Super versatile Cucumber Salad with Cilantro
(There are affiliate links above. Thanks for funding my kids’ college/expensive goat cheese addiction) This is nothing new. As a kid I took lessons, but I was so bad at practicing that I didn’t really improve much. I used to go the entire week in between lessons and not so much as look at the piano, and then I would be frantic on the car ride over to my teacher’s house, practicing air-piano in the car with my books propped open on my lap. Yes, air-piano exists, much like air-guitar, only way less cool. Eric bought me a second-hand piano when we lived in Indianapolis. He somehow managed to get some guys from church to help him lift it up into our second floor apartment. When we moved to Utah, we lived on the second floor yet again. And then our piano made it all the way out here to California this summer, officially becoming the heaviest and most cumbersome guilt-trip known to cross the country. It’s a giant piece of unused furniture sitting in our front room, taunting me. I think I feel a New Year’s Resolution coming on. Have you guys got any on your list? You guys love this Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad so much (it came close to making my Top Recipes of 2013) that I thought I would try out a Southwestern version. I’m glad I did, because it is awesome. It’s not traditional, but since when has that ever stopped us from Mexican-ifying our food? I’m pretty sure they don’t really eat cream cheese enchiladas in Mexico, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dang good. You want to slice the cucumbers pretty thin. They should be quite flexible, like this. Do yourself a favor and buy the mandolin. I love mine! This is too thick. If I bent this any more, it would have snapped. You want them thin enough that they are bendy. (Try to shield your eyes from my horrific red nail polish.) This cucumber salad is light, just as you would expect anything with cucumbers to be. I added some crushed red pepper to give it a little kick, but it’s not overwhelming. You can serve it immediately after you make it, or let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours. The flavors will be a little stronger if you let it sit. I like it both ways. I’m serious here. The longer your cucumber salad sits around in the fridge, the soggier the cucumbers are going to get. Don’t wait around to enjoy it! If you do want to keep the salad as fresh and crisp as possible, you can lightly salt your cucumber slices and let them sit in a colander or strainer for 10-15 minutes, then pat them dry, before you combine them with the dressing and cilantro. The salt will draw out the moisture, and you can further remove it with the paper towels. But cucumbers don’t last forever, so don’t expect that they’ll be as fresh on day 5 as they were on day 1. Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada (Braised Beef for Tacos) « this recipe is from my brother-in-law’s grandma. Today’s salad would pair well with it! Throw it on your tacos! …and then eat these beans on the side » Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans (Slow Cooker) Pistachio-Pear Cucumber Salad « simple, refreshing, easy, and healthy. Pineapple Spinach Salad « a fun twist on the traditional strawberry spinach salad. Best Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta Cheese « so easy! a perfect last minute side dish. Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing « super fresh, fun flavors. Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Peppers, Radishes, and Thai Dressing from Kalyn’s Kitchen Cucumber Basil and Watermelon Salad from FoodieCrush Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
