Cucumber Salsa
FRESH Food is the Best!
I don’t think that there is any argument to that. If you had fresh strawberries being put in a blind taste test against thawed strawberries from the freezer, I am sure the fresh ones would win. Or if you had a fresh sandwich you whipped up and compared it to a store-made & pre-wrapped sandwich, you would probably pick the fresh one! Fresh food gets even better when it is picked right from the garden!
We have just returned from our Honeymoon and I am enjoying getting back into the swing of life and cooking again! After raiding our (and our vacationing neighbor’s) garden, I found we had a nice pile of cucumbers and a few tomatoes, along with a jalapeno or two. While we are still waiting for the tomatoes to start overwhelming the kitchen (so we can make our all-time-favorite salsa) – this cucumber salsa is a refreshing twist on a household favorites.
Salsa is a top food around here. I love any kind of salsa – although in an effort to eat healthy I try not to make it all the time, since fresh salsa just screams chips to me. As a healthy alternative, I really love the flavor of a fresh salsa being eaten on a slice of celery… I still get the crunch without the calories! As far as salsa goes, you can make it from canned tomatoes, or tomatillos, with peaches or pineapples, corn-based, or even strawberry salsa.
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- 1 cup finely chopped/seeded/peeled cucumber (approx. 1 medium cucumber)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped seeded tomato (approx 1 plum tomato, or equivalent)
- 1/8 cup chopped red onion OR green onions/scallions
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or less depending on spice level required)
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 garlic clove, minced OR 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- large pinch of salt (to taste)
- 1/8 cup [reduced-fat] sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- In a small bowl combine the “solid” ingredients. Mix well season with your spices. Finally pour your liquids over the veggies and spices. Mix thoroughly, but carefully. Serve immediately with chips.
adapted from My Fridge Food
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Two Years Ago – Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream Cake. This is a baked chocolate cake layered with fresh ice cream (you can use your own favorite flavors) and topped with a delicious whipped cream. Since there is Ice Cream sandwiched in the middle of this delicious cake, it is obviously served frozen and amazing!
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And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… Can you think of a time that FRESH food is not as good as a non-fresh food (besides pickles)?