VOTW - Cucumber!

[Moochiecat]

Fresh and crisp, cucumber is a welcome addition to salads and snack plates. This 3-cup list salad veggie has 2 net carbs per cup (3 total - 1 fiber = 2 net carbs)

http://www.elook.org/nutrition/vegetables/2409-1.html

and although it's not a nutritional powerhouse, it's as useful as it is tasty. Cucumber has been described as having a melon-like scent and taste, without the sweetness, and that's really quite accurate.
There are pickling cucumbers (usually small and bumpy, what pickles are made from...these are nice raw if you ever see them in your grocery store! :yes ), field cucumbers (smoothskinned larger ones that you need to peel: you may want to take the seeds out of these as they can be large) and of course long thin english cucumbers that you can eat peel, seeds and all.

One of my favourite ways to have cucumber is to use it as a 'cracker' for tuna salad, chicken salad, or whatever I have on hand. As a snack, or a lunch, I'll take slices of cucumber and layer a dollop of mayo, deli meat and a smear of mustard. If I'm feeling really ritzy, I'll put cream cheese and salmon with some dill or capers(this is a really good party idea, btw.)

Sometimes, as a side dish, I'll slice up some english cucumber, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and lightly sprinkle some white vinegar over it.

For those of you having trouble drinking plain water, float a slice of cucumber in it to freshen it up! It's a simple solution and you can eat the cucumber when you're done your water.

Who's got more cuke ideas?!


Have a look at previous VOTW veggies..just type in VOTW in the first search box:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/search.php?mode=results

[spazzyhilo]

I love cucumbers! I mostly eat them plain. I've been wanting to try them fried up in butter but not sure how that would work out...

I also like mixing them up with my salad or dipping them in some ranch.


I will definitely have to try them dipped in tuna salad though - that sounds nummy!

[Effie]

Sometimes, as a side dish, I'll slice up some english cucumber, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and lightly sprinkle some white vinegar over it.

I just want to expand on this idea, because this is definitely how I eat my cukes! I buy the pickling cukes because they are smaller, and I like to slice them very thin with a vegetable peeler. Regular sized cucumbers are too big to do it this way. Here's the recipe:

Cucumber Salad
5-6 pickling cucumbers
3 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. splenda
salt & pepper

Slice all the cukes into discs with a vegetable peeler so they are ultra thin. Once they are all sliced, add salt and place them in a bowl to drain for 2-3 hours. I usually put mine in a cereal bowl, then put a small custard cup bowl on the top because it fits very snugly. Then I put a heavy jar on the small bowl to press down on the cukes. This is will squeeze all the water out of the cukes.

In a separate bowl, mix the vinegar, water, and splenda.

Once the cukes have been pressed and drained, add the vinegar mixture and salt & pepper to taste. I usually let sit for at least an hour before I eat them.

I keep a tuperware bowl full of cucumber salad in my fridge at all times. It's a great side dish with any meal.

[Elizellen]

I had them cooked the other day. But I cooked them accidentally :yikes As I had run out of counter space I put the beautifully laid-out plate with sliced cucumbers. cherry tomatoes and mixed salad greens into the microwave while I cooked my chicken.
I thought I set the timer for five minutes but I didnt and I nuked my salad platter instead.
So we had cooked salad with the chicken and it tasted fine.

In the past I have used thinly sliced cucumber strips that have beed boiled a few minutes till nearly soft as noodles covered with bolognese sauce - yummy!

[Buddrfly]

I have them just about everyday in the form of a dill pickle