Cucumber Salad With Mushrooms and Radishes
This salad goes great with Burgers With Fresh Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano.
There are healthy nutrients in all fruits and vegetables but when you see the long list of benefits of eating cucumbers, you know it’s in the special category of nutrient dense superfoods that are helping us combat the free radicals aging our bodies and creating diseases.
Cucumber’s vitamin A, B and C will boost your immunity. They contain the electrolytes potassium and magnesium as well as fiber, all good for both low and high blood pressure. A compound called sterolds in cucumbers may help reduce cholesterol levels. Cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body with the elimination of toxins. The high water content and fiber makes them good for weight loss and daily consumption can be a remedy for constipation. Their vitamins and minerals soothe muscle and joint pain. Their silica makes your hair and nails stronger and shinier which is why they are used in spas. The lignans they contain have a strong history of research in connection with breast, ovarian, uterine and prostate cancers. Cucumbers have a high amount of vitamin K which plays a potential role in bone strength and helps in the treatment of Alzheimers.
Cucumber salads traditionally have a very sugary dressing and the cucumbers are peeled then set in a colander and salted to release liquid before the salad is assembled. The peel contains fiber and vitamin C. The loss of the liquid is a loss of cucumber’s beneficial nutrients. There are two dressing recipes for this salad, a tzatsiki yoghurt dressing and an oil and lemon juice dressing. The recipe made with the yoghurt dressing doesn’t hold well so it needs to be served right away. The oil and lemon juice dressing will hold as long as a normal green salad.
Cucumber Salad With Mushrooms and Radishes
Salad
Ingredients
- 5 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 8 ounce box mushrooms (rinse and wipe dry with paper towels, trim stems, and slice)
- 6 radishes, sliced
- 1/3 cup red onion or sweet white onion, sliced*
- 1/2 cup finely crumbled plain or herbed feta
- dill sprigs and pieces for decorating
- toasted pine nuts (opt.)
* You can soak the onions for 10 minutes or pickle them for 15 minutes to temper the bite of the raw onion and possibly make them easier to digest if you have problems with raw onions.
Tzatziki Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup drained yogurt or lebneh
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely minced
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and blend. Fold into salad just before serving.
Olive Oil, Dill and Lemon Juice Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and blend. Fold into salad just before serving.
Cucumbers are the fourth most cultivated vegetable in the world and is one of the oldest crops, believed to be origination in the northern plains of India. Persian cucumbers are small and the skin is delicious.
