Recipes

Tomato, Cucumber, and Peach Salad with Benne Seed Dressing and Coconut Yogurt Sauce

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Gullah Geechee chef BJ Dennis shares one of the recipes he’s developing for his forthcoming cookbook. This salad is creamy but remains light and refreshing, from start to finish. Perfect as an appetizer, it mixes juicy peaches, tangy tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers, coated in a nutty benne seed dressing and a light, milky coconut yogurt sauce.

recipe

yields

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the benne seed dressing:

1 garlic clove
5 dates, pitted (Dennis uses medjool)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup toasted benne seed
1 whole lime, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup diced sweet or Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons raw honey

For the coconut yogurt sauce:

1 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons lime juice
Pinch of sea salt

For the salad:

½ cup heirloom tomato, cut into 1-inch wedges or squares
½ cup fresh peaches, cut into 1-inch wedges or squares
½ cup cucumber, seeded and cut into 1-inch rectangles or half moons
1 teaspoon minced red onion
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon toasted benne seed
2 tablespoons benne seed oil or any
neutral oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup basil leaves

steps

Make the benne dressing: Combine all ingredients in a blender. Add ½ cup water and blend for 1 to 2 minutes until ingredients are well incorporated and somewhat smooth. Add another ½ cup water and blend for 30 to 45 seconds more. Set aside. You will have about 1 cup of dressing.
Make the coconut yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together well. Taste and adjust with lime juice and sweetener to your liking. You will have about 1 cup of sauce.
Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss all salad ingredients except herbs. In a separate large serving bowl, add ¼ cup benne seed dressing, making sure dressing coats the bottom of the bowl. Top with salad mixture and spoon a gracious amount of coconut yogurt sauce on top, about ½ cup. Tear herbs by hand and scatter them on top of the salad.

Date Published: 07.08.26