Creamy Ranch Cucumber Salad

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Growing up I loved any gathering that revolved around food. Whether it was a holiday, birthday, family reunion, church or family picnic… it didn’t really matter.

I love running around in the grass feeling the coolness and softness of the blades as it tickled the bottom of my feet. As I ran, I would weave in and out of the company of the adults, letting the sunshine kiss my freckles.

I would scuttle up and down the large buffet table of food, scanning for the creamy cucumber salads. Even as a child I favored the fresh, crisp cucumber slices over potato chips, but most of all I LOVED the thin creamy dressing that always puddled on my paper plate. I recall folding the plate in half, lifting the edge to my lips, and tilting my head back so the dressing could stream into my mouth. Aaah heaven.

I still get strong cravings for this salad, yet I don’t make it all that often. I don’t know why… just another one of life’s little mysteries I suppose.

The Best Cucumbers to Use

You can use any type of cucumber but I am a huge fan of either the English cucumber or the Kirby cucumber. They tend to be more crisp and flavorful, plus the English cucs hardly have any seeds. If the cucumbers have large seeds in the center, I like to scrape out the seeds to keep the salad from getting watery.

This salad is delicious as is but feel free to dress it up by adding thinly sliced white onions, kalamata olives, parsley, or crumbled raw almond feta cheese. Here’s a tip if adding onions, soaked them in cold water while you make the sauce, this will reduce the “bite” that raw onions tend to have. I do hope you enjoy this simple yet refreshing recipe. Blessings, amie sue

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 2+ hours
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 soft Medjool date, pitted
1/2 cup water
1 small clove of garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp red onion, minced
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried dill or 1 Tbsp fresh dill
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/2 tsp dried basil or 1/2 Tbsp fresh basil
Black pepper to taste
1-2 Large English cucumber, thinly sliced

Preparation:

After soaking the cashews, drain and rinse the soak water.
In a high-powered blender add the cashews, lemon juice, vinegar, date, water, garlic, onion powder, dill, salt, basil, and pepper. Puree until smooth and creamy, this can take 1-3 minutes, depending on the machine you use.
- If using fresh herbs add those last. If you add them at this point, it will create a light green dressing.
Thinly slice the cucumbers and place in a bowl.
Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and with your fingers, gently massage the dressing onto each slice of cucumber. They do like to stick together.
Enjoy right away or place in the fridge for 1-2 days. I prefer the dish after it has chilled for a while, this allows all the flavors to meld together.