Help me use up my... page

[thatgirljj]

Since it's summer, I'm sure there's other MDA folks who are dealing with a glut from the garden, or crazy stuff in their CSA box. So I figured I'd open up a thread for people who need help figuring out how to use up XYZ vegetable.

Mine is cucumber. I like a little cucumber in my salad now and then, so I figured it would be a fun thing to throw in the garden. I wasn't quite counting on 3 full size cucumbers a week! Aside from pawning them off on my co-workers, any ideas?

[seaclam]

Cucumber and onion salad in a vinegar dressing served super cold. Greek salad w cucumbers. Cucumber crudite w your choice of dressings. Just a few.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

When I was a kid, I would eat cucumber raw. It was a guilty pleasure. Sneak into fridge, snatch green monster, run into corner and chomp away.

[Diana Renata]

I really like cucumber juice. Cucumber + water + sweetener in a blender. Tastes very watermelon-like and is a pretty green color.

[dragonmamma]

Cut in half, scoop out the wet core, and stuff with layers of tuna salad and guacamole. Or anything else you can stuff inside. A long ice-tea spoon works well for scooping and stuffing. I also like to put a big cashew on top for garnish.

[jqbancroft]

Make greek-style sauce:


Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce)(Makes about 3 1/2 cups. You can cut the recipe in half, but it's so good, you really shouldn't. Recipe courtesy of Georgette.)
3 cups Greek Yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, strained as described above)
juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
If you don't have Greek yogurt, strain plain yogurt as described above. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.
In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)
This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.


I prefer it with dill, and its great with meats, on salads, or by the spoon.

[AuntPol]

I like cucumbers:

Topped with chicken salad
Slices w/black pepper as a side dish
Slices dipped in hummus (Nowadays, I'd use that eggplant dip that I can't spell to be actually primal lol)
cut into spears and wrapped with deli type meats

[Melody]

ferment them
cut them up, sprinkle with salt and lemon juice, and cover with spring water. let them ferment in a jar til they taste right then stick them in the fridge

[Antmuzic]

Good timing!

I found this idea for cucumber aqua fresca out on the Internet recently: Cucumber Agua Fresca Recipe - Saveur.com.

You'd have to find a substitute for the sugar to make it Primal. I thought it'd be tasty just excluding it completely.

-adam

[girlarchitect]

Cut in half, scoop out the wet core, and stuff with layers of tuna salad and guacamole. Or anything else you can stuff inside. A long ice-tea spoon works well for scooping and stuffing. I also like to put a big cashew on top for garnish.

Cucumber slices with tuna or chicken salad is one of my favorite replacements for tea sandwiches.