Easy Dilled Cucumber Spears

I like cucumbers. During the summer I eat at least one cucumber a day, sometimes I’ll even eat two. They help me stay hydrated, are low in calories which makes them perfect for my mindless munching during the day, and they are inexpensive this time of year. I prefer buying mine at our local farmers market each week, typically purchasing the “regular” cucumbers and then picking up a couple of baskets of pickling cucumbers.

I experiment with a lot of different ways to eat cucumbers to keep things interesting and this is one of my favorite new ways to serve them. These cucumbers taste like dill pickles but without all the work of pickling and canning them. They’re nice and crisp with a fresh and flavorful taste. I always eat a few spears after the hour refrigeration but I really like them the next day when they’ve absorbed even more of the spices and vinegar.

This has become one of my “go-to” party appetizers too. (Everyone loves them!) And they are gluten-free and vegan.

EASY DILLED CUCUMBER SPEARS –

Prep time: about 5 minutes              Marinate at least 1 hour                     Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds small cucumbers (like pickling, Persian or Kirby cucumbers)

sea or Kosher salt

pepper

3 to 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill (or tarragon or parsley)

fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)

Directions:

Wash and peel the cucumbers and cut them into spears. Put in a bowl (glass, stainless stele, or porcelain) and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and vinegar. Toss well and put in fridge. Let marinate for at least an hour.

Before serving, garnish with chopped dill or other herb and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

These look so great and they will just get better after marinating for an hour…

I like to add fresh dill which gives these more of a pickle flavor but I have used fresh parsley in a pinch and it is a bit more budget-friendly.

Here’s an interesting article on the health benefits you can get from eating cucumbers, which are a lot of the reasons I like to eat them daily when in season.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-ricci/health-benefits-of-cucumbers_b_8231704.html