Shaved Cucumber Salad

Deceptively simple, this shaved cucumber salad can be ready in minutes, and is the perfect ending to a hot summer day.

Shaved Cucumber Salad

Because fresh produce is one of the best parts of summer, this recipe highlights all of that goodness: fresh cucumbers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus all work together to give you a shaved cucumber salad that reminds you of summer afternoons, childhood, and all things good.

A sliced cucumber salad lies in a white dish on a blue striped towel.

I used to sit outside on a lawn chair under the lilac tree. The tips of my toes would touch the cool green grass while the fragrance from the white lilacs would greet my nose. And I would read. I would immerse myself in worlds hundreds of years old, and get surprisingly lost in horse drawn carriages and petticoats and lamp light.

Several feet away, my mother would kneel, turning up soil, tending her garden. She would pick spent leaves, trim the branches, and then pull out weeds. She would work, I would read, and we both would lose track of time. Afternoons would fly by like this, until she realized that my dad would be coming home shortly and we had nothing ready for dinner.

A green plastic tub of fresh red cherry tomatoes sits on a table. A few tomatoes have fallen out.

Summer dinners would be simple out of necessity, because we would be short on time. She would gather the vegetables she had picked and make easy salads. Cucumbers dressed in nothing but rice vinegar, water and a pinch of sugar would be refreshing bites on those humid New York nights.

Three cherry tomatoes sit on a table ready to eat.

I thought of her as I shaved some cucumbers the other day. As a result, I decided to make my own version of her simple salad. Thinly sliced cucumbers and red onion looked so elegant dotted with tomatoes and asparagus. Each bite of this shaved cucumber salad was cool and refreshing, and certainly brought me back to my mother’s garden. I could almost smell the lilacs. And I could definitely taste summer.

A sliced cucumber salad made of cucumbers, asparagus, red onion, and tomatoes, with light dressing.

It’s time for my second Wedding Registry Kitchen Must-Have Giveaway! I’m constantly trying out recipes, so from purees to soups, thin slices to pastry doughs, I am constantly reaching for my Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor. I’ve already mentioned how awesome it is – and I’m so excited to be able to share one with one of you!

Wedding Registry Kitchen Must-Have Giveaway:
Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Rebecca L. on winning an awesome Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor!

Ready to enter? Here’s how:

  • Please leave a comment below and feel free to share: What will you tackle with this food processor?
  • Bonus entry: Share this page on Facebook and leave another comment saying so.
  • Entries/Comments accepted until 10 pm Pacific, Sunday, 12 August, 2012.
  • One winner will be randomly selected and notified by email.
  • This contest is open to US residents only, my apologies to my international friends!

Disclosure: In celebration of their newly launched Wedding Registry, Wayfair is generously sponsoring this giveaway by giving one winner a Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor. I am grateful to their support and for making this giveaway possible. The author was not compensated for this post/giveaway, and all opinions are strictly my own.

More Summer Salads

Berry Jicama Salad
Summer Lentil Salad
Tomato, Corn and Nectarine Chickpea Salad
Summer Wheat Berry Salad with Stone Fruits and Goat Cheese

Podcast Episodes on Fresh Produce

Listen to my conversation with Nick Brown (Rincon Tropics) on growing “no frills good fruit”
My conversation with Chris Drew (Ocean Mist Farms) on all things artichokes
Learn about blueberry farms from my converstaion with Kimberly Sorensen (Triple Delight Blueberries)

Shaved Cucumber Salad

Don’t be deceived by this recipe’s simplicity. You will find it such a refreshing and perfect way to enjoy your summer cucumbers, and it will pair with so many dishes.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 37kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 4 stalks asparagus
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • Trim both ends of cucumber. Cut in half and slice in thin strips, using either a food processor or mandolin. You can also slice it crosswise, and a knife will work just fine. Do the same with red onion.
  • Cut the tomatoes in half, and cut the asparagus in 1 inch pieces on the diagonal.
  • Place all the vegetables in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the vinegar, water and sugar. Pour over the vegetables and toss.
  • Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to take in the flavor. Arrange on a platter to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 382IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see! Tag @kitchconfidante on Instagram and hashtag it #kitchenconfidante

Comments

Recipe Rating




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  1. Brittainy Klappenbach

    Shared on Facebook as well! Everything is crossed :-)

    Reply
  2. Brittainy Klappenbach

    I would totally make my cojito dip with it! Cutting up tomatillos can get really sticky when I do it by hand. Mixing the ingredients would be a breeze if I used a food processor. Dip for everyone! Next up, tomato basil soup with some fresh bruschetta!

    Reply
  3. Emily

    I love to use my food processor to shred big blocks of cheese I buy at Costco, cheaper and tastier than buying pre-shredded cheese.

    Reply
  4. Kate Slaughter

    Oh my… My food processor bit the dust this week (while making gazpacho- mind you). If I won, I would finish my gazpacho:)

    Reply
  5. Kristin

    What wouldn’t or couldn’t I make with this beauty!?!? I’d be a food choppin’ fool if this was sitting on my counter! Fresh salsas here I come…

    Reply
  6. Roz

    I’m trying to include more veggies in our diet. This processor will help me “hide” the veggies in my kids’ meal.

    Reply
  7. Malou | Skip to Malou

    The other day (I think I even posted a pic on my fb page) I enjoyed a bowl of cucumber salad that went with my grilled pork chops for dinner. I went out with my girlfirends that night and when I came back, I was so happy to see some leftover cucumber salad sitting in the fridge. Ahh that made my night! I sat down and nibbled and enjoyed the refreshing salad. But my only complaint is that my salad didn’t look as gorgeous as yours… mine were chunky-ier. I would love to shave them like yours… so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I win this cuisinart custom 14 cup food processor giveaway so I could make more cucumber salad, that would look pretty close to yours haha.
    Happy Sunday Liren!
    Malou

    Reply
  8. Ashley

    I was just looking at food processors yesterday! I would make pesto, hummus, pie crusts, pizza dough, chop salads, graham cracker crusts, and so many amazing things!

    Reply
  9. Anne

    I’d break it in for pizza dough. Then I’d shred the cheese for the pizza with it.

    Reply
  10. kesha

    I would tackle grating carrots for my homemade carrot cake! I do not like to hand grate carrots. It is messy and take a lot of time! This would be and AWESOME win!

    Reply
  11. susitravl

    I would make everything I don’t make now just because I don’t have a food processor. haha. Would probably start with salsa.

    Reply
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