Refreshing Cucumber Salad – Give Your Salad a Makeover

Salads and vegetables are a staple of any healthy diet.  However, eating dressing after dressing for fresh green salads can get mundane. I personally grew tired of looking for new dressings and flavors to give my greens better flavor. I made this recipe with my mom and was pleasantly surprised at how refreshing it was.  This cucumber salad has a great flavor with a citrus twist, and an asian flare.  It takes a couple of steps to make but, it’s worth the work!  It’s gluten free, dairy free, paleo, vegan and bulletproof.  I’ve added in a low sugar option using xylitol as the sugar instead of regular table sugar.

Makes 4 servings 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup of rice vinegar

2 tablespoons of xylitol or sugar

2 tablespoons of lime juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

2 tablespoons of minced ginger

1/8  teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon tasted sesame oil

3 english cucumber peeled, cut length wise and sliced into 1/4 inch slices (seeds removed)

4 scallions, both white and and green parts sliced thinly

1/4 cup of fresh basil chopped

Salt and Pepper

Fitness Kitchen Hacks:   For this recipe I used pre minced ginger that I purchased at the store and I keep in my fridge for recipes such as this.  If you’re following the paleo or bulletproof lifestyle, choose the xylitol option.

Instructions for Cucumber Salad

• Important: after chopping your cucumbers, place them on a plate lined with paper towels.  The paper towels will soak up any additional water.  Allow them to sit for 20 minutes.  This will give you a crisper salad and prevent the flavors from becoming water downed.

1. In a sauce pan, bring vinegar, pepper flakes, and sugar (or xylitol) to a boil over medium high heat.  Once fluid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer until it’s reduced by half (5 – 6 minutes).  Transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool until it’s room temperature.
2. Whisk the lime juice, ginger, and sesame oil together. Toss in scallions, cucumbers, and basil.  Season with Himalayan sea salt and black pepper.  Serve chilled.

Refrigerate for a cool cucumber salad option that’s filling, low carb, and amazing! Store it in a glass container to retain freshness.  It will last 3-4 days, unless you eat it all first!

Adria