Asian Shrimp Cucumber Salad Recipe

Cucumber salad with sesame ginger lime dressing is one of my favorite salads, and today I dressed it up with shrimp for Kim's bridal shower. I've seen variations of this 'asian' salad all over the internet, but I prefer mine the best. It has just the right balance of sweet, sour, salty, and the 'umami' that imparts something extra special to this refreshing summer salad. The recipe below makes enough for four (1/2 cup) servings of salad.

A really delicious salad

Ingredients 
One hothouse cucumber
One large knob of ginger (about thumb-sized), ground into a paste. (I use a mortar and pestle)
One clove garlic, finely minced
Juice from one lime
2 T apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg's organic raw unfiltered ACV)
1 T coconut palm sugar. This is delicious sugar from the sap of coconut palm flower buds.
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup cooked shrimp (optional)

The sliced cucumber awaits its ginger sesame lime dressing. 

1. Use a fork to rake lines down the length of the cucumber. (when sliced, looks prettier).
2. Slice the cucumber in half, length-wise. Then slice each halve into thin slices. Place in bowl.
3. Into a smaller bowl, place the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, coconut palm sugar, salt, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well.
4. Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumber, add shrimp and sesame seeds. Toss to coat the cucumber and shrimp evenly with the dressing.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit your tastes.
6. Serve immediately, or keep covered in refrigerator for up to a day before serving. 

Substitutions

The coconut palm sugar can be substituted with regular sugar. You may omit the fish sauce and use 1/4 tsp more salt, or you can also substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce. Rice vinegar or white vinegar can be used in place of apple cider vinegar. I prefer cooking the shrimp myself rather than using the ready-cooked shrimp. I marinate about 1 1/2 cup of raw shrimp in 1/4 tsp salt, dash white pepper, one clove garlic (minced), then quick fry in 2 T peanut oil. 

Where to obtain ingredients? I am able to buy most of what I need at the Strip District in Pittsburgh - I use natural ingredients, with no MSG or preservatives, in my cooking. 

What's your favorite cucumber salad recipe? How did you like mine? Would love to hear from you!

xo Gracie 

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Garden Salad with vine ripened tomatoes and Kyuri cucumbers

This was a perfect starter to my birthday lunch entree (Honey Glazed Beef Short Ribs). I had crisp kyuri cukes and juicy tomatoes grown in pots on my apartment balcony, and some beautiful red sails lettuce and other organic lettuces. I sliced in a bit of purple cabbage and carrot, tossed in a tangy apple cider vinegar dressing and dug in!

Poached Chicken Wild Rocket Salad

Gosh, I've been wanting to blog about my favorite foods for quite a while now, unfortunately every time I make something I dig into it right away and end up with a happy tummy, but no photos of the dish! It's that instant gratification thing :). Today I delayed that gratification and here's my first food post!

This dish is healthy and delicious, with tender free-range poached chicken on a bed of organic wild rocket (arugula) and deer's tongue lettuce (or similar), and tossed in a sharp apple cider vinegar dressing that will awake your senses and leave you feeling sated but not overloaded.

Ingredients
Whole chicken (I used organic free-range young chicken)
Knob of ginger
Rocket
Lettuce, torn into pieces
Carrot, shredded through mandolin
Purple cabbage, shredded

Dressing
1 C Apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's raw, unfiltered ACV)*
1/2 C Extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed is best)*
1 T Raw honey (I use Y.S. Farms Raw Honey, it's so flavorful)*
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1/4 t sea salt*
Dash sesame oil
* I usually buy from Vitacost at Amazon as the prices are cheaper or comparable to what I'd find at stores. Vitacost offers free shipping for purchases above $50. And they sell Nunez de Prado olive oil, which is one of the best I've ever tasted).

Whatcha gonna do:

1. Poaching the chicken. Bring about 4 C water to boil in a pot with the ginger (or enough water that when you put the chicken in, the water will cover the entire chicken). Smack the ginger once or twice with the flat blade of the cleaver to bruise. Drop the chicken in gently, turn the heat down to simmer, put the lid on and let go for 30 - 40 minutes depending on the size of the bird. When done, lift out the chick, let cool. Then pull out about 1 C of meat and tear into bite size pieces. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt for flavor.
2. The Dressing. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and let sit.
3. Assembling the salad. Put all the salad ingredients into a mixing bowl. Give the dressing a good whisk with a fork and drizzle some over the salad. 2 - 3 T should do it. Toss it with a light hand, pile on a plate, and serve!

I'll be posting every two weeks, so stay tuned!