Pickle Salad

Perhaps you, like me, have some jars of fermented pickles in your fridge that will not taste as delicious soon, and are finding it time to make a move on them. Perhaps you also, like me, ate too much hollandaise and eggs benedict for lunch and needed a lighter dinner. 😂 

Here then is a good move: Pickle Salad. I though about substituting pickles for cukes in a tabouli sort of salad, but then I did a search to see if any recipes would come up - one from Bon Appetit did, which I used as inspiration for this dish. I didn't have fennel though, and instead used parsley and tomatoes, meaning I still sort of went with the tabouli salad idea! I thought it was great, and will make it again, especially since I still have tomatoes turning red on the counter and fresh parsley in the fridge. The toasted walnuts and Parmesan are especially delicious in there.

• ½ cup walnuts
• 4 whole pickles, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise into 1" pieces, plus 3 Tbsp. picklebrine 
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. honey or monkfruit sweetener
  
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ small white or red onion, thinly sliced
  
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper 
  
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved  
  1 banana pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup parsley, shopped
  
• 2 oz. Parmesan, shaved
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop.

Meanwhile, whisk pickle brine, vinegar, mustard, honey/sweetener, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Let sit to allow onion to soften slightly, at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

Add walnuts, pickles, tomatoes, pepper, parsley and Parmesan to dressing and toss to coat. Transfer salad to a large shallow bowl or platter (or individual bowls) and drizzle with oil.

Cucumber Tomato Raita

I can't keep up with the garden cucumbers, but I am trying. And in keeping with the recent post theme of late - I made this kheera ka raita. It would be great with any of my previous posts (for liver curry or Indian spiced Kohlrabi), and is also just damn good on its own. This is the best raita I have ever had, and I don't really know why. It was SO good! 

The recipe is from Saveur, and I didn't change it other than I only had ground cumin (so didn't heat seeds or grind them, saving some steps and still turning out tasty), and I used a jalapeno because that is what i had. I have been out of onions for some days, so am digging up the remaining green onion bulbs in the garden to inch me along til I get to the store! I also used my mom's homemade yogurt, which might be one of the reasons this was so good. Her yogurt is not super thick - a good regular whole milk plain yogurt. Not the super creamy greek yogurt - which ordinarily is my preference. My mom and I ate this with leftover chicken, rice, and some beet greens with peas that I sauteed in ghee and spices that turned out weird but good. *I thought the raita was just a tad salty, which is rare for me because I am usually a salt fiend. Next time I might try a little less than 2 teaspoons.

Raita with rice and leftover chicken and my veggie concoction!

Raita - yields 2 cups

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped small
• ¹⁄₂ small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups plain, full fat yogurt
• ¹⁄₂ cup minced mint
• 2 small green Indian chiles, or 1 serrano, stemmed and minced
• 1 large plum tomato, chopped small 

Toss cucumber, onion, and salt in a colander set over bowl; let drain 5–10 minutes, then squeeze dry. Heat an 8" skillet over medium-high; cook cumin until seeds pop, 1–2 minutes; grind in a spice grinder into a powder. Whisk yogurt and reserved cumin in a bowl until smooth. Stir in reserved cucumber mixture, the mint, chiles, and tomato. Chill up to 4 days. 

Thai Beef Bowl

It's spring! At least for the day. I made a dish that is very similar to my fave end-of-summer dish, Hmong Larb Salad, except this one has (thai) basil rather than cilantro and mint. I loaded my bowl with rice and carrots (using a peeler) and cucumbers (julienne cut), along with the beef mix. It was easy to make, and also perfect on this sunny, 60 degree, late afternoon. I'm getting to the end of my garden carrots, and these cukes are local, hydroponic ones from the co-op.

The original recipe is linked in the title - I changed it only slightly.

