely Monday Liz! xxx 🙂
Hi Miss Winnie (I love your name)
Refreshing indeed. I love the dressing because I love ginger-honey-mint combo. You can omit the chicken, or even serve it with that fake meat you’ve been ingesting lately, ha ha! I am sipping a cup of coffee. The aroma is delicious. Have a lovely Monday evening and enjoy the rest of the week!!!
Hahaha!!! Why thank you!
Yes, grilled fake meat would taste divine with this dressing… mmmmmmmmm…
Enjoy your evening!