Tag: cucumbers
Cucumber Salad
I decided to continue the vegetarian theme. This vibrant looking salad is delicious and extremely flavorful. It would be perfect with the lentils from yesterday. Although the salad is made with rice vinegar which has more of a Chinese or Japanese flavor.. but I think it would stand up very well with the delicious cumin and mustard seeds flavors.
The trick is to first buy an English cucumber instead of the regular variety. The English variety is leaner and longer and has less seeds. I cut it in half length wise and then scoop the seeds out with a spoon. In order to get the cucumbers super crispy, one can sprinkle some salt on them, place them in a colander over a bowl. The salt will extract the extra moisture out of the cucumbers and make them crunchy. This step is optional and skipping it will not lessen the flavor.
The salad has very few ingredients including the rice vinegar, serrano chilies and cilantro. Try this simple yet delicious salad…
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A Rustic Panzanella Salad Recipe
This salad is delicious. I have watched people on food television in the past making many different versions of it.Panzanella salad is essentially a way to use up day old or even up to a week old bread and any other things you may have in the fridge. Italian cuisine is well known for using leftovers and coming up with new, innovative dishes- I love it!
I had it first in Umbria last month when Paola made it for us. She made a 6 course meal for us- which was delicious. We started with this salad which she put together in a matter of minutes. We bought a big loaf of rustic bread earlier that day. She sliced it and topped it with a combination of greens, cucumbers, fresh extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. I have seen different versions of this – but never this particular one- so simple!
I was a bit hesitant to replicate this easy dish as I wasn’t sure if my ingredients would stand up to the one Paola used. I bought everything from the farmer’s market, including the bread. I made the salad the same day and served it with the sausage and peppers pasta. Well, it was delicious! The ingredients were fresh and exactly how they are supposed to taste. Everything worked really well together and the bread was soaked just the right amount and was a bit mushy and crunchy at the same time. I think you could definitely make a meal out of it- especially if you add some protein like shrimp or chicken.
It took me back to the kitchen in Spello where we sipped wine and watched Paola cooking. I love how food takes you back…
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Meatballs served with Pita and Tzatziki Sauce
I think this recipe came about while I was reading some magazine and drooling over a chef in the mid-west cooking eastern-european food. He was making meatballs and serving them in pita bread like bread topped with a tzatziki sauce like concoction. I love tzatziki sauce- creamy, garlicky and cool tasting.
While I was in college, I would go help out at my family’s deli. We would serve delicious gyros with the tzatziki sauce. My Mom would make it with sour cream and grated cucumbers. I remember eating the sauce with fries- aah, the good old days when I could eat anything I wanted and not worry about gaining weight. All of these memories prompted me to make the sauce with the meatballs I had already concocted in my mind. I made my sauce with zero fat greek yogurt. It has all the creaminess and texture without the fat. Adding some fresh mint made it delicious.
While I was putting the ingredients together for the meatballs, I thought of falafels which are the middle-eastern meatless balls made out of a chickpea mixture. I decided to add some chickpeas in mine. It reminded me of shami kebabs – which are Indian kebabs made out of lamb and chickpeas. This ended up being a multi-cultural meal.
I served the meatballs in pita breads topped with the creamy tzatziki sauce. I also had store-bought hummus which I thinned out by adding some lemon juice. I needed some color for garnish- so took some tomatoes from my backyard and let them sit in some salt and minced garlic. It was all very delicious- especially with the oven fries on the side. I opened a Malbec Rose with the meal and all was good!
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Monica’s Veggie Sandwich
I am a creature of habit. I eat the same lunch everyday- well, almost! The interesting thing is that I don’t like to eat the same thing for dinner everyday… when someone asks what my favorite thing to cook is- I can never come up with an answer. I am always looking to make something different or cook the same thing in a different way. Somehow this need never spills over to breakfast or lunch. I have been eating the same energy bar for breakfast everyday- for almost 2 years now- and I look forward to it! Same thing with my lunch- I have a veggie sandwich made the same way without getting sick of it. It is very healthy and delicious. I start with whole-wheat bread, and add lots of crunchy vegetables. The cheese provides a decent amount of protein with out going over board. The key ingredients are the tomato chutney and the wasabi mayonnaise. The mayo definitely has a kick to it- so if you are not too inclined to make the sandwich spicy, eliminate it. The tomato chutney can be substituted with hummus but I love the tartness of the chutney! It is very important to add salt to your sandwich, a lot of people forget to do that- and a bland sandwich is definitely not a tasty one! I add garlic and onion powder as well – they give the sandwich a nice earthy element without overpowering it. I love potato chips with my sandwiches and have found some really nice ones that are low in fat but definitely high in flavor. Portion control is of course the key when it comes to potato chips… and I am not sure if I have mastered that art yet!
- 2 slices whole-wheat bread
- 1 tablespoon tomato chutney- from Trader Joe’s
- 1 teaspoon wasabi mayonnaise
- 1 carrot, shredded or 1/3 cup pre-shredded
- ¼ red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small tomato, sliced
- ¼ cup sliced English cucumber
- 1 slice spicy Monterey Jack cheese
- Sprinkle of salt
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- Sprinkle of onion powder
Spread the tomato chutney on one slice and the mayo on the other. Working on one slice, add the cheese, carrot, red pepper, tomato and cucumber. Sprinkle the salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Place the other slice on top and press down gently with palm of your hand. Cut in half and serve.