Thai Beef Bowl
1 tablespoon coconut oil/ghee
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 fresh Thai red chiles, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
2 T tamari
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
red pepper flakes, to taste
sea salt, to taste
¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced or roughly chopped (Thai basil, preferred)
*carrots/cucumbers/scallions/rice/cauliflower rice/zucchini noodles for serving

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots to the hot pan, stir constantly and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger and red chiles, cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2) Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks.
3) Add the coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice and pepper flakes and stir until well combined, allowing to simmer until it reduces slightly, about 3 minutes.
4) Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped fresh basil.
5) Serve immediately over rice, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles, fresh carrot, cucumber, and scallions.

Paleo Tabbouleh

This photo is with hemp seeds - but pepitas are just as good!

I was never a big tabbouleh fan - I'm not sure why really, except that it just seemed to be too much parsley and too grain-y. (Traditionally the salad is largely bulgher.) But this recipe is not that way it all - this version is all fresh veggies with just a bit of grain crunch - though in this case the "grain" is some chopped up pepitas.

The recipe I modeled this version from is actually a nutiva recipe - I order my coconut oil from them because it is super cheap to get in a 1 gallon bucket. Their original recipe uses hemp seeds (no pepitas), but hempseeds are expensive. I did try the recipe with hempseeds initially (see photo) only to realize that I could really use any number of chopped nuts/seeds. And it turns out I LOVE tabbouleh! At least this version. You could certainly add more pepitas - but I like them as a small part of the overall salad.

Garlic chive blossoms

I also used some garlic chive blossoms instead of onion. These are all over the garden at the Northside homestead - and they are not actually related to the garlic plant (good for my garlic allergy) - and are more like chives. The blossoms taste like mild green onion, but with fun texture. I've been putting them in just about any fresh salad thing because they are so plentiful and pretty. Also they grow like crazy - I am going to bring some down to my house so they can be there for late in the season fresh onion-ness.

Paleo Tabbouleh
Huge bunch parsley (I used flat leaf cuz that's whats in my garden)
1/2 c chopped pepitas (or hemp seeds)
2 c cucumber, diced
1 c tomato, diced (use a nice sweet variety)
1/4 c red onion or garlic chive blossoms, diced
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
6 T olive oil
1 tsp sea salt

1. Mix parsley, pepitas, cucumbers, tomatoes and onion/chives in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl mix lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. Pour over tabbouleh. Serve!

Thai/Hmong Larb Salad

I have made this dish twice in the last few weeks because it is so great to eat with garden cucumbers and makes a really good work lunch. I used to make this salad back in my vegetarian days with mock duck (after discovering it at Chang Mai Thai restaurant), but that was years and years ago, and I had sort of forgotten about it. Then I went to the World Street Kitchen a few weeks ago and had the lemongrass meatballs wrapped in lettuce.* They triggered my memory of larb salad, which gets wrapped in lettuce or eaten with cucumbers (and rice, traditionally). I realized they are a perfect paleo food item - especially at this time of year.
*The meatballs and pickled cucumbers at WSKwere delicious, btw. I recommend them for some easy paleo eating out.)

I created a recipe based on a few I found online, and then "paleo-izing" them, which really just meant not using any rice flour. This recipe is also set up for what is currently in my garden...if it were green onion season, those would be in there instead of regular onions - so modify accordingly. Garlic would also be good, and is traditional - but I can't eat it so it is not in this version.

Larb Salad
1 T lard or coconut oil
1 lb ground or minced beef
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 tsp chili pepper flakes (or sliced/minced hot chili pepper)
1-2 Tbsp fish sauce, to taste
lime juice to taste (I use the juice of 1/2 a lime)
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp coconut aminos/tamari
1 big handful chopped cilantro
2 big handfuls chopped mint
(some minced lemongrass or kafir lime leaves are also good if you have them)

1. Heat fat in pan and add onions. Saute until beginning to become translucent, then add chili pepper and beef. Cook until meat is browned.
2. Transfer beef/onion mix to a bowl, and stir in remaining ingredients. It should be well-seasoned and richly flavored since you eat it with crisp veggies. Adjust the lime juice/fish sauce/aminos to your liking.
3. Serve with lettuce and cucumbers - you can scoop the larb up on cucumber planks, or wrap the larb in lettuce. It's delicious! And translates well at room temp for a work lunch.

