Lox & Veggies on a Stick with Cream Cheese and Feta

Salad on a stick with lox, cucumber, tomato, and a medallion of cream cheese, feta and chives. 

How many times have you gone to a party with a beautiful buffet of appetizers that you can load up on your little plate? Then there’s that huge bowl of salad. Where are you supposed to put it on your cute little appie plate as you mingle with guests?

That’s where a salad on a stick comes in handy. And my Lox & Veggies on a Stick doesn’t even need a dressing! The saltiness of the lox paired with the sweetness of cucumbers and fresh summer tomatoes really come together with a slice of the cream cheese and feta blend. For those of you who may not be fond of lox, you can use roast beef, chicken, or sausage. 

And you don’t need to save these just for a party. They’re great for brown bagging…well, maybe not for the kids if you’re using lox…they’re so refreshing for lunch or dinner, and they’re good just by themselves as an appetizer with a glass of wine. My garden is still going full blast with cucumbers, tomatoes and chives, so my family has been seeing a lot of these lately. For this recipe, to keep it dainty, I use the small six-inch Persian cucumbers. They’re sweet and you don’t need to peel them. I grow them, but you can find them at Trader Joe’s.

At first, I thought about using goat cheese instead of feta, but everyone said, “No, we like feta bettah!” Okay, no need to shout.

Makes about 15

• 2 to 3 Persian cucumbers, cut into 45 thin coins
• 15 yellow cherry tomatoes
• 1 small pkg. lox (the smallest I’ve seen is a 4 oz. package)
• 4 T cream cheese
• 2 T feta cheese
• 1 T chives, fine chopped
• 15 five-inch skewers

Blend the cream cheese and feta, mashing the feta to get a smooth mixture.  Add the chives. Place on a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log that’s about an inch in diameter. Wrap it and place in the fridge to firm up. This can be made a day ahead too.

If your yellow cherry tomatoes are not round, but pear-shaped, you can cut off the point. I did that in my picture.

When the cheese log is firm, slice into ¼-inch coins. Assemble the salad stick with a tomato, a piece of lox, slice of cheese, and three cucumber slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.