Today's quick cucumber salad recipe, from no other than Julia Child: How to soak large, seedy cucumbers so they'll be not just edible but tasty! Low carb. Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real". Weight Watchers 1 point!
~recipe republished 2012~
to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of Julia Child,
a world-wide celebration happening online, in restaurants and in homes
~more recently updated recipes~
Summer 2009: Seems we can't turn around without stumbling over another story of Julie & Julia, the blog-turned-book-turned-movie that opens nationwide on August 7. Just yesterday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch climbed aboard the Julie & Julia wagon with a story about four St. Louis food bloggers whose blogs are also 'projects', including yes, A Veggie Venture! (Update, sorry, the Post-Dispatch has removed the online story but here's more about the bloggers in the story.)
Summer 2009: Seems I can't turn around without stumbling over a cucumber, the 'small' ones about six inches long, the 'big' ones a foot or more. That's a lot of cucumber to consume! So I've been looking for cucumber recipes where the 'cucumber' is front and center, not just an add-in for wet crunch. Julia Child to the rescue: her The Way to Cook writes about how to make cucumbers less 'burpy' at least a half dozen times. "Soak cucumbers in a little vinegar, sugar and water". Okay, Julia, got it. And soaking the cucumber flesh really did make a difference, especially to preserve them for a few days to make – whatever –
with. I've got a big batch in the refrigerator right now, the first chunks were used in a simple but gorgeous Cucumber Salad.
Summer 2012: Food people across the world are celebrating the birth of Julia Child on this day, August 15, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Julia Child. We're on vacation this week but I wanted to take a moment to add my voice to the cookery chorus. Besides – aren't the cucumbers just wonderful just now?! For more Julia Child recipes from A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade, check out this gorgeous rice dish, Julia Child's Soubise (Onion & Rice Casserole) , at the end of the post, I list all her recipes in one place. Enjoy!
JULIA CHILD'S CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 4 - 6 hours
Serves 4 (easily adjusted)
FOR CUCUMBERS
1 - 2 cucumbers
White vinegar
Sugar
Water
SALAD
Olive oil
Fresh herbs to taste - I use basil & parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
CUCUMBERS Trim and peel the cucumbers (see NOTES). Cut in half lengthwise and then scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut into half rings or chunks. In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar (maybe a quarter cup) and sugar (maybe a tablespoon) and enough water to cover the cucumbers. Let the cucumbers soak for a few hours.
SALAD Drain the cucumbers. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Savor and enjoy!
ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
This recipe works best for garden cucumbers or the much-less expensive regular cucumbers at the grocery. Save the hot-house English cucumbers for other recipes.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 39 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium; 2g Carb; 1g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points 1, WW PointsPlus 1
INSPIRED BY The Way to Cook by Julia Child.
MORE FAVORITE CUCUMBER RECIPES
~ Old Liz's Cucumber Salad ~
~ ~
~ Fattoush ~
~ Nana's Cucumbers with Sour Cream ~
~ Tomato Gazpacho ~
~ more cucumber recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture
~ Cucumber Dip with Feta ~
~ Fruit Gazpacho ~
~ Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers ~
~ more cucumber recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column
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MORE ST LOUIS FOOD BLOGS The St. Louis Post-Dispatch story by Diane Toroian Keaggy is great. Thanks, Diane! Since the online version doesn't include links to the bloggers who are featured, I'll share them here (and sorry, the entire story has been taken offline by the Post-Dispatch):
Nupur from One Hot Stove who's just kicked off her BookMark Project, actually cooking all those recipes she's bookmarked Becky & the Beanstalk, where every single recipe features heirloom beans Cupcake Project, whose blog originated with a offhand offer to make cupcakes for a wedding! Diane's own husband is a blogger of Grocery List fame and this month, returns to his annual passion, I Love Sandwiches, 31 days of August, 31 days of sandwiches
Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
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