Cucumber Sardine Boats

Happy over-the-hump of the heat wave! Earlier this week I looks at the temps, and seeing all those hot red sun images on the 7-day-forecast (they are gone now) inspired me to think about going up north for the weekend. There is a high of 75 along northern Lake Superior (think Beaver Bay and Grand Marais) - but still hot in Ely and inland from the Lake. So I think My Charming Companion and I are going to try a spontaneous mini Superior Hiking Trail trip for a couple of days. I have never hiked the trail, so this seems a very mild introduction to see how it goes. I haven't actually been hiking in close to 10 years, and my backpack was quite cobwebby when I pulled it out of the garage. But 2 days!? Why not.

I bought a roasted chicken so that I could just eat that (cold) all week rather than cook. And I've had smoothies and cobb salads (with cucumbers instead of cheese & avocado), lots of pickles, and sardine salad boats - aka, sardine salad in a cucumber. They are easy to eat, sort of akin to an open faced sandwich, and perfect on a 95 degree day. You could also do the filling in small cucumbers for a festive appetizer or potluck sort of item. You know - anything easily picked up and eaten makes a good candidate for a potluck.

Wild Planet sardines are on sale at the Co-ops again - only $2 each (I think only til Sept though). I bought more than a case full because it seems handy to have these on hand. I started using sardines in place of canned tuna for "tuna" salad just because sardines are more sustainable and are so good for you. Sardine salad is a little more wet - though I imagine that is partly because I get them packed in oil as opposed to the water packed tuna.

Cucumber Sardine Boat
2-4 cucumbers (depending on their size), sliced in half, seeds removed
One tin sardines
2 T Mayo
2 T Fresh herbs: I used Dill and Parsley, chopped
Either pickles or olives, chopped
2 T red onion, minced
1 tsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 T Toasted pistachios, chopped

Mix everything but the pistachios (and cucumbers, obviously!) in a bowl. Spoon into hollowed/de-seeded cucumber "boats" and sprinkle with pistachios.

To-go cucumber boats!

Creamy cucumber salad

Poona Keera

Cucumber mania! I planted three kinds of cucumbers this year, and they all have been delicious. One is a standard pickling cuke (National Pickling), another is a long english variety (Sweet Success), and the third, my favorite, is a brown/white skinned cucumber that is really crunchy and delicious and "never bitter" (says the seed catalog). It's an heirloom from India called Poona Keera.

Pickler in front, Poona Keera in back

The Sweet Success were the most prolific last week, and I used those to make a really simple, super refreshing and tasty salad. The recipe was created by My Charming Companion - so all credit goes there for the clever use of coconut milk and fresh herbs. Actually, this dressing makes an excellent ranch alternative - it would be great on all kinds of salads (slaw, green salads, etc) and is nice and creamy and super fresh tasting with the fresh herbs. I actually don't even know how to describe this salad - it's like a more salad-y raita maybe? 

The salad can be prepared any number of ways: I thinly sliced the cucumbers, but I've also done a rough chop. You can peel the cukes or not, remove the seeds or keep them in. Add tomatoes, and switch up the herbs. *Note that cucumbers do seem to get watery if you make a salad like this and are saving some or making enough for left overs. Removing the seeds will decrease the excess water.

Creamy cucumber salad
3-4 cucumbers (any variety will do), sliced thin or chopped
1 small red onion, sliced thin or minced
1 c coconut milk
1/4 c combined fresh mint and parsley
1/4 c olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of cumin
black pepper

1. Prepare your cucumbers and onions however you like and toss together in a bowl.
2. In a blender mix coconut milk and herbs. You want the herbs to mix in really well and get minced. Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend until thoroughly combined. Toss dressing with cucumbers and onions and serve!

Since eating the salad listed here, I've also had a variation using dill, parsley and garlic scape buds in the dressing (rather than mint) with cucumbers and tomatoes - see photo. Yum. It also looked really pretty with a blend of the white and darker green cukes. So festive!

