It is springtime in New Zealand! And I finally saw NZ grown cucumbers in the shop for an acceptable price.
I missed my favorite cucumber salad so much that I had to go for it. Luckily the seeds for my very own homegrown cucumbers will go into the garden very soon!
For this recipe I once again used raw cashew nuts for the creamy effect – a nice vegan, gluten-free substitute for over-processed soy cream. The raw onion and garlic make it a very healthy salad, too 🙂
NOTE: You can use this dressing with lettuce as well. Tastes amazing!
So, to make a salad dressing for one cucumber you’ll need:
1/2 cup (75g) cashew nuts (soaked in filtered water for at least 6 hours and then drained)
1/2 cup water (or more if you like the dressing thinner)
4-5 spring onion greens + 1/4 small onion
OR 3-4 whole spring onions
1 bunch of fresh dill
1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 small garlic clove
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-2 teaspoon freshly pressed lemon juice
2 tablespoon linseed oil or olive oil (optional)
Preparation
1. Peel and mince the garlic and put into a medium sized bowl.
2. Chop the onions into very fine pieces and the spring onion greens into fine rings (using a scissor instead of a knife works very well here), add to the bowl. Chop the dill and the parsley and add to the rest.
3. Blend the cashews with 1/3 cup water to a fine cream, using a food processor or blender (for me the personal blender works best here). Add to the salad bowl and rinse the blender with some more water. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice and stir well to combine.
4. Now you can chop the cucumber. Make sure you cut the cucumber in very thin slices. This will help to get the flavor of the dressing spread nicely.
I always let the salad rest for a while before I add the oil.
And then…Enjoy! 🙂
