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Cucumber Salad

  • KJ Gracie
  • Mar 19, 2018
  • 2 min read

Cucumbers aren't often thought of as a nutrient dense food, and most people usually have images of putting them in little circles on their eyes if they associate them with health at all, but there are actually a whole host of reasons you want to include this vegetable in you and your families diets.

First of all, children won't generally fight you on cucumber. There are a whole host of vegetables that I consider 'advanced' e.g. kale, but most children will eat things like cucumber and carrot sticks.

Cucumber contains anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin, which is important for brain health, as well as inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes (including cyclo-oxygenase 2, or COX-2), which has been found to prevent progressive memory and learning impairments in mice with Alzheimer's disease.

They contain vitamin K, B vitamins, copper, potassium, vitamin C, and manganese; and studies show that their polyphenols called 'lignans' (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, and secoisolariciresinol), may help to lower your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

If you're suffering from stress or anxiety, cucumbers B-vitamins are here to help and their mineral rich flesh is amazing for cardiovascular health and recovering athletes. In fact, my favourite post-workout juice recommendation is cucumber, celery and ginger for it's anti-inflammatory and electrolyte replacing properties.

This cucumber salad recipe was mostly born out of me trying to make something else and not having the ingredients I needed, but it has become a family favourite ever since.

You will need:

  • 1 cucumber

  • 2 cups of fresh chopped coriander

  • 1 cup of fresh Thai basil

  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes

  • 1 large red pepper

  • 1 tbsp miso paste

  • 1 tbsp cashew butter

  • 1 spring onion

  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil

  • 1 lime

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 tsp grated ginger

  • 1 tsp honey

  • 1 drop lemongrass essential oil (optional)

Finely chop the pepper, spring onion and the cherry tomatoes.

Slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. You can discard these in your compost.

Chop finely and mix together with the chopped herbs and other veg.

In a pestle and mortar, add some salt and pepper, then grind the garlic clove and ground ginger and mash together to make a paste.

Squeeze the lime and add the juice to the pestle and mortar along with the miso, cashew butter, honey, lemongrass and pumpkin seed oil.

When it's smooth, mix it over the vegetables and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

This salad is delicious and frequently acts as lunch for me and a friend. It's also a great side dish at a BBQ and can be made more grown up by adding a little chopped chilli. I usually leave this out so that my children are willing to enjoy it with me though. The miso adds a probiotic element, so it's great to include regularly.

It's a great summer food, but it's so good for you, that I'm happy to keep it on the menu all year around.

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