Shaved Cucumber Salad
Deceptively simple, this shaved cucumber salad can be ready in minutes, and is the perfect ending to a hot summer day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Comments
COOKBOOK
Rumor has it you can make bread dough in a food processor? Not sure I buy it but I’d love to test the theory ;)
Shared on Facebook
Salsa, hummus, pesto, the list goes on and on and on…… DELICIOUS!
I’d jump on board with some hummus!
I would love to try out some new salsa recipes!
I would love to whip up some yummy pesto with the basil in my garden :)
What wouldn’t I make……chop veggies for potatoe salad
I have wanted/needed a food processor for a long time – the list is practically endless of all the things I could use it for! This salad is so beautiful – I would begin with it.
This is such a gorgeous salad! I’m not sure what I wouldn’t tackle! I think I’d want to try nut butters first!
I would make homemade hummus, protein smoothies, and homemade frozen yogurt! I’ve NEVER owned a food processor before and have so many recipes I’m dying to try.
Pesto!
I shared on my FB wall https://www.facebook.com/rusthawk/posts/338434922910738
I would use it to make cole slaw ad salsa and lots of veggie dishes.
I would use this food processor to make better vegetarian meals. I’ve been looking into eating healthier and this would definitely help with a number of recipes!
I tweeted and shared on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/kat.martin.589
https://twitter.com/SimplySingle3/status/233291260377575424
I would use it to make all kinds of things, pesto, hummus, purees, anything that I could think of.
I would go through my pile ot “to make” recipes and make them ALL!
I would use it to cut slivers of zucchini for pasta and veggie sides!
I would make salsa
I need a food processor so badly! Making pie crusts would be on the top of my to make list, followed by dips and soups.
Your photos are lovely and your writing is very poetic. I really enjoyed reading this post. I have a food processor so I’m hesitant to enter the giveaway, but it was my mother’s so maybe it’s time for an upgrade. But that tells you how good Cuisinart products are! They pass down through generations!
I love making pie and tart doughs with the food processor. Dips are a close second.
I would make a fresh pesto or if I am daring enough I’d attempt to ground some dried corn into cornmeal.
Wow, what a great giveaway… i would tackle the zuchinni in the garden to freeze it for the winter!
I shared this on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/amy.l.leach/posts/456761637690171
Pesto and salsa. We have lots of basil and tomatoes from our garden right now.
Oh the endless list of things I could tackle with a food processor! Lets see, I think I would start with pureeing the last of my summer tomatoes into a refreshing chilled soup. :)
Veggie burgers! (time consuming with a mini chopper!) And, tons of different nut butters!
Have shared on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InkedMagnolia81/posts/301362253296314
I would say dough and filling for pies would love to make some as soon as the weather gets colder
I would like to make my own almond butter.