Summer Cucumber Dill Salad over Quinoa!

Another glorious day up in the Northwoods! Wild weather, but still beautiful. We boated during the 3 hour period of sunshine, and cozied up inside when it decided to storm and have 60 mph winds! Woah! Mother Nature definitely showed her power. Looking across the lake, it looked almost like an arctic blizzard! You couldn’t see the other shore, and the wind was absolutely thrashing across the water. Fury at its finest.

so bright, fresh, and delicious!

You’ve gotta love the Northwoods!

crunchy and refreshing!!

So for dinner tonight, I was really inspired by the fresh summer produce available at the little (yet amazing) organic grocery up here. The fresh cucumbers, radishes, and lemons were just begging to be used! Sooo, I made a Summer Cucumber Dill Salad over Quinoa with baked Cod. It was fantastic! So crisp and refreshing!

cool cucumbers, sweet peppers, & spicy radishes!!

Here’s what you need:

1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded, cut in half length-wise, & thinly sliced
5 radishes, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced
1 tsp EVOO
salt and pepper

On a mandolin, carefully slice your cucumber, radishes, and onion. Place all your veggies in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, EVOO, dill, salt (about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp) and a touch of pepper. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (the longer the better), so the flavors can marry. Serve over cooked quinoa or even fish! Yum!

wonderful baked cod!

Finally, I served this awesome salad with baked cod. Lobsta Bakes‘ wild, ocean-caught, antibiotic-free, cod is SO moist and flakey. It is sweet and melts in your mouth! I baked it at 400 degrees with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and chopped dill. Delish.

so bright, fresh, and delicious!

This meal was stupendous! The Cucumber Dill Salad was incredibly refreshing! It was cooling and wonderfully crunchy! The slightly sweet cucumbers, paired with the fresh dill, bright lemon, sweet peppers and spicy radishes gave it such a complex, and interesting flavor! There was a fantastic “crunch factor” too! And atop the nutty quinoa — delicious!

And not only is this salad Gluten-Free and Vegan, but it’s also Body Ecology Friendly!

gluten-free, vegan, and body ecology diet friendly!!

Tonight, it was almost like being in a movie — a log “cabin” nestled in the pines. Eating dinner overlooking the lake, as Mother Nature showed her wrath outside. Sounds like a good night for a chick flick:)

If you’d like to follow me on Pinterest,here I am:)

When we got to Wisconsin, our kitchen didn't have a mandoline. But I think it's such a vital tool, that we went out and bought one! Here's the one I use:

Until Tomorrow!