5-Ingredient Cucumber Salad
We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.
Cucumbers and zucchini are in the same family, but they each have characteristics all their own. Cucumbers are classified based on whether they’re good for slicing and eating fresh or for pickling. We love cucumbers because of their nutritional benefits: Each medium cuke is 96 percent water and has only 40 calories, plus more than 60 percent of your daily vitamin K needs. Although you can find cucumbers at your market year-round, the peak season is from May through August. We love them in a simple cucumber salad — our nutritionist Toby’s version has only 5 ingredients!
Zucchini Carpaccio - Image Courtesy Food Network Magazine
Dana's Lightened-Up Zucchini Bread
Zucchini is even more versatile — we love it sauteed, raw (think zucchini carpaccio) and of course, in lightened-up zucchini bread — our nutritionist Dana’s version is so delicious! But don’t limit yourself to the fruits — the flowers are a farmers’ market delicacy when they’re stuffed with creamy ricotta, dipped in a light batter and pan-fried.
Dana's Fried Squash Blossoms
More Cukes and Zukes with Family and Friends:
- Alison’s Amazing Zucchini Appetizer on Food2
- 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Make With Zucchini from Michelle at Cooking Channel
- Best Zucchini Bread Recipes from the FN Dish
- Away to Garden: Cukes ‘n Zukes: Size Matters
- White on Rice Couple: Proscuitto, Sour Cream & Feta Stuffed Cucumbers
- The Sister Project: On Zucchini Excess
- Just a Taste: Cucumber Sesame Salad
- Tea and Cookies: Stuffed Zucchini, Zucchini “Noodles” and Pickles
- Gilded Fork: Summer Squash Dossier and Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup
- Food Philosophy: Cucumber Beauty Treatment
- SanDiego Food Stuff: Cucumber and Radish Confetti Soup and Zucchini Pancakes
- Eating from the Ground Up: Cucumber Mint Sorbet with Lime Shortbread
- The Wright Recipes: Cucumber Salad and Marinated Summer Squash Salad
- Tigress in a Pickle: 50 Ways With Cucurbits
- Sweetnicks.com: Indian Cucumber Wraps
- Tuscan Diva: Fried Zucchini Blossoms, and More
Join the conversation on twitter at #summerfood.
Liz Gray is the Healthy Eats site manager and an editor for FoodNetwork.com. When not foraging for mushrooms, she’s a part-time culinary student who loves to try new recipes and use her boyfriend, Josh, and hybrid Corgi-bulldog puppy, Miles, as expert taste-testers. Learn more about all our contributors »
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[...] Cucumber Salad from Healthy Eats, plus lightened up Zucchini [...]
Zucchini carpaccio is one of my favourite summer dishes!
As requested, let's start cross commenting and visiting blogs! This is my post, a quinoa tart with raw baby zucchini and sun dried tomatoes! http://en.julskitchen.com/vegetariano/gluten-free…
[...] Elizabeth Gray Summerfest Cukes and Zukes [...]
This is going to be so inspirational!- Here is my post from Tuscany- I did blossoms too and some other links to favorites http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-f…
Love having new ways to use the zucchini that appear at my doorstep this time of year.
Here was my Meatless Monday menu using the produce from my CSA share http://minnesotaminute.blogspot.com/2010/07/over-grown.html” target=”_blank”>.http://minnesotaminute.blogspot.com/2010/07/over-grown.html
i love this great recipe for a shaved zucchini salad! so light and refreshing!
Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
http://maitredemoda.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/shav…
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by HealthyEats.com, Dana White Nutrition. Dana White Nutrition said: Summerfest! http://fb.me/DMasrY46 [...]
Wow, summerfest sounds like fun! I am excited to get a lot of new ideas and share some of my own. I’m a newbie blogger but really enjoying it so far!
Please check out my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread: http://urbanrecipe.com/2010/07/chocolate-chip-zuc…
[...] Elizabeth Gray: Food Network Cuke Salad & Lighter Cuke/Zuke Ideas [...]
Excited to join the Summer Fest fray this year! Just posted my tangy Wilted Cucumber & Radish Salad: http://onehungrymama.com/2010/07/recipe-summer-fe…
And Paula Deen's zucchini bread, also part of the Summer Fest fun, reminded me of my perfect family finger food, Zucchini Muffins, great for toddlers up to big kids (including the big kid in you!): http://onehungrymama.com/2010/04/food-learning-re…
Can't wait to try the other zukes and cukes recipes!