It’s that time of year, cucumbers are flooding in and I sit staring into my fridge wondering what to do with all of them. My big problem is that I can’t eat too much cucumber without my stomach getting upset. Even still, so many recipes that use cucumber seems to use such a small amount anyways. It isn’t until very recently that I learned you can apparently cook cucumbers.
So here I am this year, trying to make a list to work with. And truthfully, I’ll probably using cucumbers a lot more this year since our CSA has experienced quite a bit of crop loss from flooding. And if you are wondering why there aren’t any pickle recipes, well that is easy. I make plenty of pickles, they just use a different kind of cucumber. So these recipes are for your average joe-smoe cucumber. Also, if you are like me and have tummy troubles with cucumber, simply peels and seed your cucumber before eating. It will make life bittersweet, I like the skin, but you can eat it with less pain.
Drinks
Cucumber Cooler
I love a great drink. Sadly I feel like we lost it when big soda took over. We now just guzzle overly sweet drinks that lack subtly. This is probably why I love a cocktail, more thought and care have been put into it to balance flavors. But not everyone wants booze, whether it is for religion, health, or personal preference. So this drink is a nice drink without the alcohol. If you must use booze, you could always use a spiked ginger ale,
Cucumber Coupe
Gin, cucumber, and sparkling wine? Yes please.
In the Weeds
I enjoyed this drink and it is pretty cheap if you have all the good on hand. Just need some cheap vodka and a bitters container that will last you forever.
Juke Cup Cocktail
This drink is a little bit of a pipeline dream. It seems like it would be a little too expensive as it uses some very specific types of liquors. But a girl can dream because it sounds super yummy.
Milk Maid Cocktail
I am debating if putting this on the list is a good idea. It is vegan, so that’s good. The issue is the cucumber, it’s just garnish, so does this really qualify it to be on this list? I don’t know, with this political climate I will use any excuse to drink more. So on the list this goes.
Cucumber Mint Fizz
This is a drink that has booze but I can’t help but feel like it shouldn’t. It just looks so inviting I could sip on it all day. It contains gin, and you could easily sub a non alcoholic gin and tonic for the fizz. Or you can quickly google non-alcoholic gin and get a bunch of results. You couldn’t skip the gin because of the yummy botanical flavors it brings to the table.
Frozen
Wasabi Cucumber Ice Cream
This sounds crazy enough to be delicious! I might want to alter the recipe a little, but worth giving it a go.
Cucumber Basil Granita
This seems simple enough, but I like the flavor combo of basil and cucumber together. Sounds pretty dreamy, but it makes sense. Lots of people like to pair cucumber with mint with sorbets, and basil is a close relative to mint.
Avocado and Cucumber Sorbet
Avocado sorbet was one of my favorites at Capogiro’s (RIP) I love how the avocado adds fat to the sorbet making it more like ice cream in texture. So this combo sounds pretty magical.
Cucumber Celery and Gin Sorbet
My mind is racing about this one. So many savory flavors waiting for me to enjoy in an ice cold form. *drools* And if you don’t want booze and don’t want to miss out google non-alcoholic gin. I would link to some but there are available to different countries and that would make a mess. But the alcohol probably helps keep the sorbet soft in the freezer.
Salads
Spicy Smashes Cucumber Salad with Brown Rice
I’ve actually already made this recipe. It technically isn’t vegan, and it calls for labneh not greek yogurt. Whatever. I used almond yogurt and maple syrup and it was super good. Pretty much the recipe calls for smashing the cucumbers which makes them better at absorbing flavors. Totally worth the time to make, and it is pretty filling with the brown rice and croutons.
Cucumber and Wakame Seaweed Sunomono
Asian styled cucumber recipes use to be my favorite. I would do a quick pickle cucumber with some thai flavors and be in heaven for lunch. So this dish looked delicious. I love the idea of mixing cucumber with a deep flavored seaweed.
Green Beans and Cucumbers with Miso Dressing
Double whammy recipe right here. I am CONSTANTLY trying to get rid of green beans as well. My green bean problem has died down more recently as deers have found the beans consistently every year at my CSA. But there was a point where we would get practically a bag full of green beans, and it would make me angry I would have to trim all of them. But hey, I think miso tastes amazing with everything so this might make a great side dish.
Dinner Time
Green Cucumber Tomatillo Gazpacho
Technically speaking this isn’t vegan. But you could easily sub the yogurt with a vegan one, and use agave or corn syrup for the honey. Yeah, I just suggested you use corn syrup, deal with it. But the soup is easy to make, and uses a grill making for a very cool house.
30 Minute Cucumber Noodle Pad Thai
Maybe my beef with cucumbers is that it gets pushed to the side. A cold salad, a pickle, a cold soup, a delicious drink. This recipe pushes it right in the front by spiralizing it and coating it with a sauce. Sounds good to me.
Green Gimbap
This was a little twist to a Korean classic. Think of it like sandwich flavors in sushi form. You can really use whatever you want in it, traditionally there are weird things like spam or cheese wrapped in, so get creative and go nuts, just keep the cucumber because that is what this whole post is about right?
Cooked
Let me start this section by saying, WHO KNEW YOU COULD COOK CUCUMBERS?! It is always cold, which is fine in some ways, but totally limiting on the other hand. I am excited to try these out because I want to see if cooking helps with the digestion aspect.
Sautéed Korean Cucumber Side Dish
This is a simple recipe. Just “burp” the cucumber and sauté. Pretty simple and barely takes any real time. Sure you need to wait for the first step but it it largely down time.
Sautéed Cucumber
Apparently Martha Stewart knew about this whole hot cucumber thing too. I mean this is hardly a recipe. Just chop and sautee for 5 minutes, but it gives a jumping point for any hot cuke noobs.
Julia Child’s Baked Cucumbers
Julia Child even knew about this thing! Only she bakes her cucumbers, and I am thinking an hour of baking might be too long. But I am not Julia Child, and therefore know even less than she does about cooking cucumbers, so what do I know?
Fried Cucumbers
You know, I was at first shocked to hear about this, but honestly, why not? I mean there are fried pickles? This recipe is just for those who are too lazy and want to skip the whole pickle step.
Cucumber Cake with Gin Icing
If there is one thing I have learned about obsessing over cake recipes is that there is no end to what one can do with vegetables and flour. This recipe sounds like it uses some interestig flavors to work with each other. The recipe isn’t vegan, but hell, why not try it out anyways?
Cucumber Walnut Bread
And finally we close with a much more practical cake for the everyday. Both cakes are really getting me excited but I know I will most likely NOT be trying them anytime soon because of lack of central air. Or perhaps I will just go for it and see what happens. *crosses fingers*