Coban Salad

I recently checked out a really lovely cookbook from the library: Bought, Borrowed, Stolen. The British author has re-created recipes from 20 different countries, with stunning photos and really aesthetically nice layout. The recipes I found myself most drawn to were ones from Turkey, Burma, and Morocco. I copied a few of them out, so they will find their way to the blogosphere once I get to making them. The one I've made a couple of times already is Turkish: Coban Salad. It uses veggies and herbs that are all plentiful right now, plus some olives and a light lemon juice and olive oil dressing. I substituted some things because of what I had in the garden or fridge (cherry tomatoes, italian parsely, banana peppers, etc) and it all tasted amazing.

Coban Salad
1 lb. 2 oz. good quality, ripe tomatoes, quartered, seeded, diced small
1 lg. green pepper, diced small
1 red onion, diced small
big handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
medium handful mint, finely chopped
2 1/2 oz. stoned olives, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon
3 oz. extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper
(feta cheeze is optional to add here too, I left it out)

Mix all of the veggies, herbs and olives in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over everything and drizzle the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cucumber Kimchi

A couple of months ago I ate at a new restaurant in the Global Market called The Left Handed Cook. Though not paleo, they do label/make GF versions of stuff on the menu - which I find eases my mind to trust that the food will in fact be GF. The food was amazing, and the pair of (assumed) owners exceptionally charming. I was particularly in love with their cucumber kimchi, which I set an intention to try and make when my cucumbers came in. Which is now!

I think that part of why I loved this dish is because traditionally there is a little sugar in there and it is a wee bit sweet. I did not add it, but you could definitely do that for a sweeter taste. Without, it is a crisp, light form of kimchi that is not quite as hot or meaty as the napa cabbage version. It also (apparently) tastes best shortly after the fermentation process is done. I guess the cukes lose their crunch the longer they refrigerate. The recipe I modifed is from a blog called Aeri's Kitchen. The recipe there is for a pretty large batch, so I quartered it and changed some things (like I don't eat garlic, and didn't have fish sauce). I also did not have the traditional korean red pepper spice, which apparently has a really distinct and slightly sweeter flavor than american red pepper powder/flakes. It may also be stronger, since mine was a little mild. All of the blogs recommend that you get the actual korean variety, but I had not done that. Alas. One other post with nice photos and a slightly different recipe (with radish in it) that is worth checking out: Beyond Kimchi.

Main stuff:
6 pickling cucumbers
1/4 c. sea salt
3 c. water
1 green onion

Sauce:
1/4 c. red pepper flakes
1/2 onion, minced (I did mine in the food processor to get it more liquid-like)
1 T. anchovy paste or minced anchovies
1/2 t. minced ginger
2 T. water
(2 t. honey, optional)

1. Cut off both ends of the cucumbers. Then cut an x in the cucumbers, lengthwise, all the way down to about half an inch from the bottom; you could also cut all the cukes in half to make mini ones - but still do the same x cut.

2. Bring 3 c. water to boil with salt. Pour over cukes in a large bowl and let soak for 50 minutes. (The boiling water helps the cukes stay crunchy.)
3. Rinse cukes once and drain in colander. Pat dry if you are inclined.

4. In a bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients.
5. Chop green onion into 1/4" pieces; add to sauce and mix well.
6. Put on some latex gloves to stuff the cucumbers: gently pull apart the four pieces of the cuke and put some of the sauce in there, and rub the cuke surface with it. Eyeball your sauce amount and try to use it evenly between the 6 cucumbers.

7. Put your cucumbers in a large mouth quart jar (or lay them down in a glass dish, whatever you have) and sit out at room temp overnight to ferment and then refrigerate. Mine actually fermented almost 24 hours til they got a taste I liked, so see what works for you. These will continue fermenting a little longer in the fridge, but very slowly. *These do not get covered with brine! Every other fermentation recipe I have made requires brine to cover the mix, but I read a few recipes and none of them covered the cukes...these do continue to fill with some liquid as they sit though, so I like to set them upright so the filling does not come out.

