Cold sesame (cucumber) noodles

I went up to the northside homestead to harvest some of the veggies yesterday. Green beans!  And the blueberries, and so many greens! The cucumbers are still pretty small - but I am already planning to make some cucumber kimchi and pickles. I love eating cucumbers in hot weather, which we are decidedly having, hence today's recipe. This is another one from The Clothes Makes the Girl blog, and I thought it turned out delicious. The cucumber makes great noodles, and the sauce was perfect. This makes 2 big servings, or 4 smaller ones. I had mine with some sauteed green beans and a fried egg - which sort of made me want bibimbap. Maybe I will try a paleo version of that soon?!


Sesame (cucumber) noodles

1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 cucumbers
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon sunbutter (sugar-free) - *I used almond butter
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or braggs
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 scallion, dark green part only, thinly sliced

1. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat, then toast the sesame seeds until light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Peel the cucumbers, then turn them into noodles with a julienne peeler. Place in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix the tahini, sun/almond butter, oil, tamari, vinegar, water, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger with a fork until smooth.
4. Pour the dressing over the cucumber noodles and toss gently with a rubber scraper until evenly coated. Mound on a plate and sprinkle with the sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.