Mexican Cucumber Salad

A refreshing salad with a hint of heat.

Do you know what was trendy when I was in college? Water bottles (#WatBot). We were all trying to save the Earth one refill at a time.  And the fact that I lost about fifteen water bottles over the course of four years? A small price to pay for a more sustainable future... I guess.

These days, I just drink my water straight from a glass (or if I'm in the mood for snazzy water I add cucumber, lemon, and basil to a pitcher that I keep in the fridge), and every time I take a sip of water, I feel downright self righteous about the whole thing.  I'm improving my health, I'm not causing the Earth any harm, my skin is glowing, and everything is right with the world.

Now, what if you could take that water drinking feeling and apply it to food?  Enter this cucumber salad.  Of course, eating salad is a great way to serve penance for your food sins, but that's not what this salad is about.  Nor is about shoving as many antioxidants into your mouth as possible (that's what a chia-acai-blueberry-coffee smoothie is for).  Moreover, its not even about paleo one-upmanship.  This is just a refreshing, feel good salad.

The salad is nothing more than thinly sliced cucumbers that are lightly pickled in lemon juice and salt, tossed with a little olive oil, some cilantro, a touch of sugar for sweetness, and jalapenos and red pepper flakes for spice.  It's simple, and its delicious, the perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy for a late spring day.

The inspiration for this salad came from the Food Charlatan, and I loved her version. However, I felt that the salad needed just a little bit of sweetness, and I actually preferred the lemon over the lime (I discovered the lemon on accident because the Limes at the grocery store felt like little golf balls, so I purchased luscious, ripe, aromatic lemons instead).

This salad keeps for at least three days in the fridge (it might keep for longer since its basically pickles, but I wouldn't know since we eat it pretty quickly after making it), and for maximum deliciousness I do recommend letting it do its marinating thing in the fridge for a few hours.

With cucumbers selling for about a nickel a piece, I've been making a ton of this salad and eating it as an after run snack.  It sort of feels like edible hydration, and I love it.  Make it today! It's so easy and all the ingredients are normal, so you won't even have to run to the store (unless you have no cucumbers, then you have to wait to make it.)

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Mexican Cucumber Salad

by Adapted from The Food Charlatan April-29-2014

A refreshing salad with a hint of spice.

Ingredients

• 2 Cucumbers- Very Thinly sliced (these should be bendable)
• 1 Lemon Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• 2 Jalapenos- Finely Diced
• 1/2 Bunch Cilantro

Instructions

1. Whisk lemon juice, salt, olive oil and sugar. Add finely minced garlic if desired.2. Coat cucumbers, jalapenos and cilantro in the dressing then cover bowl3. Allow salad to marinate at least three hours before serving

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 10 mins Yield: 6 Servings