Cucumber and Toasted Pine Nut Salad

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Gut out the bell pepper, and quarter it. Remove the seeds. Toss the slices in the olive oil and minced garlic. Place in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the skin on the pepper is browning and easy to peel off. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Sidenote: the roasting process creates one heck of an amazing smell in the kitchen! Just saying…

Slice the cucumbers into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Quarter them, and toss them into a large bowl. Dice the tomatoes, and add them to the bowl. Toss in the olives, the thinly sliced red onion, and the halved bocconcini. Once the roasted pepper has cooled, you can peel it and cut the pieces into thinner slices (julienne style). Add them to the salad.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan on medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until they become browned and fragrant. Once toasted, toss them into the bowl with everything else.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for use.

To make the dressing, simply add the ingredients listed into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Or, put the ingredients in a glass bottle/mason jar, cover, and shake until thoroughly mixed.

Once the salad is ready to be served, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.