Cucumber Sandwich
Ingredients
4 slices whole grain bread
1/4 cup soy cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup avocado
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup cucumber, shaved
1/4 cup carrot, shaved
1/4 cup pickled onions
1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper (or you can use a raw bell pepper, thinly sliced)
1/4 cup sprouts
1/4 cup spinach leaves or Romaine (optional)
2 pepperoncini’s, sliced (optional), or serve on the side
Directions
- Toast the bread (optional), then spread 2 Tbsp. of soy cream cheese, avocado and mustard on each sandwich.
- With a vegetable peeler, shave thin sliced of the cucumber and carrot – divide between the sandwiches.
- Top with the onions, bell pepper, sprouts and pepperoncinis (if using).
- Serve with sweet cherry peppers and pretzel or pita chips on the side.
Tip: You can also make these into wraps, or even a salad, just put everything over a salad.
73°F; Cloudy
Cucumber Relish
Ingredients
10 cups finely chopped unpeeled pickling cucumbers (approximately 3 1/2 to 4 pounds of pickling cucumbers)
4 cups finely chopped red bell pepper, about 4 large peppers
3 cups finely chopped green bell pepper, about 2 to 3 large peppers
1 cup finely chopped celery, about 4 large ribs
1 cup finely chopped peeled onion, about 2 medium onions
1/2 cup pickling salt
3 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 tablespoons celery seeds
Preparation
Prepare your work area, the canner, jars, and lids.
Put chopped vegetables in a large stainless steel or enamel-lined pot. Stir in the salt, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours.
Put the vegetables in a large colander and drain. Rinse with cold water. Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquids.
Rinse out the pot you used for the vegetables. In the pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, and celery seeds. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the drained vegetables and stir to blend. Bring back to a full boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Fill prepared jars, leaving a 1/2-inch head space. Fit lids on jars and screw bands down to fingertip tightness. Process in a boiling water bath canner with water at least 1 inch above the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove the canner cover, and wait 5 minutes before removing jars. See Preparing Jars for Canning and Boiling Water Bath Processing.
Makes 12 half-pint jars or about 6 pint jars.
72°F; Sunny
Chilled Cucumber Soup
Ingredients
5 cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped parsley
6 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 quart buttermilk
1 pint yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Peel cucumbers and cut them in half, scraping out seeds. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and let them stand 30 minutes. Drain excess water.
Chop the cucumbers coarsely and put the pieces in the blender along with scallions, dill, lemon juice, buttermilk, parsley, and yogurt. Blend at high speed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill well before serving, and sprinkle with left over parsley as a garnish.
90°F; Sunny
Fresh Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
2 fresh slicing cucumbers (2 pounds)
1 small red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh
Directions
Slice the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice thinly. Thinly slice the onion.
In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.
In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well. Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Stir in the dill.
78°F; Mostly Sunny
