Cooking web notes

Cucumber and Onions with Trivia Bits

Many gardeners have a surplus of cucumbers now and this recipe is an easy tasty way to utilize them.  The sweet and sour thing going on in it is so good and we enjoy eating it all summer long. 

I’m crazy about cucumber and onion salad but don’t like the high amount of sugar it generally takes to make it.  This is my solution to that and I’ve been making it this way for years.  Bill likes it topped with tomato wedges just before serving. 

Here are some interesting cucumber tips and trivia:

1. Cucumbers are natural diuretics used to help lose weight!

2. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

3. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

4. Anyone allergic to pollen or aspirin should avoid eating cucumbers. They can cause an unpleasant mouth itch.

5. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

6. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

7. Soak slicing cucumbers in salt water before slicing to suck some of the moisture out of the cucumber. Sliced cucumbers leak water when sliced.

8. In Roman times, the Emperor Tiberius grew cucumbers in carts, and had his slaves wheel them around to catch the sun.

9. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

10. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

11. General Ulysses S. Grant was said to have been extremely fond of cucumbers. General Horace Porter remarked in an article, 'Campaigning with Grant', the General "often made his entire meal upon a sliced cucumber and a cup of coffee."

12. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

13. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!

Can’t stop at 13 so, believe it or not:

14. There is actually a mining community called “Cucumber” in Southern West Virginia.  As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 94.  It’s the only community in the U.S. with that name.       

I can’t vouch for all of the above ~ I just know that sometimes the most ordinary recipes are the best and this recipe lives up to that.  While making supper, I’ve been known to devour a good amount of this before it even makes it to the table.  It’s all about the crisp cool cucumbers, the sweet Vidalia onions, the spicy pepper and the biting taste of the vinegar.  It’s a delicious, simple summer salad!

Now for the recipe:

Cucumber and Onion Salad Sugar-free

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin

2 Vidalia onions, sliced thin

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

½ cup Splenda

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper Blend

Method:

In a non-metallic bowl, combine cucumbers, onions and garlic.

Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

It’s great! 

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 6:16 AM and is filed under Cucumbers, Onions, Salads, Side Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.