Have I ever mentioned I am a magazine junkie? Well it’s true. Over the last couple years I was good and cut back to two cooking magazines. Then I don’t know what happened- actually I do. This crazy discount magazine site sent me emails about all the sales they were having I picked up a couple of subscriptions for $3.99 (for a whole year!). I could pass up those deals. Another discount site offered 5 magazine subscriptions for the year for only $19.95. Seriously? I couldn’t even buy those magazines at the full retail price one time for that value! I take stuff to our local consignment shop on post so I figured I could always sell them there instead of wasting them.
So my point, I am up to my ears in magazines, I will probably never get through them all, but now my mission is to try at least one recipe per week from my cooking magazines. I saw this cucumber salad recipe from Taste of Home and let me just say this isn’t really something that wouldn’t normally appeal to me. Although I like dill, it’s not my favorite herb and I typically don’t make a lot of creamy based salads. So I don’t know what it was about this salad- it just looked refreshing. Plus cucumber salad just screams Spring.
I really like the fresh garlic and dill in there- kind of reminds you of tzatziki sauce. When a recipe calls for sour cream, I usually sub at least half plain Greek yogurt, but I just happened to be out of it and had a new container of sour cream (although I did use less than the original recipe called for). Not complaining though- it was good! I had to sub yellow onion for the red onion because I didn’t have any, but I do think I’d prefer it with red onion for a little color and it’s sweeter, milder flavor. After the cucumbers have time to sit and let their flavors marry with the other ingredients, they continue to lose some of their water content and the dressing becomes a little thiner.
I am so glad I made it! Not only was it easy, but it would go great with a variety of dishes. I served it with our grilled salmon which was a great combo (you could even put it directly on top of the fish like a sauce), I also piled it on a leftover falafel burger (from my freezer)- yum, yum!
Now before you go giving the cucumber a hard time because of it’s nutritional profile, know that like all other fruits and vegetables, it does have health benefits:
- low in calories
- good for digestion
- acts as a cleansing agent for the body
- high water content
- high in a compound called sterols which keep cholesterol low (highest concentration found in the skin)
So you see there, it does offer nutritional benefits and combined with some onion and garlic you are getting some antioxidants from those components. Not bad for less than a hundred calories per serving.
I will definitely make this again. It’s always good to try something new!
Ingredients
Method
- Place cucumber slices in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt and toss, let sit for ~20 minutes or until they lose some of their water. Remove cucumbers, squeeze and blot dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, mix sour cream and vinegar until combined. Stir in red onion, garlic and dill. Add cucumbers and stir to combine. Season with black pepper to taste (optional). Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Questions: Do you collect magazines too? What’s your favorite herb? Are you having spring weather? Are you ready for lots of salad recipes? I’ve got another coming up!
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Easy Vegetable Soup
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet
The Best Veggie Bagel Sandwich
I’m a magazine junkie too!! And I loooove cucumbers, this salad looks so refreshing.
Great looking recipe! I’ve made something similar except I went with Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream 🙂
That’s the kind of salad I’d love to have in our hot summer months. Looks most refreshing!!
This cucumber salad is a staple in my house all summer long! The fresh dill just takes it to another level of delicious. I cannot wait to pick fresh cukes out of the garden soon!
I am a magazine nut. To the point that everyone I know brings me all their old ones. I terrorize them with scissors clipping articles, recipes, and workouts I like and storing them away for future reference (I guess it’s like an organic version of Pinterest 🙂 )
I love this recipe. Sometimes when I do not have any sour cream, I add mayo but have not added the garlic. I really like garlic and cannot get enough dill so will follow your recipe next time. I also prefer the tiny cucumbers that you can get at Sam’s as they are small, tasty, and almost seedless.
Dill in my herb pots is dying again so am sad. Just cannot keep it growing for more than 3-5 months but it does not like our hot Texas weather on my back porch i suppose.
I am the same way with the magazines and haven’t made any recipes from them in over two years! This salad looks perfect for spring!
I’ve never tried dill cucumber salad before. It looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
As for magazines, I don’t own any magazines nor do I read them. I’m so excited for the spring weather though. I love spring!
Oh YUM!
Awhile ago I made this AMAZING dinner…it was similar to your salad. I baked salmon, topped it with a sauce kind of like yours and also topped chopped cucumber with the sauce. It all went so well together and was delicious. I’m trying your salad this weekend for sure.
Yum, I really love the combo with the fish although it really goes with anything!
I love eating salad. The recipe looks delicious and yummy though I haven’t tried yet making salad from cucumber, I eat them raw most of the time.