August 2019 - Issue # 069 - Cucumbers and Weight Loss

Hello and Welcome Back Every One

It’s summer time, or should I say harvest time for many seasonal fruits and vegetables. I can’t help but get excited as now is the time when our little cucumber patch will provide us with plenty of crisp, juicy cukes.

We plant a small area of cucumbers in the back yard every year and cross our fingers for a descent crop. Almost every year we are lucky and for a few weeks we eat a whole lot of this vegetable.

What’s so great about cucumbers?

My favorite part is that they are considered a zero calorie food and they offer an abundance of water and some nutrients too, if you leave the peel on.

Benefits of Cucumbers:

Almost no calories - Cucumbers are considered a zero calorie food because a cup of cucumbers only contains 16 calories and it takes more than 16 calories to chew and digest them

Loaded with water which helps hydrate and detox the body

According to the USDA, cucumbers (with the peel) also contain the following:

Potassium

Phosphorus

Magnesium

Calcium

Folate

Vitamin K

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

And smaller amounts of other good stuff too.

So what kind of meals and drinks can you make from cucumbers?

Well you may have to get a little creative because you can enjoy cucumbers for almost a whole month when in season, so here are a few suggestions.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumber Salads

Cucumber Soups

Cucumber Water

Raw cucumber just as they are as a side veggie or in a veggie platter

I’ve included three recipes to get you into the cucumber season mood.

Cucumber Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 good size cucumbers

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (save a few sprigs for garnish if desired)

2 cloves fresh garlic

¼ cup water

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Take the cucumbers and wash well. No need to peel the cucumbers (unless the peel is unusually bitter, cut off the tip and do a little taste test to know for sure).

Now with a mandoline thinly slice the cucumbers and place in a bowl. Add the salt and mix well then let sit for about ½ an hour.

Now these next few steps are what truly produce the dressing that is unique for this salad. Take the fresh garlic cloves and force them through a garlic press into a separate bowl. In that same bowl add the water, vinegar and sugar and whisk all the ingredients together.

Here is the trick:

Let these ingredients sit for about 15 – 20 minutes so that the liquid can absorb some of the wonderful garlic flavor, then strain this liquid to remove the garlic chunks from it.

Now add this liquid along with the freshly chopped dill and ground pepper to the sliced cucumber and mix well.

You can serve chilled or room temperature, but any leftover salad must be refrigerated after this.

For Garlic Lovers Only:

If you do not mind eating chunks of garlic in the salad then do not strain the dressing and leave the garlic chunks in it.

But beware there are many people who do not appreciate the garlic chunkies so don’t take any chances if you are preparing this dish for dinner guests.

Diet Cucumber Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup cucumbers, peeled and diced

(Use either seedless cucumbers or cut out the seeds if they are big)

1/2 a cup water

2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 sweet onion (or 2 green onions) diced

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp fresh parsley

3 tbsp fresh dill

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Add all the above listed ingredients into your food processor and blend until smooth.Refrigerate soup for 4 hours before serving so it's nice and cold.

Makes about 2 - 3 servings

Garnish:

Garnish soup with some dill and a couple of super thin slices of cucumber (otherwise they will sink).

Easy Cucumber Water Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 small cucumbers not peeled, thinly sliced (that's about 1 cup)

5-6 thin slices of lemon - (use about 1/2 regular sized lemon)

2 - 3 sprigs of fresh mint

5 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger

24 ounces of water

Preparation:

Take the cucumbers and wash well. Then with a fork, apply a little pressure and score the cucumbers lengthwise to give them a fancy little design like in the picture above (a little trick Mom showed me years ago).

It's definitely a nice touch, especially if you're entertaining. It makes your drink look so much more appetizing and you know what they say, if it looks better, it usually tastes better.

Take a water jug of your choice and put all the ingredients into it. Place in fridge and let the flavors infuse for about 6 hours or overnight.

What else can you do when you have too many cucumbers?

You can always make 1 or 2 jars of pickles, which are also considered a dietary food.

Hope your having a good summer and hope you get a chance to eat some fresh cucumbers this summer too.

If you have an opinion or would like to share a story with us we would love to hear from you.

Use our Contact Us page - or our Weight Loss News page (Your Story Counts).