cucumber Archives - Cooking Classy with a sprinkle of fancy Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:30:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 44235149 Lentil Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/lentil-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/lentil-salad/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2023 00:35:10 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=63549 A delicious and healthy Lentil Salad recipe! It's made with protein rich lentils, roasted bell pepper, cool crisp cucumber, bright red onion, fresh herbs, tangy feta, and it's finished with a vibrant lemon dressing. It's the perfect way to upgrade lentils.

Lentil salad shown in a white ceramic serving bowl. Made with green lentils, bell pepper, red onion, feta, cucumber and dressing.

Lentil Salad

This makes a great lunch or dinner side. It has an abundance of freshness along with a good heartiness to it, and it's easy to make.

You'll find it has a great blend of textures and flavors and it pairs beautifully with chicken or salmon.

You can use a variety of herbs based on what you have. I always like to include parsley then for the second herb addition opt for either cilantro, basil or mint - each will give a different flavor profile so it's nice to switch things up.

Serve it room temp or nice and chilled for a refreshing salad (just keep in the fridge within 2 hours of preparing).

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Salmon Rice Bowls https://www.cookingclassy.com/salmon-rice-bowl/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/salmon-rice-bowl/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2023 04:20:08 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=65138 Salmon Rice Bowls - A layered bowl made up of tender jasmine rice, glazed teriyaki style salmon bites, asian cabbage slaw, fresh creamy avocado and crisp cucumber. Then for a final finishing touch everything is drizzled with a spicy sriracha mayo. It's a flavor explosion all in one bowl!

Salmon rice bowl with teriyaki style salmon, cucumber, cabbage, avocado and sriracha mayo.

Loaded Salmon Rice Bowl

These salmon rice bowls are loaded with the works! It's an abundance of fresh ingredients all piled together in one bowl for maximum flavor.

You get a harmonious blend of various textures, an exciting combination of flavors that all highlight each other perfectly, and there's a visually pleasing variety of vibrant color.

It's made up of nutritious ingredients and it's such a filling dish. I'm a white rice fan lately but you can easily swap white jasmine rice for brown rice (regular, short grain, or jasmine brown rice) or quinoa.

I've also listed other various substitutes to use in this dish based on what you have on hand (see ideas below).

This is one to add to the dinner rotation, it's incredibly delicious!

Layered into a blue bowl is white rice, glazed salmon, cucumber, asian cabbage slaw, avocado, and sesame seeds.

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California Roll Sushi Bowls https://www.cookingclassy.com/california-roll-sushi-bowls/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/california-roll-sushi-bowls/#comments Sat, 27 Aug 2022 15:11:50 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=26005 California Roll in layered bowl form! These are the simplified way to enjoy all the flavors of a California roll in a fraction of the time! You get a hearty bowl of sushi rice layered together with so many delicious flavors and textures. Who could resist?

California roll sushi bowl shown in a blue bowl from a side angle. Bowl is resting on a wooden plate over a marble surface.

California Rolls the Quick and Easy Way!

How could you go wrong with deconstructed sushi piled high in a bowl? It's destined to be a new go-to weeknight recipe for you!

You get a slightly sweet, slightly tangy, tender sushi rice and atop is a blend of crab (or imitation crab), crisp fresh veggies including carrots, cucumber, and buttery avocado. Then there's also umami-rich nori, flavorful pickled ginger, a salty soy finish, creamy and spicy sriracha mayo, then buttery little sesame seeds to finish it off with more texture.

Talk about explosion of flavor in every bite!

Plus these are so easy to make. Just cook the rice, chop everything up, then serve it layered together individual bowls. No meticulous cutting and rolling just slice it, dice it, dress it and boom! Dinner (or lunch) is served.

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Greek Orzo Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/greek-orzo-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/greek-orzo-salad/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2022 00:00:12 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=23412 Greek Orzo Salad - this delicious pasta salad is made with tender orzo, bright tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, plenty of fresh herbs, tangy feta and olives, and it's all tossed in a zesty lemony vinaigrette. It's a breeze to prepare and can be ready in 25 minutes or less!

Orzo pasta salad in a large wooden bowl on a marble surface.

Easy Orzo Pasta Salad

This is the perfect thing to make year-round. It's a nutritious, well rounded, veggie-packed pasta salad.

You can make as is or toss in some cooked chicken or shrimp (just make a little bit of extra dressing). And if you want to make it even healthier you can use whole wheat pasta in place of the standard semolina based orzo.

This is brimming with fresh Mediterranean flavor and it is so easy to throw together. It's mostly just a bit of chopping, cooking orzo pasta and whisking a quick dressing.

We love it for lunch but it's always so welcomed at dinner too, and it's delicious paired with salmon or grilled chicken. It may likely soon be one of your favorite recipes to make with orzo!

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Couscous Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/couscous-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/couscous-salad/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2021 03:53:06 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=61658 Simple and refreshing Couscous Salad! It's brimming with crisp veggies, fresh herbs, tangy feta and tossed with a vibrant lemon dressing.

Couscous salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs shown in a white bowl from the side.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Another salad recipe to add to the rotation! This one is made with fine tender couscous, a rich olive oil dressing, and the perfect pairing of bright tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.

It has a delicious Mediterranean flavor that pairs exceptionally well with seafood and chicken.

It's also very versatile and you can swap and add other ingredients like chick peas or pine nuts (see ideas in variations below).

Here you got lots of nutritious ingredients in this tasty salad that you'll feel great about eating! It makes a great lunch or delicious dinner side dish.

