Spicy Garlic Cucumber Salad – Stay Cool and Hydrated
Spicy Garlic Cucumber Salad is a great way to stay cool and hydrated in the summer heat. Enjoy it as a side salad or add leftover steak, chicken, shrimp, etc., to make a complete meal.
Eating spicy foods sends signals to your brain that you are too hot, so a cooling response (perspiration) is triggered and you start to cool down. Pairing the spicy dressing with cucumbers that are 96% water helps you to stay hydrated.
If some of the dressing ingredients are new to you, all can be found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store. I thought the fish sauce would be overpowering, but the dressing is not fishy at all. Instead, it adds a savory earthy flavor that helps balance the other ingredients.
Spicy Garlic Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled
- 2 large carrots, scrubbed clean or peeled
- 3-4 green onions
Spicy Garlic Salad Dressing
- 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (or 3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger)
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
Optional:
- sesame seeds
- cooked steak, chicken, or shrimp cut into bite-sized pieces
Directions
- Spiralize or grate the cucumbers with the large holes of a box grater. Grate the carrots, or cut them into matchsticks. Cut the green onions into thin slices on the diagonal. Place all together into a salad bowl.
- Combine dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Add dressing to salad and toss to mix.
- Add optional ingredients, if desired, and serve.
Always use organic fruits and vegetables in your recipes.
Do you live in one of these Southern California Cities? Aguanga, Fallbrook, Hemet, Homeland, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, or Winchester. If you do, you can use the local organic fruits and vegetables in our harvest deliveries for these recipes.
Resources and Recipes
- Watermelon Cucumber Cups – A Fun Appetizer or Salad
- Pear Cucumber Juice – Simple and Nutritious
- Cold Cucumber Basil Soup – Refreshing During the Summer Heat
- Dairy Free Cucumber Salad – Hungarian Uborkasalata
- Natural Spa Treatments – Using 8 Harvest2U Box Ingredients
- Organic Avocados – 7 Delicious Ways to Enjoy
- Keep Hydrated with These 8 Summer Produce Superstars
- Easy No-Fuss Gazpacho – The Perfect Summer Soup