These will last up to a month in the fridge, so say the blogs, and are best a couple of days after refrigeration. These are great as is, or I had some this morning with some other veggies (sweated zucchini and steamed greens) and topped with eggs, and it was super tasty. I think I will make them spicier next time - and actually get the right red pepper.

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.

cucumber town.

So, it was a Saturday afternoon and I was hungry. I had cucumbers, cucumbers and more cucumbers. And some tomatoes too. I turned to Heidi Swanson and said, "Heidi, what should I do with all these cucumbers." She said, "if I were you, I'd make raita and a cucumber lime cooler." So I did. She wasn't actually here but luckily I recently got her cookbook "Super Natural Every Day," so it was pretty much like she was here. So, I made the Cucumber Lime Cooler, which I realized, after making it, that it's basically like the drink that Megan posted earlier. It's delicious. Very refreshing, and also good with a shot of Hendrick's. If you want to make something very healthy just a little unhealthy.

Next, it was time to make the Raita:

1 1/2 small cucumbers, unpeeled, halved, and seeded

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

big pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup plain yogurt

Shred the cucumbers using the large holes of a box grater. Squeeze out excess water and put in small bowl.

Put the garlic on the cutting board, sprinkle it with the salt, and work the garlic into a paste by chopping and smashing with a knife. Add this to the cucumber, along with the walnuts, lemon zest, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Stir until combined, then fold in the yogurt. Set aside for a few minutes to let the flavors meld before serving.

I added a little more yogurt than the recipe called for. And I made pita chips, also from the same cookbook, which were easy and really delicious.

Highly recommended. Thank you, Heidi.

Warm summer salad

This salad recipe (like Andrea's recent post!) features some of the best summer veggies: zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and corn. This salad was inspired by a similar dish my friend Kate made for me many years ago. I was impressed by how simple and flavorful it was - the fresh veggies just showcase themselves! The amount of each ingredient is not as important as the way it is prepared - I gave an estimate, but consider it very flexible.


Summer Salad, serves 4-6
One ball fresh mozzarella (optional, mild feta might also be nice)
1-2 c. cooked wild rice
2 med. zucchini
2 med. cucumbers (or 4 pickling ones, in my case)
2 ears of corn
1+ c. tomatoes, diced
2 big handfuls of green beans
fresh herb (basil or rosemary)

First dice the mozzarella, tomatoes and cucumbers and put in a large bowl with the wild rice. Add any chopped herbs.

Prep the rest of the veggies: shuck corn; trim the green beans and cut into 1-2" pieces; quarter zucchini the long way (making 4 spears), cut each spear at an angle - turning the spear 1/4 turn at each cut (this will give each piece multiple flat edges that will sear in the pan).


Using whatever steam method you use, put water on to boil for corn and green beans. When it is boiling, put corn in the steamer basket for 4 minutes, and remove. Put green beans in the basket and steam for 5 minutes, then remove. Cut corn off of cob and mix both corn and beans into the salad.


While water is heating in steamer, heat a dry cast iron pan on med-high for zucchini. In a small bowl, drizzle zucchini with olive oil and salt; toss well to coat. Once cast iron is hot, put zucchini on pan to sear in a single layer (let it sit a minute, it won't sear if you move the pieces around too fast), then toss or flip pieces to sear other edges. Add zucchini to salad and toss all ingredients well. Pour dressing over the top, and serve immediately to get a nice blend of cool and warm ingredients.

dressing:
1 part honey
1 part olive oil
1 part balsamic
stone ground mustard
salt

pickles!

While Megan has been making cucumber drinks, I've been fermenting those little suckers. And they're so delicious and easy. Get yourself a quart jar and a little tray of pickling cucumbers (you know, the tiny ones with thick skin). Can you use normal, larger cukes? Meh. I tried it, slicing them thinly, but they're just not so tasty. You've been warned. I've also been using whey to kick start the fermentation process. You could just add extra salt, but "making" whey is, uhh, whey easy.



Ingredients:
enough cukes to fill your quart jar
1 T mustard seeds
2 T fresh dill
1 T sea salt (non-iodized, unrefined)
4 T whey (or an additional 1 t salt)
1 C filtered water

I've also added some whole peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, garlic, celery seed, etc. to batches. Stick with whole spices, though, as the ground kind tend to turn into a slimy film at the bottom of the jar.

