Not-So-Dumb Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado, and Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

• 3 small Persian cucumbers or garden cucumbers
• 1 cup diced tomato or cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onion or thinly sliced sweet onion, or more
• 1 avocado
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• About 1 T good-quality balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into half-moon pieces. Persian cucumbers do not need peeling, but with other cucumbers, you may want to remove some of the peel in strips before slicing.
2. Chop the tomatoes, or halve the cherry tomatoes, until you have 1 cup. Use fresh tomatoes with good flavor here, since they’re doing a lot of the work.
3. Cut the green onion on the diagonal, or slice the onion, to make 1/4 cup, adding more if you want a bigger onion bite.
4. Peel the avocado and cut it into small cubes.
5. Put the cucumber, tomato, onion, and avocado in a plastic or glass bowl, then toss everything together with a gentle hand.
6. Drizzle in just enough balsamic vinegar to lightly cover the vegetables, then toss again. About a tablespoon should be plenty.
7. Add sea salt to taste and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
8. If the salad will not be eaten right away, toss the avocado with a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice first to help slow browning, though this salad is at its best right after it is assembled.
9. If it disappears quickly, leftovers may not be something you need to worry about.