Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 to 6
Free of: gluten and all top allergens
Cucumber salad is a perfect crisp and refreshing picnic side, but it can often get soggy fast. The following recipe employs several chef secrets to keep your cucumbers crunchy and delish.
2 English cucumbers, peel on
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup finely minced red onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground pepper
1. Cut cucumbers into halves lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut into ¼-inch thick slices. Put into a colander, sprinkle with salt and toss well. Place colander over a large bowl and let the cucumbers drain for 30 minutes, tossing a few times. Transfer cucumbers to paper towels and thoroughly blot dry.
2. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, zest and a few turns of freshly ground pepper. Drizzle in oil a little at a time while whisking, to emulsify.
3. Place drained cucumbers in a large salad bowl and toss with onions and fresh herbs. Add dressing and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Crunchy Cucumber Salad © 2013 by Cybele Pascal
This recipe first appeared in the Summer 2013 issue of Allergic Living Magazine
Weights for my Basic Gluten Free Flour Mix
After being asked, many times, for years, for the weights of the flours and starches in my basic gluten-free flour mix, I am finally posted them! Not sure why it’s taken me so very long…. but here you go! Enjoy!
My Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Makes 6 Cups
The key to the very best gluten-free baked goods is Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour; it is the Cadillac, or cashmere, of brown rice flours and is worth its weight in gold. It is not grainy like other rice flours, and bakes the most fantastic cookies, cakes, pie crusts, and so on. If you can’t find it at your local natural foods market or Whole Foods, order it online. Both Ener-G and Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flours will also work in these recipes, but they won’t turn out quite as well. I do not recommend Arrowhead Mills brown rice flour, which I find too gritty. The brands of potato starch and tapioca flour or starch are not important; I find them all inter- changeable.
4 cups superfine brown rice flour (629.4 g)
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour) (261.2 g)
2/3 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) (93.00 g)
To measure flour, use a large spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife or straightedge. Do not use the measuring cup itself to scoop your flour when measuring! It will compact the flour and you will wind up with too much for the recipe.
Combine all ingredients in a gallon-size zipper-top bag. Shake until well blended. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Fall Harvest Crops Across the U.S.
Fall is the season of plenty. Planted in spring and nurtured all summer long, a colorful bounty of crops pours into farmers markets across the country, making it easier than ever to eat a wide variety of local, seasonal ingredients. Having grown up in the Northeast, I associated fall with apples, pears, and maple syrup. Several years ago, however, I moved to the West Coast, and discovered a whole new fall harvest-from persimmons, to dates, to quince.
That got me to thinking. What other crops are being treasured all over the continental U.S.? What are people in Atlanta, New Mexico, Ohio and New York looking forward to eating?
The following are comprehensive lists of fall crops across the US, highlighting regional stars-from apricots, to wild mushrooms, to wild rice. One of the easiest ways to eat allergen-free is by cooking from scratch, and cooking from scratch is never as easy as it is when you have an abundance of local seasonal produce to source. The possibilities are practically endless. Use these harvest shopping lists (as they suit your specific dietary needs), so that no matter what part of the county you live in, you can be sure to base your menu on what’s in season. Happy harvest!
Find your region below:
THE SOUTHWEST
Fall Harvest: apples, beets, collard greens, daikon, dates, edamame, green chilies, gourds, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, melons, peas, persimmons, pistachios, pumpkins, radishes, shallots, soybeans, turnips, winter, squash.
Still in Season: arugula, carrots, Chinese greens, garlic, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, raspberries, salad greens, spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, wheat.
THE SOUTHEAST
Fall Harvest:apples, arugula, asian pears, beets, blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, Chinese greens, collard greens, gourds, grapes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, peas, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, spinach, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnips.
Still in Season: cucumber, eggplant, green beans, hot peppers, okra, salad greens, summer squash, sweet peppers, tomatoes, winter squash, zucchini.
THE MIDWEST
Fall Harvest: apples, broccoli, brussels sprouts, corn, gourds, onions, parsnips, pears, pumpkins, radishes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, turnips, wild rice, winter squash.
Still in Season: barley, beets, blackberries, buckwheat, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green beans, green onions, hot peppers, leeks, lettuce, melons, mustard greens, peas, potatoes, soybeans, spinach, sweet corn, sweet peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, raspberries, summer squash, walnuts, watermelon, wheat, zucchini.
THE NORTHEAST
Fall Harvest: apples, apricots, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cranberries, gourds, hot peppers, kale, leeks, maple syrup, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash.
Still in Season: arugula, beans, beets, blackberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese greens, collard greens, corn, eggplant, endive, escarole, grapes, green onions, lettuce, melons, onions, plums, sunchokes, sweet peppers, Swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons.
THE NORTHWEST
Fall Harvest: apples, asian pears, brussels sprouts, burdock figs, grapes, kiwis, leeks, mushrooms, pears, pumpkins, rice, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnip, greens, walnuts, winter squash.
Still in Season: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, corn, cucumber, garlic, hazelnuts, hot peppers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, okra, onions, potatoes, radishes salad, greens, soybeans, summer squash, tomatillos, strawberries, zucchini.
THE WEST
Fall Harvest: apricots, almonds, cranberries, gourds, grapes, grapefruit, limes, persimmons, pumpkins, quince, winter, squash, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts.
Still in Season: apples, asian pears, avocados, blackberries, boysenberries, carrots, celery, Chinese greens, dates, eggplant, garlic, green onions, kale, leeks, lemons,lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, olives, radishes, salad greens, spinach,strawberries, sweet peppers, swiss chard, summer, squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini.