Peanut Lime Cucumber Salad

A simple peanut-lime cucumber salad bursting with Thai flavor!

Seaweed Cucumber Salad

"Cool as a cucumber" takes on a new meaning with this great dish I "recently" found. As we're heading into warmer weather, I thought I'd make this cucumber salad. Cucumber salads are all more or less the same; though delicious, the formula can get a bit dull. This recipe from Sustainable Pantry, however has a decidedly Asian twist with the incorporation of sesame oil and seaweed. Don't let the seaweed turn you off; in addition to all the nutrients and health benefits seaweed provides, it has a wonderful flavor reminiscent of the ocean's bounty. This flavor, combined with the intoxicating aroma of sesame seed oil, makes for a multi-layered experience. The cucumbers bring their familiar cold crispness, contrasting the slightly chewy texture of the seaweed. Sesame seed oil, sweet cucumber, tart vinegar, and seaweed combine well for a distinct and enjoyable dish.

I used frozen hai dai (海帶) and dried wakame along with a little hijiki when I made this cucumber seaweed salad. Hai dai is a Chinese salted kelp, and the same one I used in Miso Soup and Bean Sprout Soup. (You can see what it looks like in those pictures.) It's the thicker kind you can usually find at the Asian grocery tied in knots or sliced. I'm not sure of the proper English name, but here's the Wikipedia link. Wakame is a Japanese seaweed often used in Miso Soup. For the Hai Dai, I just chopped it up, and for the wakame, I just crunched it up a bit more. I didn't rehydrate the wakame before using since I figured it'd be tastier if I let it hydrate in the cucumbers/rice vinegar/sesame oil instead of water. Plus, then you don't have to worry about draining the salad or having pools of liquid at the bottom since the seaweed will soak it up! Now, there's a multi-tasker. :)

What are your thoughts on seaweed?

Seaweed Cucumber Salad

by CJ Huang

Crisp cucumber, smooth sesame oil, tangy vinegar, and tantalizing seaweed makes for an unforgettable summer dish.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes + cooling/marinating time
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			1	cucumber, sliced and quartered
		1 teaspoon		sesame oil
		1 tablespoon		rice vinegar
				seaweed	to taste

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and shake together.

Shared with: Full Plate Thursday, BFF Open House, Artsy Fartsy Party, Traffic Jam, Handmade and Otherwise, Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Tuesdays at Our Home, Inspire Me Monday, Your Whims Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop

Sweet and Tangy Cucumber Salad

I'm sure just about everyone's had something like this cucumber salad. It's one of those dishes you always hear about mom or grandma passing down. An easy and tasty "no-fail" recipe. Simple enough to make frequently and tasty enough you'll want to! Bring this simple and refreshing cucumber salad to any barbeque, cookout, or gathering, and all your friends will love you even more! (Results not guaranteed.)

You can just throw everything together and serve. I also like to let all the flavors mix and meld so you'll get more flavor in each bite. Just throw everything together like usual, give it a good shake (or stir) and stick it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

What's your favorite recipe passed down from mom or grandma? Share with us in the comments!

Sweet and Tangy Cucumber Salad

by CJ Huang

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes + marinating time
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
436 grams			1	cucumber, chopped
		1 tablespoon		soy sauce
		2 tablespoons		rice vinegar
		1 teaspoon		sesame oil
		1/2 tablespoon		sesame seeds, toasted	As you can see from the images, sometimes I use white, and sometimes black. :)
		1/4 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and shake together. (Optional - refrigerate for a few hours to overnight to allow flavors to mix and mingle a bit.)

Linked to: Inspire Me Monday, Fabulous Party, Hearth and Soul, Recipe and DIY, Tasty Tuesday, Little Cottage, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Foodie Friday, Friendship Friday, BFF Open House, Home Matters, Saturday Sparks, Saturday Sharefest, Meal Plan Monday, Our Mini Linky Party, What's For Dinner?, Happiness is Homemade, Dishing It Digging It, Inspire Me Monday, Over the Moon, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mix it Up Monday, Inspire Me Monday

Sesame Cucumber Salad

Since it's been so hot and humid lately, I wanted to make something cool. I figured cucumbers would be good, but I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to prepare them. When I saw this recipe on Simply Recipes, it reminded me of a similar dish my mother used to make, so I thought I would give it a try. Plus, it's so simple and straightforward giving it at least a try was a no brainer. I threw in some chili flakes, but you could easily eliminate that if you wanted something completely cooling. The sesame oil, vinegar, and of course, cucumbers are what give this dish a cooling and flavorful taste profile. In fact, if you wanted, you could eliminate all the materials except sesame oil, vinegar, and cucumbers. It wouldn't taste as good, but it'd be far from bad. It also tastes just as good, if not better the day after, when the flavors have had a chance to mingle and mix.

What's your favorite version of cucumber salad?

Sesame Cucumber Salad

by CJ Huang

A quick sesame cucumber salad, flavored with sesame oil, enhanced with vinegar, and spiced up with chili flakes.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2-4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
311 grams	11 ounces		1	cucumber, sliced and quartered
		2 tablespoons		sesame oil
		2 tablespoons		vinegar	I used rice vinegar but any should work, although I would not recommend plain white vinegar.
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		soy sauce

Methods:

1. Gather all materials. Combine and shake the materials together. Serve cold. This dish can actually taste better after it’s sat around for a bit so all the flavors have time to mingle.

