♥︎Smashed Asian cucumber salad

For ➍ 

2 seedless cucumbers (about 600 g) 

1 ts salt 

2½ ts sugar 

2 ts sesame oil 

3 ts light soy sauce 

1½ tbs rice vinegar 

2-4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) 

1-2 ts chili oil (optional)* 

2 ts toasted sesame seeds 

a small handful of chopped coriander 

Wash the cucumbers and pat them dry with a clean towel. 

Make the salad dressing by combining the salt, sugar, sesame oil, light soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Set aside. 

On a cutting board, lay a large knife flat against the cucumber, and smash it lightly with your other hand. The cucumber should crack open and smash into four sections. Repeat along its full length. Once the whole cucumber is completely open (usually into 4 long sectional pieces), cut it at a 45-degree angle into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large bowl, mix the cut cucumber with the prepared dressing, garlic and chili oil. Toss it well. 

Serve, garnished with sesame seeds and coriander. 

*If you prefer to omit the chili oil, heat up 1 tbs of oil in a pan and drizzle it over the cucumber. 

♥︎Fregola, cucumber & orange

For ➋ 

2 small cucumbers about 150 g* 

1 tbs caster sugar 

1 ts sea salt 

1 ts coriander seeds 

5 tbs white wine vinegar 

2 tbs dill, finely chopped

150 g fregola Sarda** 

2 tbs olive oil 

1 large orange

2 spring onions, finely chopped 

a handful of watercress 

To make the pickle, thinly slice 1 cucumber and put in a small mixing bowl. Mix the sugar, sea salt, coriander seeds, vinegar and dill and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the cucumber, cover and place somewhere cool for at least 1 hour. The cucumber will darken a little in colour and soften slightly, but should retain its crunch. 

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, salt it lightly, then tip in the fregola. Simmer for about 10 m, testing regularly for tenderness. Drain thoroughly, tip into a bowl then sprinkle a few drops of olive oil over it and toss to coat evenly. This will stop the beads sticking together as they cool. 

Peel the second cucumber, halve it lengthways and cut it into 1cm chunks. Peel the orange with a kitchen knife, taking care to remove the white pith, then cut into thin slices. Warm the oil in a shallow pan, add the raw cucumber pieces and continue to fry them gently. 

Add the spring onion to the pan with the drained fregola. Season with salt and black pepper. Fold the pickled cucumber and its liquid into the ingredients, add the watercress then stir briefly. 

Divide between plates and place the orange slices at its side. 

*When using larger cucumber, cut the slices in half. 

**Use Sardinian roasted fregola. Or plain pearl couscous

Green apple & kale salad

For ➍
3 cups ribbed & chopped kale or borecole
handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cooked black lentils
1 green apple, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup shaved Parmigiano, or feta or goat cheese
dressing
one clove garlic
1 tbs honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
salt &pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.
For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more cheese if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

Cucumber sandwich with egg salad

For ➍ 

½ cucumber

8 slices of bread (rye bread)

egg salad:

8 cool hard boiled eggs (10 m boil)

3 tbs mayonnaise*

1 ts grain mustard

1 lick white wine vinegar

1 small bunch of chives

1 small bunch of dill

black pepper from the mill

salty

Finely chop the cold peeled eggs and place in a bowl. Finely chop chives and dill. Mix together with the rest of the ingredients under the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. If the egg salad is too dry, stir in an extra tbs of mayonnaise.

Cut the cucumber into thin slices (use the mandoline). Cover the sandwiches with the egg salad, finish with the cucumber.

*for a lighter sauce, replace 1 or 2 tbs mayonnaise with low-fat yoghurt

Cod on stewed cucumber

For ➋

400 g potatoes

2 cod fillets (140 g each), raw 

2 tbs fresh lime juice (or lemon) 

2 ts Dijon mustard 

1 medium cucumber 

40 g ham, raw or smoked 

1 ts oil 10x cl miso (or vegetable) stock 

(100 g cream cheese, light)* 

1 bunch of dill, chopped

Wash the potatoes and cook (with their skins on*) for 20 m until tender. (Or cook without peel*). 

