Thai Cucumber Salad

This light, sweet salad has plenty of crunch. You can make it in a minute and serve it with your favorite stir fry recipe, or click here for a 99 Cent Chef recipe fave. The Chef's Thai salad also adds a healthy course to dorm room ramen dining.

Slice one large cucumber and a quarter of an onion, then marinate in rice vinegar and sugar - that's it. Sometimes simple is best. If you want more heft to your salad add a few wedges of tomato. You can use a sugar substitute, honey, or whisk in any organic sweetener into the rice vinegar dressing. These ingredients fit well into this cheap Chef's budget profile, so there is no excuse not eat your veggies.

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber - sliced and half-peeled. I like to leave some skin on for color. Any bitterness is reduced by the sweet dressing.
• 1/4 onion - thinly sliced; minimizes strong onion taste some people find unpleasant.
• 1 medium tomato - optional, cut into wedges
• Cilantro - optional, a handful, chopped.
• 1/4 cup of rice vinegar - any vinegar will do.
• 1 tsp. of sugar or any sweet substitute - add a little at a time and taste dressing for desired sweetness.
• 1 pinch of salt

Directions
Mix vinegar and sugar in a medium salad bowl. Adjust sugar amout to desired sweetness. Partially peel and slice and cucumber. Thinly slice onion. Cut tomato into wedges. Mix veggies into bowl with dressing and serve.