To get the whey:
Plop a bunch of whole milk yogurt into a clean dish towel and let it sit over a bowl for a day or so. The yellowish liquid that ends up in your bowl is your whey. You also have a bunch of really thick yogurt, which is delicious in these.

To make the pickles:
Pack your cukes into the jar along with spices, dill, etc. Add the salt, whey and filtered water. The top of the liquid should fully cover your cukes and be at least one inch below the top of the jar. Put a lid on the jar and let it sit on your counter for 2-3 days. I always cover mine with a dish towel, as I've heard that sunlight can hinder the fermentation process. If your cukes are fermenting particularly rapidly, you might want to let off some pressure by quickly unscrewing the lid and then screwing it back on. If you like a sour-er pickle, let it sit on the counter longer. When the pickles are pickled to your liking, transfer them to the fridge. They'll continue to ferment in there, but much, much slower.

Cucumber-Lime Drink

This humidity is helping me to become very familiar with all kinds of chilled beverage options: iced tea, kombucha, coconut water, la croix... But sometimes I want something more festive. I was thinking about this while staring into the fridge on one of the recent 90 degree days when my eyes landed on the cucumbers.

These cukes are just starting to take off at the northside homestead - soon they'll be competing with the zucchini for garden space. They are already jack-and-the-beanstalk-like on the back trellis; that trellis is as tall as me, but the plants are reaching to get to the fence, the green beans, anything really. And the leaves are so thick it's hard to find the fruit - note the particularly large one that was hiding! ha.

Anyway, some internet searching lead me to this recipe from Bon Appetit. It uses fresh green grapes and mint along with the cucumber and lime. I used coconut water instead of grapes, and I added in a little sweetener. It was slushy-like and totally refreshing! After freezing what was left in a jar, I took it out the next day to de-freeze. Being too thirsty and hot to wait, I added sparkling water to facilitate the melting process. I actually liked that even better. Really, this is like a better version of lemonade...or at least the local version (um, if we had lime). I made it one more time, this time with 1 part cucumber blend to 1 part seltzer water. So refreshing!!

Cool Beet and Cucumber Soup

I love this soup recipe in the heat of summer - especially Polish style, ladled over a hard-boiled egg. It is fetching with its pink color, and surprising in its not-really-borscht-but-still-a-cold-beet-soup. It's also perfect for the early summer produce: beets and their greens, green onions, cucumbers, and dill.


This recipe is from ReBar, a veggie restaurant/bistro in Victoria, Canada that has a great cookbook. I made the broth on day one so that it would better chill in my fridge, and then finished it off to eat for dinner day two. I sort of wonder if bunches of veggies are a little smaller in Canada than they are here - I inevitably need to add more buttermilk, lemon and pickle juice, and I still end up with a pretty chunky final product. So, when they say adjust the seasoning, I guess they mean ADJUST. you know?!

Serves 4-6 (or closer to 8 if you add in the extra like I do)
2 small beet bunches, with greens
water to cover
1 T salt
2 T sugar
3 c. buttermilk
1 c. yogurt, kefir, or sour cream
2-3 lemons, juiced
1/4 c. pickle juice
lots of cracked pepper
1/2 long English cucumber, 1/4" dice
1 bunch scallions, minced
1/4 c. fresh minced dill

1. Cut greens from the beetroot and and wash both well to remove any clinging dirt. Peel beets, quarter, and thinly slice. Place in a pot and cover with water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil. Add salt, partially cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until beets are just tender.


2. While the beets are simmering, finely shred the greens and stems. When beets are tender, stir the greens and sugar into the pot. Cover and turn off the heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Uncover and cool to room temp; then chill thoroughly before proceeding. (This step can be prepared up to days in advance or frozen up to 1 month!)

3. In a large bowl, combine the beets/greens/cooking water with buttermilk, yogurt, lemon & pickle juice. Season with salt, cracked pepper, sugar, or more lemon to get the right balance for your taste. Chill the soup for at least one hour before serving.


