What I love about this recipe is that it is simple.  Are you seeing a theme here on my blog?  The simpler and less time it takes to make food, the better.  Without sacrificing taste, of course!  This cucumber salad is just PERFECT for summertime.  It’s light, sweet, tangy, oh and duh… HEALTHY!  🙂  Can it get any better than that?  I could seriously never get sick of it.  It’s just the perfect side dish to go with any hearty meal.  Here’s a rough outline of the ingredients and amounts I use (adapted from Allrecipes), hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar / rice vinegar (i actually like to do half white and half rice vinegar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes / korean pepper powder(more if you like it spicy)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds)
  • 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 green onion, sliced
  • 1/2 carrot, julienned

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar / rice vinegar, black pepper, red pepper flakes and sugar.
  2. Heat sesame oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sesame seeds, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until seeds are brown, about 5 minutes. (If using toasted sesame seeds like me, there is no need to heat it up, just add sesame oil to it.) Stir seeds into vinegar mixture. Mix in cucumber, green onions, and carrot. Cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. I think it tastes even better after 24 hours of marinating together!

What are some of your favorite summer side dishes?