Shared with: Wonderful Wednesday, The Wednesday Showcase, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Creative Ways, Foodie Friends, Throwback Thursday, Foodie FriDIY, Pinworthy Projects, Happiness is Homemade, What's For Dinner?, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Turn It Up Tuesday

Gazpacho

A cool and refreshing soup, perfect for summer! Try this tomato based gazpacho with cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, and onion.

Chinese Cucumber Salad

Refreshingly cool and savory cucumbers flavored with sesame and just a bit of chili pepper flakes.

Korean Cold Noodles

With the temperatures being as high as they are, why not eat some cold
noodles? Not only are these noodles quick, easy, and tasty, they're
(as the name would imply) cold! The materials and methods reflect what
I made, but you could certainly modify the recipe to suit your palate
and desires. I'm told by James that these noodles and sauce aren't authentic,
but my thinking is "if it tastes good, that's close enough!"


Traditional Korean cold noodles, or naengmyeon, are made from
long, thin noodles, usually buckwheat, but potentially potatoes, sweet
potatoes, arrowroot, or kudzu. Sometimes they even add things like
green tea or seaweed! Korean cold noodles originated from
North Korea, especially around Pyongyang and Hamhung, but it became
popular throughout Korea after the Korean War.


Naengmyeon can be divided into two categories - mul
naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon. Mul naengmyeon is
served in a cold soup, and bibim naengmyeon (the kind I made)
is mixed with a sauce and then eaten (like spaghetti). Traditionally,
it's made with a very spicy sauce using gochujang. I was originally going
to add it at the end so each person could use only as much as they
wanted, but then James said Korean cold noodles aren't spicy, so I
didn't end up using any - or maybe I'm just a pansy. . . who knows?







Korean Cold Noodles by

Morsels of Life



(printable version)



A new, light, and refreshing take on Korean cold noodles flavored with
a sweet sesame sauce.




Prep time:


7 minutes






Cook time:


8 minutes



Total time:

15 minutes + cooling time





Yield:

4
servings

Materials:

• 
  
  8 ounces
  
  
  noodles (Buckwheat is traditional.)
  


• 
  
  2 tablespoons
  
  
  gochujang (optional)
  


• 
  
  2 tablespoons
  
  
  vinegar (Rice vinegar is traditional.)
  


• 
  
  1 tablespoon
  
  
  soy sauce
  


• 
  
  1 tablespoon
  
  
  honey
  


• 
  
  1 tablespoon
  
  
  brown sugar
  


• 
  
  1 tablespoon
  
  
  sesame oil
  


• 
  
  1 tablespoon
  
  
  sesame seeds, toasted
  

Optional Toppings:

• 
  
  
  Asian pear, thick julienne
  


• 
  
  cucumbers, thick julienne
  


• 
  
  carrots, thick julienne
  


• 
  
  green onions, sliced
  


• 
  
  hard boiled eggs, sliced
  


• 
  
  perilla (sesame) leaves, thinly sliced
  


• 
  
  kim chi
  

Methods:

1. 
   Cook noodles following package directions.
   


2. 
   Meanwhile, mix gochujang, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, brown
   sugar, and sesame oil together, and set aside.
   


3. 
   Once noodles are finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.
   


4. 
   
   Toss noodles with sauce, and refrigerate until ready to eat.
   


5. 
   Serve, and then top with toppings.

This post is linked to: Recipe Sharing Monday

Pickled Carrots

Inspired by this recipe, I thought I could put the mixed pickling spices to use. I decided to go with carrots since I'd only heard about pickled carrots before. Plus, I had a five pound bag of carrots. :) Since I’ve never pickled anything before, I went ahead and sterilized the containers/lids, but I’m not sure how much impact it has since the containers/lids are exposed to a non-sterile atmosphere afterward. Maybe someone can educate me?

Do the lids/containers really need sterilization or is just cleaning them enough?

Pickled Carrots

by CJ Huang

Easy Refrigerator Bread and Butter-Style Pickled Carrots. Perfect on sandwiches, burgers, and even potato salad!

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			6	carrots, sliced into quarters lengthwise and then thirds	or whatever shape you want your pickles to be
		2 cups		sugar
		2 cups		vinegar	I used a mixture of white and blueberry pomegranate red wine vinegar, but you could use different vinegars for different flavors.
		2 tablespoons		onion powder
		2 tablespoons		salt	Not sure what impact iodine has, but the original recipe calls for non-iodized salt and I used iodized.
		2 teaspoons		pickling spice	You could use your own combo of different spices depending on what kind of taste you want.
		2 teaspoons		dijon mustard
			2	bay leaves, crumpled

Methods:

1. (optional) Sterilize containers/lids. Be careful after sterilizing, both will be very hot.
2. Mix all materials except carrots in small pot, bring to a boil until salt/sugar are dissolved, and then simmer until ready to use.
3. Wash and cut carrots. I didn’t use pickling cucumbers this time, but I’d like to try them next time.
4. Put carrots into jars. I stuffed in as many as I could in one layer and then put some on top. They should be pretty tightly packed at this point, and they will shrink a bit as they pickle.
5. Pour pickling solution over the carrots, leaving at least a quarter inch headspace.
6. Seal the containers, and allow to cool before refrigerating. Shake the jars daily to redistribute spices and blend flavors. I tried a spear daily, and for the first week or so, and the pickling does noticeably increase, but it kinda levels off after that.