Super Summer Salad

This salad was my pot luck contribution at Alice & Claire's birthday party last Saturday. It seemed to be a hit, and I had a couple of people ask for the recipe. It's perfect this time of year with ingredients from the garden (or from the farmer's market)! I saw it in the American Profile magazine. I LOVE Caprese salad, and it sounded very similar, so I had to try it!

Ingredients

6 medium tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds), seeded and diced
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced (do not peel)

1 cup diced red onions

2 (7-ounce) fresh mozzarella balls, cut into ½ -inch cubes (I actually used the medallions, and cut them into fourths)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup chopped basil

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon dried Fines Herbes, or 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves and ½ teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

1 cup Italian salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onions, mozzarella, garlic, basil, parsley, Fines Herbes, and salad dressing in a large bowl; toss well.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, or until well chilled. Add salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 12.

Tips From The Test Kitchen: It’s important to seed the tomatoes and cucumber so they won’t water down the flavors of the other ingredients. To seed tomatoes easily, cut in half crosswise and remove the seeds. Squeeze the tomatoes over a bowl to release seeds and juices. To seed a cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and run the tip of a teaspoon down the center.

(I didn't completely seed the tomatoes and cucumber due to time constraints. I had to drain the salad due to all of the liquid settling at the bottom.)