The Lush Chef

Libations used: 1 Tbs white wine...
Libations left over: Pretty much the whole bottle, so drink up...
Summer is officially over, but I'm going to post one more summer-inspired recipe to get you through those last, occasional hot days.  This Cucumber Salad recipe from Cooking Light takes mere minutes and is the perfect, cooling side dish to accompany whatever meats or fish you have on the grill.  It uses only a tablespoon of dry white wine to make the vinaigrette, so buy a relatively nice bottle of something you'd actually like to drink.  I grabbed a $15 bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, since those floral flavors would pair nicely with the cucumber.  Be sure to slice those cucumbers thin so they can soak up all the yummy dressing.

Cucumber Salad - serves 4
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs dry white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 Tbs fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (1-inch cubes)
• 1 medium-large hothouse or English cucumber, sliced thin
• 1 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 Tbs chopped chives

- In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and sugar.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir gently to coat.