Rinse the cod fillets, pat dry, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with lemon juice. Brush with mustard and leave to soak briefly. 

Peel the cucumber, halve lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut into slices. 

Cut the ham into strips. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the ham until crispy and remove from the pan. 

Add the cucumber to the pan, deglaze with stock, (stir in the cream cheese*) and season with salt and pepper. Place the cod fillets on the cucumber and cook for 10 m with a lid on the pan. 

Drain the potatoes (and peel them*). 

Sprinkle the cod and cucumber with dill and serve with the crispy ham and potatoes.

Salmon poke tower

For /➊➋➌➍➎➏➐➑➒➓/
raw salmon in pieces, marinated with soy sauce & sriracha mayo
pieces of avocado
seaweed salad
cooked edamame
sliced spring onion
mix of sesame & poppy seeds

Place the ingredients in the ring. Press each layer well. Create a layer with
rice,
cucumber,
marinated salmon,
avocado,
seaweed salad,
edamame beans,
spring onion.
Squeeze a strand of sirarcha mayo over the ingredients.
Sprinkle with mix of sesame and poppy seeds.
Serve.

Lebanese fattoush salad

For ➍
2 loaves pita bread
extra virgin olive oil
½ ts sumac, more for later
salt & pepper
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 (seedless)cucumber, chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
5 green onions (both white and green parts), chopped
5 radishes, stems removed, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
lime vinaigrette:
1½ lime, juice of
7 cl extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 ts ground sumac
¼ ts ground cinnamon
scant ¼ ts ground allspice

Toast the pita bread in your toaster oven until it is crisp but not browned.
Heat 3 tbs of olive oil in a large pan. Break the pita bread into pieces, and place in the heated oil. Fry briefly until browned, tossing frequently. Add salt, pepper and ½ ts of sumac. Remove the pita chips from the heat and place on paper towels to drain.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions with the sliced radish and parsley.
To make the lime vinaigrette, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil and spices in a small bowl.
Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and toss lightly.
Add the pita chips (and another generous pinch of sumac, if you like) and toss one more time.

Lamb tam tam

For ➍
1 kg lamb meat
1 cucumber (seeded)
2 tomatoes (peeled, seeded, diced)
coconut (ground)
2 plantains
cream
1 tbs white wine vinegar
oil (frying)
3 tbs olive oil (salad)
4 tbs olive oil (marinade)
½ garlic
½ tbs leaf parsley
2 red peppers
1 tbs paprika powder
1 tbs cumin powder
pepper
1 tbs salt (leveled)

Cut the lamb into cubes. Chop the garlic.
Cut the peppers into strips. Dice the cucumber.
Peel, seed and dice the 2 tomatoes.
Finely chop the onion. Mix the lamb with cumin, paprika, salt, garlic and olive oil. Let marinate for at least 1 h.
Mix all ingredients, the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, wine vinegar, pepper and salt, for the salad and set aside in a cool place.
Stew the red pepper in a pan with olive oil. Add the lamb and fry until nicely browned (10-15 m). Season with pepper and salt if necessary.
Heat some oil in a wok. Peel the bananas and cut them into slices. Fry them in the oil until golden brown and roll them in coconut powder.
Divide the tomato-cucumber salad on the plates. Add the lamb. Finish with fried banana.
Drizzle a little cream over the plates, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Low calories chicken skewers

For ➍
1 medium-sized zucchini
1 medium-sized bell pepper, all colors
1 medium-sized red onion
400 g chicken fillet, raw
½ non-coated lemon
1 tsp olive oil *
250 g tzatziki

Wash the zucchini, halve in length and cut into slices. Wash the bell pepper, remove the seeds and cut into pieces. Peel the onion and cut into slices. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze the lemon. Cut the chicken into cubes and string alternated with the zucchini, pepper and onion on 12 skewers. Mix the lemon juice with oil, pepper and salt and brush the skewers with this. Bake the skewers 12-15 m all around on the barbecue or in the oven at the top.
Serve the skewers with the tzatziki

