Cucumbers are crisp and juicy vegetables that offer nutrients like Vitamin C and fiber. This healthy vegetable is often eaten raw after picked fresh from the garden or purchased fresh in a grocery store. Many people peel off the skin of cucumbers before eating them, but the skin enhances the health benefits and also helps add flavor to the watery vegetable. If you leave the skin on, wash it well under water to remove any grit, grime or sand.
Slice the cucumber into thin round slivers using a sharp knife. Add them to a salad, along with lettuce, tomato, black olives, shredded carrots and your favorite dressing.
Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler, and chop it into small dices. Place them in a bowl with sliced red onion. Sprinkle with 3 tbsp. of seasoned rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. soy sauce. Mix together and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve as a side cucumber salad.
Cut the fresh cucumber in half and then quarter the cucumber lengthwise to create cucumber spears. Place the cucumber spears onto a vegetable platter and serve with a dip, such as ranch dressing, Italian dressing or hummus.
Add sliced cucumbers to sandwiches to give them an extra crunch. You can pair fresh cucumber with a sandwich of turkey, cheese, sprouts and a little mayonnaise, or on tuna melts.
Create appetizers using freshly sliced cucumbers. Cut medium slices with the peel on, and place the slices around an appetizer tray. Place 1 tsp. of goat cheese on top of each cucumber slice, and eat as a bread-less appetizer. To give the appetizer a little more pizazz, top the goat cheese with a walnut.
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Writer Bio
Kyra Sheahan has been a writer for various publications since 2008. Her work has been featured in "The Desert Leaf" and "Kentucky Doc Magazine," covering health and wellness, environmental conservatism and DIY crafts. Sheahan holds an M.B.A. with an emphasis in finance.