Carrot & Cucumber Ribbon Salad with White Wine Tarragon Vinaigrette

Carrot & Cucumber Ribbon Salad
with White Wine Tarragon Vinaigrette

My family includes vegetarians, meat eaters, vegans, picky and peculiar, and no sugar/no flour. When we all get together for a dinner - the prep can be....challenging. If you read this blog, you know I like challenging. I get a kick out of recipe developing around certain ingredients, diet restrictions or cultures. During one of our recent gatherings I really needed to expand the menu a little with something fresh, raw, crunchy, without sugar or flour, but still full of flavor.
I grabbed a couple veggies and started playing. I peeled the carrots, but left the vitamin filled peelings on the cucumbers. I warmed up the raw crispiness with just a slight toast to a handful of pine nuts. I added a little heat with some cracked pepper. I added a little tang with a White Wine Tarragon Vinaigrette. The natural sweet would be in the Farmer's Market straight out of the soil Carrots and Cucumbers.

For the meat eaters, this was a great palate cleanser. The vegetarian, vegans, and no sugar/no flour folks were thrilled with a healthy plate of "yeah, I get you" food. And, I think the colors even drew in the "picky peculiars" because I saw a few ribbons being slurped up by them, too.This is a quick way to splash up your beige foods and add a little crunch to your crowd.

Recipe: Carrot & Cucumber Ribbon Salad

2 carrots (cleaned and peeled)
2 cucumbers (cleaned)
1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
dash of kosher salt
pinch of fresh cracked pepper

1) Using a Peeler, slice ribbons from the carrots and cucumbers into a colander.
2) Sprinkle a dash of salt over the ribbons, toss and let drain for a few minutes.
3) When ready to serve: toss the ribbons with a drizzle of the vinaigrette and lift them out into a platter. Top with toasted pine nuts and cracked pepper. Can be served room temp or chilled first.

Recipe: White Wine Tarragon Vinaigrette

2 glugs of white wine vinegar (about 1/8 cup)
1 tsp minced shallots or white onion
1 tsp (or more if you desire) fresh chopped (or dried) Tarragon leaves
salt/pepper
6 glugs of Olive Oil (about 3/4 cup)

1) In a bowl, add the white wine vinegar, minced shallot, tarragon, salt and pepper. Whisk together.
2) Slowly drizzle the Olive Oil into the bowl, whisking continuously until a nice thick vinaigrette is achieved. Chill.

Chilly Cucumber Cups w/Spicy Mousse - Simple Saturday

Here's one of those "it looks so fancy, but it's not" kind of appetizers.

Chilly Cucumber Cups
w/Spicy Avocado Mousse
and a Mini-Melon topper

The ingredients just sing Summer Time and everything can be prepped ahead of time, held in the refrigerator and put together when needed for serving. I've made these from 100 at a time for parties to just 12 of them for a luncheon (amuse bouche). The flavor combination is bright and spicy.

RECIPE: Cucumber cups w/Spicy Mousse

1 English Cucumber (but others will do fine, also)
1 tsp. chopped Jalapeno pepper
1/2 Avocado
1/2 lime (juice and 1 tsp. zest)
1/2 cup (4oz) whipping cream
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cantaloupe
salt/pepper to taste

To make the stripes down the cucumber: drag the tip of a peeler or a wide skewer down the length of the cucumber in even intervals.
Cut the cucumber into 1/2 inch slices, scoop a small amount out of each middle and drain upside down on a paper towel to remove moisture.
To make the mousse: In a bowl, mash the avocado with the minced Jalopeno, the juice and the zest, salt & pepper. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with the sugar until it's fluffy and soft. Add the avocado mixture and fold all together, leaving no white streaks.

To make the Mini-Melon ball toppers: Using a small melon baller, scoop out the melon balls and drain on a paper towel (you could also cut small cubes from the melon if you don't have a melon baller handy).

All of these ingredients can be held, separately, in containers in the refrigerator over night and put together the next day.
To SERVE: To each Cucumber cup, add a dollop (or use a pastry bag) of Avocado mousse to fill the cup up, then lightly press one melon ball to top. * optionally - sprinkle a few grains of Olive Salts or Fleur de Sale.
You are now fancy (and even healthy)! Happy Summer.

