Apple, Bacon, and Cucumber Salad

 I usually don't think of a salad as being a recipe because anyone can just throw anything into a salad and it'll work. But every so often, I'll find a really good combination of salad ingredients that really hits the spot and is worth sharing. This is the basic flight of ideas as I was browsing around the supermarket:
  Ok, salad ... lettuce and tomatoes for starters. great. next......well, I have apple vinaigrette, so I guess I should include apples. So far so good. Apples are sweet, tomatoes are sweet, vinaigrette is sweet...need something salty to balance it...thick cut bacon...yum. What else.....something crisp and fresh to round everything out.... cucumber! Perfect!
And there you have it. It was just as easy as that, and was exactly what I wanted. Fresh. Crisp. Perfect for a light meal. Sometimes the best things are the simplest!


1 head Romaine lettuce
1 Macintosh apple, cored and sliced into small wedges
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 strips super thick sliced bacon
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
Apple Vinaigrette, or your favorite other vinaigrette

Over medium heat, saute bacon strips until slightly crispy. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Slice into small strips. While the bacon is cooking, slice the lettuce (across the width) into 1/2" slices. Separate the leaves and toss in a large bowl. Add cucumber and apple slices along with the tomatoes and bacon. Give everything a good toss. Serve with Apple Vinaigrette.

Tip:
To make a decorative edge on your cucumber slices, simply run a fork down the length of the cucumber, making small grooves with the tines of the fork. Do this all the way around the cucumber, then slice across the width making cucumber rounds. So simple, but very effective!