SALADS

Cucumber Salad with Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

Cucumber Salad with Cilantro Yogurt Dressing
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Cucumber Salad with Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

Recipe by thesal28_wpCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

1

hour 

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes

This cool cucumber salad with savory cilantro yogurt dressing is the perfect accompaniment to any savory or spicy dish. The salad was born on a hot summer evening, when I was making my Chicken Shawarma, which I typically serve with Cilantro Yogurt Dressing. I was brainstorming a veggie side dish to serve that particular evening when I remembered I had a mountain of Farmer’s Market cucumbers to use up. Instead of serving the Cilantro Yogurt as a dressing for the chicken, I instead thinly tossed the cucumbers and tossed them in the dressing. The result was sublime!

One important step: Salting and leaving the cucumbers to release some of their moisture prior to tossing them in the dressing is essential, otherwise you will have a soggy, unsatisfying mess on your plate. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Ingredients

  • 2 English cucumbers

  • 1/2 small red onion

  • Kosher salt

  • Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

  • 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I prefer 2%-4% fat)

  • 3/4 tsp ground coriander

  • 3/4 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

  • 1 tsp sugar (I typically use Sugar in the Raw)

  • 5 tbsp lime juice (from 2 small limes)

  • 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 cups (about 2 large handfuls) cilantro leaves and stems

Directions

  • Cucumber Salad
  • Using a mandolin or food processor, slice cucumbers thinly into a large colander and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. Thinly slice red onion to yield appx. 1/4 cup (you can use mandolin for this too). Massage salt into cucumbers and let them sit for at least 15 min, but ideally 30 min. Pour the liquid off the cucumbers and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
  • In a blender or using carafe and immersion blender, blend together Greek yogurt, cilantro, coriander, cumin, sugar, lime juice, and 1 tsp Kosher salt. With blender motor running, drizzle in olive oil and blend again.
  • Toss cucumbers and red onion with dressing and serve immediately.

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