I have to admit, I grew up in a "meat and potatoes" environment ... peas, carrots and corn were the main vegetables, onions and green peppers were exotic, and pale iceberg lettuce and celery were the foundations of all salads, except coleslaw, bread was white, and tea was orange pekoe with lots of milk and sugar. I'm happy to say I've broadened my culinary horizons over the decades, and always looking for new foods, spices, new combinations, different ways to prepare the old. Anyway, came across some recipes for cooking cucumbers, which is one of those foods I always associated with raw, chilled, salads (or the base for pickles and relishes).

They are delicious cooked .. .. quite similar to zucchini actually. The first recipe I tried was from Atkins New Diet Cookbook. It's a baked casserole with creamy sauce. Yum. I've also had cucumbers just simply peeled, seeded, sliced and steamed .. then dress with a little butter and lemon pepper seasoning.

Today for lunch, I wanted to make a creamy stroganoff with grd. beef .... didn't have any mushrooms, so I sautéed up some thinly sliced cucumber instead, which worked just fine. Peeled cucumber could also be very thinly pared into long strips to steam and use as faux noodles with a sauce.

Anyway, here's the recipe from Atkins cookbook. Enjoy!

The Most Delicious Cucumbers

4 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1/2 Tbsp seasoned salt
1/2 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp minced fresh dill
1 Tbsp minced fresh chives
1 Tbsp minced onion
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
grated Parmesan cheese

- Slice cucumbers into bite-sized pieces. Add seasoned salt and vinegar. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 2 hrs.
- preheat oven to 375°F.
- Drain cucumbers and pat dry with paper towels.Toss in a casserole with melted butter, dill, chives and onion. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove dish from oven, add heavy cream, and stir over medium-low heat on top of stove for a few minutes to thicken. (do not boil, or cream will curdle). Sprinkle with parsley and a little grated parmesan. Serve hot.
- makes 4 servings.
- 5.8g total carbs / 2g fiber per serving

One nice trick (especially on seedless ones) is to use a melon baller (Parisienne spoon) on them. A pretty accompaniment! (Still, I don’t like cooked cukes! )

I've been known to stir-fry leftover salad....

Rachel