cucumber salsa recipe

Well it looks like I've become quite the chef the past few days. 2 recipes in one week, that's a record. Chips + salsa are one of my many favorite foods. Occasionally I like to switch up the usual, but still fabulous, "tomato" salsa for something with different flavors but the same effect. I found this recipe last summer while searching around on...yup, pinterest. It drew me in because I'd never thought to put cucumbers in my salsa. 

Last night was our ward Relief Society activity for July 7& since it's summer we did a BBQ. I had no problem deciding what to bring....chips + salsa every time, BUT what kind? I hadn't made this salsa for a while so I went with it. Here we go:

Cucumber Salsa: [yield roughly 3 c.]

2 c. finely chopped, seeded, peeled cucumber

1/2 c. finely chopped seeded tomato

1/4 c. chopped red onion

2 T. minced fresh parsley

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded & chopped

4 1/2 t. minced fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove minced, or pressed

1/4 c. light sour cream [I use So Delicious Plain Greek Almond Yogurt to make it dairy free]

1- 1/2 t. lemon juice

1-1/2 t. lime juice

1/4 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. season salt

chips for dipping'

-combine the first 7 ingredients. In separate bowl combine sour cream (or plain yogurt), lemon juice, lime juice, cumin, & salt. Pour over cucumber mixture & toss to coat. Enjoy.

First peel the cucumbers. This is literally THE best peeler out there. If you don't have one, you need one. Seriously. Don't argue.

I doubled my batch since I was taking it to a gathering & I know there are other salsa pigs out there like me.  

I sliced them up like so.

Then I made a cucumber castle.

& took a watermelon snack break.






































I used a lid to remove the cores out of the cucumbers. If you don't take out the core the salsa will be very watery.

then dice it up & throw it in a bowl

Next cube the tomatoes. I used 5 [i'm very bad at following recipes, I use the "eye-ball method' for measurements]

dice the onion.

chop the parsley & cilantro

add & stir.

add cumin, lemon & lime juice, garlic, & sour cream together in separate bowl.

 

stir, consume.

Some wonderful sister knew exactly what I like & brought some tropical fruit to the party for me to devour. It was nice getting to know more of the other ladies in the ward. They're all very sweet & so friendly. I encourage everyone to meet a new person today, or get to know an acquaintance better. Making new friends is amazing, we never know how they can help us or we can help them!

I hope you try this salsa variant, then let me know what you think! 

Have a great day!

peace n' blessings

Ginger Tuna Burgers w/ Sweet Coconut Wasabi Sauce

I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted for dinner tonight & I was racking my brain to think of something not chicken related. You see, I'm a picky person when it comes to meat, and how food is cooked. Basically I only eat chicken & fish (never.ever.ever fried) & the occasional quality steak, oh & turkey of course. I looove to make black bean burgers but I wasn't feeling it tonight, that's when the idea of a tuna burger popped into my mind. I looked up a quick, simple, base recipe then I searched around for a certain taste I wanted to bring out. I decided on Ginger Tuna Burgers w/ Sweet Coconut Wasabi Sauce. Yes, I made that up...

I tweaked the base recipe a little by adding ginger powder (I think real ginger I would've been better but I didn't have any) I also didn't have any oats so I blended up some almonds to make a flour (gluten free) to hold the mixture together. Then formed them into patties, sprayed Pam on foil on a cookie sheet, & baked them for 25 mins @ 450 degrees.

To top the burgers you need:

1 sweet onion cut into medium thick sliced & pan grilled whole.

1 Roma tomato thinly sliced

Spinach leaves or any leafy green

Cilantro I love topping tons of my dishes with a pinch of cilantro it has such a bold flavor that you can't go wrong by adding it

While the burgers were baking I made the Coconut Wasabi Sauce.

 

I used:

1tbsp Wasabi Paste depending on your level of spice tolerance you can add more or less I used more so the 1tbsp would prob be in between mild & medium(I made my own from powder, pre made is great too)

1/4 c. Coconut Milk

2tbsp soy sauce

1/2 pk sweetener or 1tsp sugar

Directions: mix the coconut milk & wasabi paste till smooth. Add soy sauce & sugar. Stir. Taste test to see if you want a sweeter or saltier flavor.

I thought that chips & fresh, homemade salsa would go perfect with this, naturally, since chips & my homemade salsa is my biggest weakness, so of course it was the perfect pair.

 

The burgers turned out fantastic. They met & exceeded my thoughts for them!

What would you pair your tuna burgers with??

 

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Best Green Smoothie Base

Everyday after my workout I whip up one of these bad boys and drink up. Some people I've talked to about spinach drinks, or green smoothies have tried them but ended up absolutely hating them! I have found the perfect 'base' for any GREEN drink. 

1/2 frozen banana {I keep a bunch in the freezer after they've ripened and pop em' in the microwave for 15 seconds or so before I plop it in the blender}

1/2 green apple {these are the key ingredient in combo with any spinach/kale based drink. They coat the 'green' taste & make the drink just taste like a crispy apple!} 

2{ish} cups spinach {or kale or whatever green you choose. I prefer spinach the most.} 

Throw it all in the blender. Along with a

Handful of ice cubes &

1-1 1/2 c. water 

Then blend until it looks smooth & free of spinach pieces. 

Viola!! Then drink up!

There are lots of other things I like to add to my smoothies. Here's a surplus of other things you can add to make your drink bigger & badder...

• any berry {strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry...}

• any fruit {try: mango, pineapple, orange, peaches...}

• carrots

• celery

• flax seed {chuck full of omega-3's

• chia seed

• fat free greek or regular yogurt {for a creamier taste}

• protein powder {adding this would turn this into the perfect meal replacement}

There are lots more options out there but here is a few good ideas to get you started and feeling great! Maybe even shed a few lbs for the summer!!