Easy Cucumber Salad

People always think salads need to be so complicated all the time.  They don't need to be - really!  Here is a quick and easy yet delicious salad that your whole family can enjoy.

Easy Cucumber Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 Medium Cucumbers, peeled and sliced

1/2 Red Onion, cleaned and diced medium

2 Large Roma Tomatoes, cleaned and diced

2/3 Cup Italian Salad Dressing (such as Kraft or Newman's)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, red onion and tomatoes.  Add the salad dressing and gently stir until all is combined.  You can serve immediately or cover it and store in the fridge up to a day.

Refrigerator Cucumber Pickles

Here is a very, easy delicious recipe for Refrigerator Cucumber Pickles.  Perfect for those who don't have a garden with cucumbers and for those who don't want to can or put-up pickles.  Rather, this recipe can use store-bought cucumbers and is a cinch to make.  In fact, you don't even need to peel them . . .but's it's okay if you do.  It is totally up to you!  The hardest part is actually letting them set for a day before eating them!  

Refrigerator Cucumber Pickles

Serves Several

Ingredients:

7 Cups of Thinly Sliced Cucumbers (about 3 average-sized cukes)

1 Tablespoon Salt

2 Cups White Vinegar

2 Cups Sugar

1 Tablespoon Mustard Seeds

1 Tablespoon Celery Seeds

1 Cup Thinly Sliced White or Yellow Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper, Diced (optional)

Step 1:  Mixed the cucumbers with the 1 Tablespoon of salt.  Cover with water and let stand for 4 hours.

Step 2:  While the cucumbers are hanging out, you can make the brine.  In a sauce pan, heat the vinegar and sugar until it's dissolved.  Once dissolved, add the mustard seed, celery seed, onions and green pepper.  Stir to combine.  Set aside to let cool.  

Step 3:  After the cucumbers have sat for 4 hours, drain and rinse them.  Place back in the bowl and pour the brine over the cucumbers.  Cover tightly and keep in the fridge.  Let sit overnight or for a day before serving.

Step 3 Alternative:  After the cucumbers have sat for 4 hours, drain and rinse them.  Pack them as best you can into pint-sized mason jars (or larger).  Really be sure to pack them in, if you don't super-pack them in, you won't have enough brine!  Once the cukes are in the jars, ladle the brine into the jars - making sure to fill them to the top so that the all the cukes are covered in the brine.  Cover with the lid and store in the fridge.

These pickles usually last a couple weeks in the fridge. . . .providing you don't inhale them right away!

Thai Chicken Salad

Who loves Thai Peanut Sauce?!?!?!?  If so, this recipe is for you!!  A local restaurant used to have a Thai Peanut Chicken Wrap on the menu . . .but they removed it.  It's been a few years now . . .and I still crave it.  So, I finally buckled down and decided to try and recreate the dressing and make it into a salad (instead of a wrap).  Succulent grilled chicken, crisp lettuce, crunchy red pepper, cool cukes and let us not forget about that divine peanutty salad dressing!  

Thai Chicken Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

6-8 oz Grilled Chicken Breast

4 Cups Romain Lettuce

1/2 Cup Diced Cucumber
1/2 Cup Diced or Sliced Carrot

1/4 Cup Diced Red Bell Pepper

4 Green Scallions, Sliced

1/4 Cup Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles (optional)

3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

2 TB Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Dried Cilantro
1/4 Teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce (aka Sirracha)

1 Teaspoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Drop Coconut Extract

1/4 Cup Water

Step 1:  Create the Thai Peanut Salad Dressing.  To do so, in a small bowl - combine the peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, cilantro, soy sauce, coconut extract and chili garlic sauce.  Mix together until well blended.  Add the water and stir until well blended.   Set aside.

Step 2:  Prep your salad by dividing the lettuce among two plates.  Top each bed of lettuce with chicken, carrot and cucumber.

Step 3:  Drizzle the dressing on the salads and then top with remaining ingredients (scallions, red pepper and crunchy noodles).

Enjoy! This may make more peanut dressing than you need for the salad.  If so, store in a covered container and place in the fridge for later use.

Crab and Cucumber Salad

In a quest of always trying to be a little more healthy, check out this delicious and refreshing, Asian-inspired crab salad.  So crisp and tasty with lettuce, succulent imitation crab and a little zip from a homemade vinaigrette dressing.  Perfect for a luncheon.  I originally found the recipe from Loius Kemp.  I have modified it just slightly by using romaine lettuce and powdered ginger.  I also thought this would be even better if I had topped it with some crunchy chow mein noodles . ..but I was all out.  So, I added them to the recipe regardless.  YUM.

Crab & Cucumber Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

8 oz. Imitation Crab Lumps

4 Cups Romaine Lettuce 

1/2 Cup Cucumber, seeded and diced

2 Green Onion or Scallions, sliced

1 Teaspoon Sesame Seeds (white or black)

1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Ginger Powder

1 Teaspoon Honey

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles (optional)

Step 1:  Create the dressing.  In a small bowl, add the honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger and sesame oil.  Mix together until well blended.  

Step 2:  Assemble the salad.  On two large plates or salad bowls, divide the lettuce.  Top the lettuce with the cucumber and crab.  Drizzle the dressing onto the salad.  Top with the sesame seeds, scallions and chow mein noodles.  

Enjoy!

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers . .. however you slice them, they are perfect for summer salads and snacking!  The crisp texture and light flavor can be amazing when complimented with the right seasonings.  My favorite way to eat cukes is to have them bathed in a creamy dressing with onions and dill.  Enjoy the recipe!

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

3-4 Cucumbers, medium to large in size

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons White Vinegar

1/2 Cup Mayo

1/4 Cup Milk

1 Teaspoon Dill

1 Small White or Red Onion, sliced thin

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Step 1:  Peel and slice the cucumbers and place into a large bowl.

Step 2:  Peel and slice the onion and add to the cucumbers.

Step 3:  In a small bowl, combine the mayo, sugar, vinegar, dill  and milk.  Stir until well combined.  

Step 4:  Pour the dressing over the cukes/onions.  Cover the bowl and place in fridge for at least 1 hour.  

Step 5:  Before serving,  add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Cucumber Salad

The other day I was going thru an old stack of magazines with all intentions of purging them.  While doing so, I came across this recipe from Everyday Food (which is now a defunct magazine . . just in case that gives you indication on how old of a stack this was).  I just so happened to have fresh-from-the-garden cucumbers on-hand and I thought this salad would be perfect with dinner.   It did not disappoint!  I adapted it slightly to what I had on hand.  Give it a try - my family loved it!

Pineapple Cucumber Salad

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cucumber, diced and seeeded

(1) 20 oz Can Pineapple Chunks, drained

1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

1.5 Tablespoons Lime Juice

In a bowl, combine the above ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.

Super simps, refreshing and yummy!