Low-fat tzatziki

For ➍
½ non-coated lemon
pepper & salt
1 medium-sized cucumber
1 sprig dill
1 clove garlic
250 g low-fat yogurt,

Wash and grate the cucumber, mix with ½ teaspoon of salt and leave to draw for about 10 m. Spoon into a kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. Wash the dill, shake dry and chop finely.
Press the garlic and mix with yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, lemon juice, pepper and saltGrate the lemon zest and squeeze the lemon.
Wash the dill, shake dry and chop finely.
Press the garlic and mix with yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, lemon juice, pepper and salt.
Serve the tzatziki with chicken skewers f.i.

Spinach salad with balsamico vinaigrette

For ➋
100-125 g spinach, rinsed & dried
2 small cucumbers or ½ cucumber
200 g grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
shaved Parmigiano
balsamico vinaigrette

Rinse spinach and spin dry. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
Slice cucumbers, thinly slice carrots and halve cherry tomatoes. Toss all the veggies into the salad.
In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: 2 tbs balsamico, 2 tbs olive oil, ½ ts salt and ¼ ts pepper. Briskly whisk or shake the dressing ingredients together.
Sprinkle the top with Parmigiano and drizzle the salad with balsamico vinaigrette.

Chicken with curry dressing & steamed vegetables

For ➍
4 chicken fillets
2 ts curry powder
4 tbs sunflower oil
1 bunch carrots, peeled
200 g sugar snaps
½ small cucumber
½ lime
1 ts stock powder
2 scallions in rings

Rub the chicken fillets with salt pepper and ½ of the curry powder. Then brush with 1 tbs of oil. Place the chicken fillets in a steam basket.
Place the carrots and sugar snap juices in the other steam basket. Boil a water in the steam pan. First place the steam basket with chicken on the pan and then put the steam basket with vegetables on it. Put the lid on and steam the vegetables and chicken for 15 m.
In the meantime, cut the cucumber in 2 halves and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumber halves diagonally into 1 cm pieces. Add the cucumber pieces to the vegetables in the steam pan and steam the vegetables for another 5 m.
Thinly grate the green zest of the lime and squeeze the fruit. In a small bowl, dissolve the broth powder in 10 cl of boiling water. Beat the broth with the remaining oil and curry powder into a dressing. Stir in the lime zest and spring onion and add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the vegetables and chicken fillets over 4 plates and spoon the dressing over the vegetables. Delicious with boiled potatoes.

Fattoush (Lebanese pita salad)

For ➍
1 pepper, julienned
4 tomatoes, in parts
6 mini-cucumbers, in thick slices, or 1 young 'normal', cut in half lengthwise
1 shallot, finely chopped
6 sprigs of mint, leaves only, finely chopped
2 pita bread, open & cut for an extra crispy effect
1 tbs sumac
1 lemon, squeezed
olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped*

In a large bowl, mix sumac, lemon juice, oil and any garlic with salt and pepper into a tasty dressing. Add the vegetables and the mint and mix well.
Roast the pita bread golden brown and crispy*.
Break them into pieces and serve them with the salad*.

*Marinate the toasted bread in the dressing, this gives a soft, comforting structure to the salad.

Great green goddess salad

For ➍
1 clove garlic
1 small anchovy*
½ handful lightly packed fresh parsley
2 medium scallions, white & green parts separated
½ ts dried tarragon
6 cl plain Greek yogurt
2 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs white wine vinegar
½ ts salt
2 tbs olive oil
125 g baby spinach, washed & dried
1 medium cucumber, peeled & sliced
1 medium avocado, sliced

In the food processor, combine the garlic, anchovy (if using), parsley and the white parts of the scallions. Process to mince very finely. Scrape down and process again. Add the tarragon, yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar and salt and process until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until well mixed. Transfer to a pouring cup or jar; keeps for 4 days, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.
Spread the spinach on a platter or 4 small dinner plates. Cover with cucumber and avocado, and drizzle with dressing, then chop and sprinkle the scallion greens over the salads. Serve immediately. Top with cooked chicken or ham for a main course salad, or serve alongside grilled shrimp.

