Cucumber Kind of Summer

My new favorite recipe involve cucumber and just in time for summer, make it so refreshing and delicious!  All of these are served cold.


Cucumber Yogurt Dip (from Martha Stewart's Food magazine, June 2012 issue)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1 T fresh dill
salt and pepper for taste
Mix the above and then add in sliced cucumbers (I used about 1/2 of one normal sized cucumber).  Can also use on burgers, mix in tuna (as pictured below) and put atop crusty broiled bread with some butter and a piece of lettuce, or just with some chips!



Chinese Cucumber Salad (Chou family recipe)
3/4 cup of red wine or rice vinegar
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of sesame oil (EVOO will work too)
1 t garlic salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 T light soy sauce
Whisk the above ingredients in a bowl, then add sliced cucumbers (I use the mini ones and about 4-6 of them, the normal cucumbers, about 2, will also work!).  If you like it sweeter, you can add more sugar, saltier, add more garlic salt, spicier, add more red pepper flakes, and so on and so forth.

Grilled Cucumbers with Feta (from Martha Stewart's Food magazine, June 2012 issue)
1 cup crumbled feta
1 T dill
1 T olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1 T lemon juice
Mix the above, grill cucumbers, and put feta mixture atop.  Also good for anything grilled on the side like salmon (as pictured below) or chicken.

Egg Salad

Sometimes when I forget to think about what's for dinner, I like to make egg salad. Full of protein and so easy to make!

Boil 6 eggs
T mayonnaise
3/4 T Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
some salt and pepper
2 green onions diced

Mix and serve with cheese and lettuce on wheat bread and dinner is served.

Cafe Rio Salad and Dressing!

This is the recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Tammy to imitate the barbacoa pork salad from Cafe Rio!

Meat:

3.5-4 lb pork roast

2 t cumin

1 and 1/2 t Kanye (cayenne) pepper

1 t salt

Mix spices together and rub onto pork and cook on low overnight in crock pot.

In the morning, add the following:

1 cup of chicken stock or broth

2 cups of chopped white onions or 1 small white onion chopped

16 oz or 2 cups of Coke

2 cloves of garlic

Cook all day on low and one hour before serving, shred the meat and add in 1 cup of brown sugar and cook for another hour on low.

Creamy Cilantro Cafe Rio Imitation Dressing:

1 1/3 cup of LIGHT sour cream

3/4 cup of LIGHT mayo

1 bunch of cilantro

1 whole pack of Hidden Valley dry Ranch dressing

4 T green salsa verde

2-3 crushed garlics

1/8 tsp of Tabasco (or a couple of dabs)

Juice of 1 lime

Mix in food processor or VitaMix until all blended, and ready to eat!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese people don't like cheese. My aunt once told me eating cheese makes your butt grow big (hence all the flat butted Chinese people).... but whether or not that's true, it's important to remember for a delicious Chinese chicken salad, NO CHEESE should be used!

You can make your own dressing... but considering you probably don't have all the typical Chinese ingredients lying around, just go buy some Chinese chicken salad sesame vinaigrette! My favorites include: Feast from the East from Costco (beware of the really big spout) or Wish Bone's Light Asian with Sesame and Ginger Vinaigrette.

1/2 can of Mandarin oranges drained
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
3 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 head of cabbage (mix it with white and purple) - throw in some shredded carrot for visual presentation
3-4 scallion sticks (also known as green onion) chopped and use mostly white parts
2-3 chicken breasts cooked and sliced (don't season)

Serves 6-8 people

This is an easy salad which devoid of cheese, is high in protein and fiber yet sweet and fun to mix into your regular lunch or dinner routine. (For dinner as a main salad, use more chicken

Yummy Broccoli Salad

Not sure how good this is fat content wise... but I do know that using smart substitutes goes a long way and everybody loved it... so here's the recipe:

1 cup LIGHT mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar (can use Splenda if concerned about calories)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar works also!)
Whip the above together and set aside in fridge for about 30 minutes

Combine above dressing with:
3 bunches of broccoli or about 1 lb (uncooked, at first I cooked it cuz I'm lame like that)
2 fiji apples, peeled and cut into small dice cubes
1/2 cup sliced almonds (can add more depending on your preference)
1/2 red onion chopped
1/2 cup raisins (can add more depending on your preference)