Cucumber salad reinvented: Cottage cheese steals the show

Cucumber salad is one of the most popular side dishes on the tables. We all appreciate it, and in the summer, when the heat outside is scorching, that feeling deepens even more. However, cooling the cucumber salad in the fridge is one thing, and the ingredients are another. I decided to mix up the traditional ingredients of this salad a bit, and today, I don't regret it.

Just a simple visit to three different American households would be enough to understand that cucumber salad — although it's a classic — tastes slightly different everywhere. Some prefer to season it sweet, others salty. They add chopped onion or skip it entirely. They grate or slice the cucumbers, leave the skin on, or get rid of it. Of course, they sprinkle it all with chopped dill... And sometimes they omit that addition.

It’s no wonder that cucumber salad has many variations. You could even skip sour cream altogether and opt for vinegar. However, I must admit that I wouldn’t see such a prepared cucumber salad at home. Nevertheless, I decided to replace sour cream with another ingredient: cottage cheese. This healthy food product, full of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins, has been my favorite addition to various dishes for some time. It tastes great as an omelet (combined with eggs), and cucumber salad with cottage cheese is an absolute masterpiece. See for yourself!

Ingredients:      

• 1.1 lbs cucumbers
• 5.3 oz cottage cheese
• Salt, pepper
• Dill

1. Peel, wash and slice the cucumbers thinly. Transfer them to a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. After that time, drain the excess water from the cucumbers. Add cottage cheese and finely chopped dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can also use sugar! Put it in the fridge for 15 minutes, and it's ready. Enjoy!