*The classic green goddess dressing has a hint of anchovy for umami, but if you want to leave it out, you can. Double the amounts in the dressing ingredients to make extra for salads throughout the week.

Salmon rolls

For ➊➋ rolls
for 12
1 cucumber, washed & unpeeled
5 cl (sushi) vinegar
6 tbs herb goat's cheese
4 slices smoked salmon
dill
salmon eggs*

Cut long strips of cucumber with a peeler. Leave the peel on.
Marinate the cucumber strips for a moment in the vinegar.
Dry the cucumber strips and cover them thinly with cheese. Place small strips of smoked salmon on them.
Roll up nicely.
Decorate the salmon roll with a sprig of dill. Some salmon eggs give the snack a festive touch. Serve on a plate or on a toast.

*Use imitation fish eggs made from seaweed.
**Make this salmon roll in advance. Keep the snacks in the refrigerator on a plate with paper towels. Just before serving you finish the bite with a leaf of dill.

Niwatori shijutsu wa sarada (Japanese cucumber & chicken salad)

For ➍
2 cucumbers, julienned
2 chicken breasts
2-3 slices fresh ginger root
1 tbs sake*
½ ts salt
dressing:
4 tbs ground white sesame seeds
2 ts rice vinegar**
2 ts sugar***
2 ts soy sauce
1 tbs mayonnaise

Place cucumber strips in a bowl. Sprinkle ½ ts of salt over them. Lightly knead by hands. Set aside for a few m. Squeeze cucumber to remove the liquid.
Boil water in a medium pan. Add ginger, sake, and salt in the pan. Boil chicken breasts until cooked.
Drain chicken breasts.**** Tear into thin strips.
Mix all the ingredients for dressing in a bowl.
Put chicken and cucumber in the bowl and mix well.
Serve chilled.

*Use dry sherry.
**Use white balsamico.
***Use mirin.
****Or: put chicken in an open parcel. Add sake, salt and ginger slices. Marinate for 30 m. Add a few drops of oil. Close the parcel to a paillotte . Cook in the 180°C preheated oven for 20-25 m. Or use a microwave, cooking times depending on weight(about 2 m / 100 g).

Spiced lamb with pomegranate salad

For ➋
1 garlic clove
a pinch coarse sea salt
1 ts black peppercorns
1 ts coriander seeds
1 ts smoked paprika
a drizzle of olive oil
2 lamb steaks
pomegranate salad

Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar. Add the black peppercorns, coriander seeds and paprika. Add 2 tbs of olive oil, till you have a rough, loose paste. Baste the lamb steaks with the spice mix then set aside for at least 15 m, longer if you can.
Lay the steaks on a hot barbecue to ensure a charred crust and leave to cook for approximately 10 m, turning them occasionally.
When the lamb is cooked, season generously with some coarse sea salt and serve with the  pomegranate & cucumber salad.

*Or try a slow cooking recipe.

Pomegranate & cucumber salad

For ➋
1 whole cucumber
seeds from ½ pomegranate
a few sprigs mint

Chop the cucumber into neatish chunks and put in a serving bowl. Remove the seeds from half a pomegranate, avoiding any of the white pith. Scatter over the cucumber. Finally tear over the cooling mint and toss together.
Serve wth grilled or marinated lamb or chicken

More pomegranate salads: pomegranate,endives & feta, pomegranate, tomatoes & garlic, warm lamb salad with pomegranate & mint, pomegranate & quinoa salad, Friuli winter salad, pomegranate fruit salad

Kibbeh & fattoush (Lebanese lamb meatballs & bread salad)

For ➍
500 g lamb minced meat
100 g of rucola
4 meat tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 little-gem lettuce rougette
½ lemon
1 flat flat parsley
4 sprigs of mint (fresh)
1 red onion
1 clove of garlic
120 g bulgur
2 pita bread
3 tbs raisins
3 dl vegetable stock (½ cube or 1 ts powder dissolved in 3 dl hot water)
6 tbs olive oil
1 ts ground cumin
1 ts ground coriander
½ ts cinnamon
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
black pepper & salt

