Spicy sesame cucumber salad
Side dishes don’t have to be boring. I for one like to shake up my side dishes and serve different flavourful and textural components to compliment my meal. This salad is definitely not boring. The spice, salt and deep umami flavour of the sesame makes this full of punchy flavours. If you are not keen on spice don’t worry, this salad is equally as good without the jalapeño and chili sauce, however, if you do like spice then you can adjust the spice level by adding more jalapeños or chili sauce. Up to you! I like to serve this up with grilled meat or tofu, it’s even delicious by itself over brown rice. Let me know what you guys think and what you serve this yummy salad with!
Ingredients:
For the salad:
▪ 1 large English cucumber, cut in diamond shapes (or half moons)
▪ 1 bunch radishes (about 6), cut into quarters
▪ 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper
▪ 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For the dressing:
▪ 1 tbsp rice vinegar
▪ 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
▪ 1 tbsp avocado oil (or any other neutral tasting oil)
▪ 1 tsp Sriracha or other hot chilli sauce
▪ 1 tsp soy sauce
▪ 2 tsp honey or agave nectar
▪ salt to taste
Directions:
▪ In a small mixing bowl, place all ingredients for dressing. Stir well to combine, set aside.
▪ In a medium sized mixing bowl place chopped cucumber, quartered radishes, thinly sliced jalapeño and sesame seeds. I like to keep the seeds in my jalapeño peppers for added spice, however, you can remove them to tone down the heat.
▪ Pour dressing over chopped up vegetables, mix well to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to let marinate before serving. Garnish with more sesame seeds, enjoy!
Grove Wellness | Almonte, Ontario 