Cool as a Cucumber Tomato Salad

It's funny how when you live in the city, you think nothing of driving 20, 30, 40 minutes to run an errand.  When we moved to Washington for the small town life, my perspective on driving changed.  Suddenly, driving 15 minutes to the next town became a full blown road trip.  This was my predicament the other day when I wanted to make an heirloom tomato salad.  Our Safeway down the road didn't have any heirloom tomatoes and although I knew of a farm stand that would surely have them, I just couldn't bring myself to make the trek ALL THE WAY there to pick some up.  So, instead, I settled for cherry tomatoes from Safeway.  Definitely not what I wanted, but hey, it worked.  And you know what?  The salad actually turned out to be quite refreshing and satisfied my craving.

If you can find heirloom tomatoes near you, or if you don't mind making the trip to go find some, I would certainly suggest using those in this salad.  But, if you're lazy like me, you can just do what I did and use what is readily available.

Cool as a Cucumber Tomato Salad

   * This recipe is so simple and easily adapted to fit a smaller or larger crowd. Make as much or as little as you want.  

1 Cucumber, diced
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
5-6 Basil leaves, julienned
Drizzle of good quality Olive Oil
Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar
Dash of Salt

Combine all ingredients and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  The perfect summer side dish!