Cucumber Pickles; Dill with it. **Double Post** Watermelon Rind Pickles

Here's a big surprise: I couldn't make up my mind. There were so many gorgeous cucurbits at the Farmer's Market, that...what? Cucurbits. You know. Cucurbits. Yeah, I had to be told what they were, too. Cucurbits are the vine grown cucumbers, squashes, melons and such. They make amazing jams...and pickles!

Cucumber Dills w/Cumin,Pepper & Mustard Seeds Watermelon Rind Pickles w/ Garam Masala & Jalapeno

At the beginning of the year I joined a group started by Tigress Can Jam/Pickle. She has an amazing site that is packed with her bright personality and intelligent recipes. Each month, our group participates in canning and what we can (the product) is chosen by a host. This month it was chosen by Laundry Etc.

Each one of us have the choice of how we handle the product: jam, pickles, relish, chutneys, etc.. as long as we follow certain guidelines which include the US recommended hot water bath canning process. Like most things, once you get the hang of it - following the process is a cinch.
I'm in charge of making many jars of pickles for my daughter's upcoming wedding, so "cucurbits" in the form of cucumbers were very timely and I'm half-way through the batch size I need for the wedding.

And, watermelon? Well, I'm a southern girl who grew up eating watermelon outside where you could drip it all over you and save the seeds for a spitting contest. True to the South, nothing goes to waste so pickling the rind was a given.
I actually had never pickled rind myself, so once I figured out that watermelon is one of those...Cucurbits, I had to give it a try.
I used several recipes to help me with the safety and correct ratio for vinegar, etc. then changed up the spices and flavoring to suit my whimsy.

Now YOU know what a cucurbit means, too (or maybe you were already vine-savvy). Sometime today, throw that word around a little and see how many people give ya that blank stare. Then send them to my post and I'll help them get out of that pickle.

Cucumber Dills w/Cumin, Pepper & Mustard Seeds
(adapted from "Jam it, Pickle It, Cure It" by Karen Solomon)

3 lbs. Pickling Cucumbers (washed, dried, sliced into wedges)

In a non-reactive saucepan, heat 2 cups Vinegar with 6 cups water and 6 tsps. salt to boiling.

Pack your sterilized jars with the Cucumber wedges and an even distribution of these spices:
9 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cinnamon stick (broken into pieces as needed)
6 Tbls Mixed Mustard seeds
6 Tbls. Dill seeds
8 Tbls. Black Peppercorns
2 Tbls. Cumin seeds
6 tsps. salt

Leave 1 inch head space.
Pour the hot vinegar mix into the jars covering the wedges fully and leaving 1/2 inch head space. Process in a hot-water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, cool and store in a cool dry place.


Watermelon Rind Pickles w/Garam Masala & Jalapeno
(inspired by "Jellies, Jams & Chutneys" by Thane Prince and Whole Foods Recipes)


The Rind of 1 med. watermelon (remove the green with a peeler, scrape off all pink, cut into small cubes) *You should have 1lb. of cubed rinds

For the Brine - Mix the following in a glass bowl with lid:
4 Tb salt
24 oz. Water
Place the rind cubes into the brine, cover and leave in refrigerator for 2 days.
After 2 days: Drain the rind, rinse with cold water several times and drain.
Hold to the side.

In a deep saucepan, add and bring to a boil:
4 cups of water
2 cups Cider Vinegar
9 oz. brown sugar
4" cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala ground spice mix
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
1/2 lemon zest
1 tsp chopped Jalapeno Pepper

Once this is boiling, add the rind into the saucepan and stir to mix.
Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the rind is tender and translucent.

Remove from stove and pack your sterilized jars with the rinds, then pour in the pickling liquid to cover.
Keep at least 1/4 inch space available at the top of each jar.
Seal properly and place in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove and cool on rack without moving for 12 hours.
Keep in a dry, cool area.
If you aren't comfortable with canning: fill your glass containers, cool, cover and keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.