Another Cucumber Salad Recipe

SPICY ENGLISH CUCUMBERS, makes 3 cups

2 English cucumbers, washed (I used Japanese cuc's from the shared garden)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 T dry mustard (or to taste)
1 t prepared horseradish (or to taste - I like more)
1 T chopped fresh dill

Cut cuc’s crosswise into 1/8" thick slices (sometimes I dice them), then toss with kosher salt in a bowl and let stand 15 minutes. Rinse and drain cucumbers and dry. Whisk remaining ingredients together, stir in cuc’s, and let stand at least 5 minutes.

Note: This gets spicier the longer it sits in the fridge

Truckee Farmer's Market

Tuesday morning Jen, the kids and David and I headed over to the once a week Farmer's Market in Truckee. Wonderful breads - bought a delicious loaf of multigrain with flax seed bread. Also whole wheat individual pizza crusts with the sauce. We are trying those in the next few days.

There were market baskets from Africa for sale that the proceeds benefited the farmer's market. I love the round ones but found it bit uncomfortable against my leg when carrying it. I sure do like the look of them.

I opted for this one which is is flat against me leg when carrying it.

It's not only great for use at farmer's markets but also to put the vegetables I pick at our shared garden. I am very happy with this market bag.

I made up a few different types of cucumber salads yesterday using the Japanese cuc's from the garden. This one is Cucumber Salad with Spicy Wasabi Dressing.

1-1/2 teaspoons dry wasabi (or to taste)

2 cucumbers

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (I use Splenda)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon black or toasted white sesame seeds

Mix the wasabi with 1/2 teaspoon warm water in the bottom of a mixing bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Peel the cucumbers, cut each one in half lengthwise, and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumbers width-wise into 1/4-inch crescents.

Add the vinegar and sugar to the wasabi and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sesame oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, add the cucumbers, scallions and sesame seeds to the dressing and mix well.

Note: I like more dressing then the recipe calls for so I usually make double and sometimes add in a bit more cucumber.

Eating Light - Polenta Crusted Fish Tenderloins with Honey Mustard Sauce

Last night I came up with this recipe for something new to try with fish. I had some tilapia tenderloins in the freezer so I used those. If you like a crunchy crust on your fish you will enjoy these.

About 1/2 cup polenta (you could use cornmeal)
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon paprika
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tilapia tenderloins
2 teaspoons very light tasting olive oil or corn oil
Lemon wedges, if desired
Honey Mustard sauce, if desired

Combine polenta, flour and paprika in a shallow rimmed dish or bowl. Put egg whites in another shallow rimmed plate or bowl. Dip each fish tenderloin in polenta mixture, then in egg whites, then again in cornmeal mixture. Place tenderloins on a plate; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. add tenderloins and cook over medium-high to medium heat, until cooked through and flaky inside, 3 to 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the tenderloins.

Honey Mustard Sauce:

To taste:

NF plain yogurt
Dijon mustard
Honey

Mix together and serve. You can make it ahead of time and place in fridge. Take out when you start to cook the fish.

Sauce Note: I used mostly Dijon with enough NF yogurt to make it creamy and just a little honey to sweetened it slightly.

NOTE: You could make this with any fish fillets as well. I would think the amount of polenta mix and egg whites would be enough for four 4 or 5 oz. fish fillets.

I served the fish with roasted brussels sprouts that I had par-boiled first, then tossed very lightly with EVOO and roasted @375 degrees F for about 25 minutes cut side down. Some brown rice was also on the plate though David and I found we couldn't eat more than a couple of bites of it.

I have never been a brussel sprout fan, but these fresh picked from our organic produce delivery and roasted could change my mind. They were actually good.

Eating Light - Butternut Squash

Last night I created this recipe using butternut squash. We enjoyed the combination of flavors and will make this again.

Spiced Butternut Squash with Apple Cider

1 2+ pound butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed and peeled with a vegetable peeler
1/4 - 1/3 cup apple cider
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (optional)
1/8 - 1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar substitute
Ground ginger, cinnamon and coriander to taste

Cut peeled and seeded squash into about 1-inch pieces. Steam in a basket steamer until tender. arragne squash in a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour apple cider over and toss very gently. Spray with butter spray if desired, sprinkle with brown sugar and spices. Can sit until ready to bake. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!