KID’S SALAD SUNDAE

A Dieter’s Dream Dessert

I recently read about the nutritional value of cucumbers. I was amazed that this common, bland vegetable (actually considered a fruit because it has seeds) packed a punch in the “good for you” department. I don’t usually add cucumbers when I am making a salad for myself. I don’t dislike them, I just haven’t seen them as contributing a lot, but apparently, nutritionally they do. So, Ricky and I have been experimenting with ingredients to make a simple salad featuring cukes. I have been keeping fresh cucumbers on hand so as inspiration strikes, we can try it out. One night when I was cutting up some strawberries, I decided to add some diced cucumbers. I found it’s a really good combination. I wanted to add some sort of dressing to it and the strawberries prompted me to go on the sweet side. I added just a little bit of honey and fresh mint. It turned a good salad to a great one. Making a dessert out of it, I made a dressing of sour cream with a smidge more honey. Scrumptious. This little salad is packed full of vitamins and minerals! Who said things that are good for you can’t taste sweet and delicious? When I plugged the ingredients into our nutritional conversion software, the resulting numbers were fantastic, even with the sour cream and honey topping.

We were just finishing up a post for a colorful kids meal; KIDS PASTA MEAL WITH MULT-COLORED GRAPE TOMATOES. We think this colorful combo might also help in the challenge of feeding picky eaters. We gave the picky eaters top billing on the post, but this is a dieter’s delight. It’s a light and refreshing treat. Serve it up as dinner for your hard to please crowd, and keep some aside for yourself, for dessert or a late night treat. Either way, this all so simple cucumber and strawberry salad is a winner.

Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:

The herb on the plate is sweet mint. I am growing it this year. I also grow basil and added it in my second serving to try it out. It was delicious. Maybe for your picky eaters, the familiar taste of mint is enough. But for you dieters, if you have fresh basil around, you won’t regret adding it. I had no idea how good mint and basil combined can be. If you have to buy fresh herbs, don’t throw away what you don’t use. You can put them in some water and use them fresh for the next couple of days or extend the freshness in the refrigerator. You can also dry or freeze them to keep them longer. We have some posts with more information on growing and using herbs. To read more Back Porch Herb Garden , Cooking with Herb, It’s Drying Time Again.

This is WHAT TO DO:

Hull and chop the strawberries. Do you know what the term “hull” means? Remove the stem and the green leaves of the strawberry. I just chop that top portion off. When you have removed the stem and leaves, you will see that there is a white “core” in the middle. That core is hard and a little bitter. The larger the strawberry, the larger the core. Small strawberries often don’t need hulling. To get the core out, take a small knife, and from the top put the point in, twist it around the white core and remove it. That is hulling the strawberry. I am sure there are fancy gadgets to do this, and many methods. We just use a paring knife.

Remove the seeds and dice the cucumber. Dicing is cutting into small bite sized rectangular pieces.

Mince the mint and/or basil. Mincing is cutting into very small pieces. Measure out the sour cream and mix in 1 teaspoon honey.

Spoon into individual serving dishes and top with a dollop of the sour cream and honey mock whipped cream.