It’s summer and the produce right now just doesn’t get any better! One of my favorite summer rituals, and something that was on my summer fun bucket list, was to have a cucumber sandwich. The tomato sandwich is usually the one in the spotlight and is also a fave of mine. In fact, a little secret, I eat my tomato sandwiches open faced so I can pile the tomatoes higher.
Back to cucumbers. Growing up, one of my favorite things in the summer was one of my mom’s cucumber sandwiches. She would get two slices of squishy white sliced bread, butter one slice (my mom buttered one slice of the bread on every sandwich she ever made me) add mayonnaise that she would whisk with a little vinegar on the other slice, and then she would pile up thinly sliced peeled cucumbers, a dash of salt and pepper and a lot of love. There was nothing better than that refreshing, cold, crisp sandwich on a hot summer day. If we were feeling fancy that day, she’d cut the crusts off and we’d have “party sandwiches.” I made one last week and it was just like I remembered it – minus the squishy white bread, I’ve moved on to Ezekiel bread these days. A client told me that he used to eat cucumber and peanut butter sandwiches. I’ve yet to try that, but I think that would work. Everything is better with peanut butter, right?
Cucumbers are a super food and really simple to sneak into your diet.
Some of the many benefits include:
- High in Nutrients
- Contain Antioxidants
- Promote Hydration
- May Aid in Weight Loss
- May Lower Blood Sugar
- Easy to Add to Your Diet
- A Great Source of fiber
WebMD has even more great information about all of the health benefits of cucumbers – hello vitamin K!
In Philadelphia last weekend it was 100 degrees, so I broke out another old cucumber favorite, Dr Axe’s Detox Cucumber Soup. It’s easy, healthy, delicious, and perfect for a sweltering day. An added bonus, it takes about 10 minutes to make – yay!
Stay tuned, I just may share my quick, spicy garlicky pickle recipe in my next post!
