As always, I am late to the party on this one, but I finally got a Spiralizer last month and I have been obsessed with it, ever since it showed up. I have been having so much fun making salads, veggie noodles, curly cut sweet potato fries and all that good stuff. So, be on the lookout for many more recipes very soon.

For now, I have this super simple cucumber ribbon salad for you guys, that I have been living off of, with the beautiful cucumbers we’ve been getting in our CSA boxes. This garlicky tahini dressing is just so amazing, it is simple to throw together and full of so much great flavor. I’ve been making my own tahini* lately and that, in my opinion, really sets it over the top.

The red onions, fresh mint and kalamata olives are all wonderful additions to this crunchy, light salad. A little crumbled feta on top would also be really nice, if that’s your thing.

Do you have a spiralizer?

[print_this]Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Garlic Tahini Dressing (gluten-free and vegan)
serves 2 – 4

• 1 large cucumber or 2 medium
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped plus a bit more for serving
• hemp seeds or sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top when serving

Garlic Tahini Dressing

• 2 tablespoons unsalted tahini (see recipe at the bottom for homemade tahini)
• 2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Using the wide blade attachment on your spiralizer, spiralize your cucumber into ribbons. You can also slice the cucumber thinly with a knife, a mandoline or make ribbons with a vegetable peeler.

Place the cucumbers in a colander over the sink to allow some of the water to drain off. Meanwhile make the dressing.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine.

Once ready to assemble, drain off any excess water from the cucumber ribbons and carefully pat dry with the paper towels.

Add the cucumber ribbons to a large bowl, with kitchen sheers cut up the ribbons to be make it easier to eat. Add the onions and fresh mint and drizzle the dressing over top. Toss well to combine and evenly coat the cucumbers with dressing. Transfer to a serving platter, top with chopped olives, a bit more fresh mint and hemp seeds. Serve and enjoy.[/print_this]

 

*Homemade Tahini: preheat oven to 350F. Spread 1 pound raw sesame seeds evenly across rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned, tossing around every few minutes to avoid burning. Allow the sesame seeds to cool. Add the toasted sesame seeds to your food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for 2 to 3 minutes until the sesame seeds form a crumbly paste. Add olive oil, drizzling in slowly while still processing, 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup will be enough. Process for another few minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture forms a thick and fairly smooth paste. Add more oil to make thinner. Finish processing. Add sea salt to taste, if you’d like. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a month, or longer.

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links – your cost remains the same, but I earn a small percentage to help support this blog. Thank you!

Terra Delyssa is a sponsor of Tasty Yummies. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for Tasty Yummies.

 

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