4. To serve: stir in the cucumbers, scallions, and dill and taste one more time to adjust the seasoning. Serve in chilled bowls. (Or in my case, jars!)

Bohemian Cucumber Soup with Shrimp

I've avoided eating shrimp for awhile due to some idea in my head that sustainably caught shrimp is hard to come by. This soup recipe (featuring about-to-be-abundant-cucumbers) got me curious though, so I did a little more research to find out the real deal. I found Seafood Watch (referred by Michael Pollen), an AMAZING resource about all kinds of seafood farming and fishing practices, mercury levels, and a sustainability rating system. (Check out the trout page for interesting Great Lakes info.) As it turns out, the Seward carries uncooked shrimp farmed in Thailand, which is rated in the "good alternative" category, as is their larger, wild-caught shrimp from Mexico. Maybe Coastal has something rated "Best Choice" - which is SeafoodWatch's top rating...

This chilled soup recipe comes from the Schumacher cookbook which features all kinds of Central European dishes. The recipe is easy to make, fast-ish, and really nice for the hot weather. I also think the shrimp could be easily and tastily replaced by tofu (lightly flavored and baked or fried, then chilled). I do think it would be best as a starter course to another dish...some other Bohemian something or other, perhaps. In my case it went with some sliced up beets from the garden and brats. All were consumed in the appetite-facilitating, air-conditioned bedroom (as opposed to the 91 degree rest-of-the-house, which seems to suppress my hunger)!

Serves 4-8 depending on serving size.
1 large cucumber (4 oz)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 pints buttermilk
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 c plain yogurt
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 T plus 2 t dill pickle juice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t dry mustard
1/4 t salt
pinch white pepper
1 T fennel seed
1 T chopped fresh dill
6 oz cooked popcorn shrimp*
1 t fresh lemon juice
2 hard boiled eggs
2 T green chopped onions
*I used the bigger shrimp and cut it into small pieces.

1. Make your hard-boiled eggs.
2. Cook the shrimp by placing them in a saucepan with 2/3 c cold water and lemon juice; bring to a fast boil. Remove from heat and set in fridge to cool (keeping liquid).
3. Peel and split the cuke lengthwise; scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Dice the cucumber, sprinkle with salt, and set in a strainer to sweat/drain for 30 minutes. (I was too impatient and did not wait this long!)
4. In a blender or food processor, mix 1/2 pint buttermilk, Worcestershire, yogurt, garlic, pickle juice, drained cucumber, nutmeg, mustard, salt and pepper, and blend for one minute. Pour into a bowl, add dill, fennel, and remaining buttermilk, and refrigerate.
5. When everything is cool enough for your liking, mix the shrimp and liquid with the buttermilk base. Serve with chopped eggs and green onions for garnish.
*Schumacher notes that this soup takes some moderate care and only keeps for about 48 hours. So eat up.

garden veggie fritters with cucumber tomato raita

this recipe was inspired by a cooking class i didn't attend and loads of zucchini and cucumbers from the garden/csa.

the fritters and raita made a very yummy combination for an impromptu mid-day get together. lucky for me, as i would have otherwise been forced to eat them all myself.

fritters:
3 zucchini (or other summer squash)
2 carrots
1/2 white onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger (or more), minced
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 eggs
1/4-1/3 c flour
canola oil

use a box grater to grate zucchini, carrots, onion. mix together and toss with salt. put veggies in a colander and let them drain for 30 minutes. transfer veggies to a clean kitchen towels and squeeze moisture out (i skipped this part but tried to squeeze as much liquid out as i could). in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the flour, along with curry powder and pepper. fold in the shredded veggies, garlic, ginger and cilantro until well combined.

heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. drop 1/4 cup portions in the skillet and fry on both sides until golden brown.

raita:
1 1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c peeled, diced cucumber
1/2 c diced cherry (or other) tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons minced green onion (omitted cause i didn't have any)
1/4 c chopped cilantro (can add mint too)
salt and pepper to taste

mix all in a small bowl.