Put the bulgur in a bowl and pour over the stock. Cover and simmer for 10 m. Let it cool down.
Cut the red onion and garlic into julienne.
Deseed the tomatoes and cut into pieces.
Cut the unpeeled cucumber into 2, length wise. deseed with a spoon. Cut in 0.5 cm thick slices.
Chop the parsley leaves roughly. Pull the mint leaves from the stalks.
Roast the pita bread in the toaster or in a preheated oven.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a pan and glaze the onion and garlic with the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander. Mix with the bulgur and the raisins through the lamb meat. Add black pepper and salt. Roll the mixture with your hands into balls. Shape each ball into an oval so that they get the shape of a lemon.
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a pan and bake the balls golden brown, 4-5 m.
Mix the lettuce leaves with the rucola, the cucumber, the tomatoes, the chopped parsley and the mint leaves.
Squeeze half the lemon (you need 2 tbs of juice). Stir 3 tbs olive oil in and add black pepper and salt. Mix the dressing under the salad.
Trim the pita bread in coarse pieces and mix under the salad.
Serve the baked balls with the salad.

Kibbeh, Arabic for 'balls', can be made from lamb, camel or beef. Sometimes they are covered in mashed potatoes before baking. Serve them while still hot, with a salad, like in this proposition, while or a snack with yogurt (or sour cream) and lime wedges. They can also be served at room temperature and they go great with pita bread, hummus, babaganoush and/or tabbouleh.
Kibbeh look-alikes are calle quibe or kibe in Portuguese. In the Dominican Republic they call it quipe or pipe.
Fattoush is a classic Lebanese bread salad, that can be eaten on its own or with meat.

Chickpea salad with hummus dressing

For ➍
500 g dried chickpeas
2 garlic cloves
some bay leaves
a few sprigs of thyme
salt
cayenne pepper
cumin powder
turmeric
1 red onion
red wine vinegar
1 red pepper
1 cucumber
2 avocados
6 lettuce hearts
olive oil
pepper
400 g feta cheese
½ bunch chervil
½ bunch parsley
½ bunch coriander
200 g black olives
3 ts tahini (sesame paste)
2 egg yolks
2 ts mustard
2 cup peanut oil
3 tbs yogurt
½ lemon
3 tbs

Let the chickpeas overnight soak in water.
Drain the chickpeas. Put them in a saucepan with water. Top with the crushed and peeled garlic, a few bay leaves and thyme sprigs on. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, cumin and turmeric. Bring to boil.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Peel and halve the red onion. Cut into half rings. Make the rings apart and put them in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the onions with red wine vinegar. Let marinate while you cut the rest of the vegetables.
Peel the peppers and remove seeds and seeds. Cut the flesh into strips.
Cut the cucumber into cubes.
Peel the avocados and cut the flesh into cubes.
Add the bell pepper, cucumber and avocado red onion.
Heat a grill pan over high heat.
Clean the lettuce hearts clean and halve them. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them in the hot pan. The lettuce hearts must be undercooked. Add them to the rest of the vegetables.
Spoon ¾ of the al dente cooked chickpeas out of the water and rinse immediately under cold running water. Drain in a colander. Let the remaining chickpeas continue cooking until they are cooked through.
Mix the cooled chickpeas with the rest of the vegetables. Crumble in the feta. Pull the leaves of the coriander, chervil and parsley. Put the herbs together with the olives from the rest of the vegetables.
Drain the rest of the chickpeas. Catch the cooking liquid. Fish the thyme and bay between the chickpeas.
Put the chickpeas with the garlic in the blender. Add a few tbs of cooking water and tahini to it. Season with salt, cayenne, turmeric and cumin powder. Mix until hummus and allow full
cooling down.
Put the egg yolks in a cup with mustard and a dash of water. Pour into a fine stream the oil and mix with a hand blender until mayonnaise.
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and a portion of the home-made by hummus. Flavour* with tahini or extra cumin.
Serve the salad with hummus dressing.

*Optional