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Corn Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/corn-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/corn-salad/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2021 05:13:42 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=61096 Summery Corn Salad - made with fresh cut corn kernels, sweet tomatoes, vibrant red onions, crisp cucumbers, flavorful feta cheese, fresh herbs and a vibrant dressing.

Photo: Corn salad shown in a white serving bowl over a wooden platter and blue cloth. Salad includes fresh corn, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta, herbs and dressing.

Easy Fresh Corn Salad

It's one of the ultimate summer side dishes! It pairs so well with grilled main dishes like chicken, steak or salmon and it's the perfect thing to bring along on a picnic.

This is simple and refreshing and brimming with nutritious goodness. A flavorful way to get your veggie intake.

You'll love the satisfying blend of textures and the overload of freshness.

If you plan on having any extra, you could just wait to toss the other half with dressing and serve it the following day. I dream about leftovers of this for lunch!

Looking for more corn salad recipes?

Also try my incredibly tasty Black Bean and Corn Salad and Mexican Street Corn Salad.

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Chickpea Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/chickpea-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/chickpea-salad/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2021 02:50:10 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=54105 Chickpea Salad full of Mediterranean flavors that's super fresh, and quick and easy to prepare. It makes for the perfect healthy lunch entree or a dinner side dish.

Chickpea Salad shown in a serving bowl with wooden serving spoons.

Healthy Chickpea Salad

A new year and a craving for some healthier food like this vegan Chickpea Salad!

You'll love this simple recipe with its vibrant flavors - which are made by using mostly fresh ingredients.

No cooking required here so it's perfect for when you need a fast side dish. You can have this ready in 10 minutes!

It's also very versatile too based on what you have on hand. And you can even include tuna or salmon to make it a heartier main dish.

I've listed some ideas below for other things you can include here.

It's a refreshing recipe that won't weigh you down and you can feel great about eating!

Close up overhead photo of Chickpea Salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and onion.

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Ceviche https://www.cookingclassy.com/ceviche/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/ceviche/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2020 05:39:38 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=56381 Easy Shrimp Ceviche (Ceviche de Camarón)! It's bursting with flavor and perfectly refreshing. Serve it as a chip dip or as a main entree over crispy tostada shells or rice.

Ceviche in a wooden dip bowl with tortilla chips on the side.

What is Ceviche?

Ceviche is a healthy Peruvian dish that is usually served as an appetizer. It's generally made from raw fresh fish or shrimp, that's marinated in lemon and/or lime citrus juices. The acidity in the citrus cures the fish causing it to denature the proteins and become firm and opaque while absorbing flavor.

After the seafood has sort of cooked in a way other ingredients are tossed in such as onions, cilantro, peppers and tomatoes.

It's such a vibrant dish that's perfect for weekends or parties. Truly a recipe seafood lovers will instantly fall in love with, especially when you pair it with freshly fried or baked, homemade tortilla chips!

And for those that love heat, finish it with hot sauce.

Using Cooked or Raw Shrimp

This version actually cooks the shrimp first in boiling water (to reduce any risk of pathogens and food borne illness, the safest option and definitely recommend for pregnant women, children, the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system).

But if you aren't worried about it, for the most authentic version you can skip pre-cooking the shrimp and just soak and "cook" in the marinade instead.

For raw shrimp version: Soak the raw shrimp in the 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup lime juice for 30 - 60 minutes in the fridge (or until shrimp are opaque), then add tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper and marinate 30 minutes longer. Then finish with avocado and cucumber.

Watch the Video!

[wprm-recipe-video]

Overhead image of ceviche served on tostada shells resting on a black slate tray.

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Easy Pasta Salad https://www.cookingclassy.com/pasta-salad/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/pasta-salad/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2020 08:59:11 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=36465 Pasta Salad is one of those staple recipes that's been around for as long as we can remember, and for good reason — it's amazingly delicious! This veggie packed version is easy thanks to the shortcut of zesty bottled Italian salad dressing.

So all you have to do is boil the pasta, chop the veggies and toss everything together.

cold pasta salad in a glass bowl with wooden spoon

Easy Pasta Salad Recipe

This is a cold pasta salad, which means it's perfect for summer. I also love that it can be made up to a day in advance, so if you are planning a summer get together you can check this off the list a day ahead.

And let's not forget the main reason this is perfect for summer — all those colorful garden veggies (and some that are technically fruit). It's such a great way to use up the abundance of veggies in season from either your garden, the farmers market or the grocery store.

Even though it uses a bottle of dressing, I'd still consider this one of the best pasta salads. Maybe it's because it's one of those sides that was always there in the summer growing up but it will always be one of my favorites.

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Greek Chicken Kebabs https://www.cookingclassy.com/greek-chicken-kebabs-with-tzatziki-sauce/ https://www.cookingclassy.com/greek-chicken-kebabs-with-tzatziki-sauce/#comments Sat, 30 May 2020 01:42:12 +0000 https://www.cookingclassy.com/?p=18152 Bright, fresh and flavorful Greek Chicken Kebabs! Chicken breasts are perfectly portioned into bite size pieces, soaked in a delicious marinade then threaded onto skewer sticks with lots of fresh vegetables and grilled (or baked).

Looking for more ways to make kebabs? Try my two super popular recipes - Steak Kebabs and Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs.

Greek Chicken Kebabs on skewers with marinated chicken breast, zucchini, bell pepper and red onion.

A Must Try Kebab Recipe!

In this tempting summer dinner recipe you get an abundance of goodness, and they're healthy too.

Tender, well seasoned chicken and lightly charred and smoky bell pepper, zucchini and onion. What's not to love here?

It's a restaurant quality Greek style recipe you'll find to be a staple every summer!

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