vegetable

Creamy Cucumber Salad

My garden really has been doing pretty well this year. There were times I wasn’t so sure like when we had an early season 100 degree heat wave in June. The only thing it really seem to hurt  were my tomatoes. They just did not do well this year after the heat wave. It is what it is though because otherwise my garden has done pretty well. Every couple days I am harvesting vegetables. One of the plentiful veggies this year has been the cucumbers. We have had enough cucumbers that nearly everyday for the last month or so we have been eating garden fresh cucumbers in some form. There have been plenty of cucumbers for just eating while others have become refrigerator pickles and various salads. One of the salads that has won my family over has been a simple, creamy cucumber salad.

Creamy Cucumber Salad | Country Girl Gourmet

Creamy Cucumber Salad is an easy to make cucumber side dish. You can make it in minutes with only a handful of ingredients. All you need is sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, dill, salt, pepper and cucumbers of course. We eat it along side most anything from burgers to chicken breast. It is a go-to, go with anything side dish of the summer that I never seem to make enough of.

What is your favorite way to eat cucumbers? Have you tried cucumber salad? Try this simple, creamy cucumber salad and see how good it is for yourself!

Simple Creamy Cucumber Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 Cucumbers, halved (lengthwise) and sliced
  • ¼ Cup Sour Cream
  • 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Dill Weed
  • Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix sour cream, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and dill together in a bowl. Add cucumbers and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

 

Corn in a Cup (Elote en Vaso)

When I was pregnant with my daughter I had what I thought was a weird craving. It wasn’t anything gross, it was just corn, especially canned corn. A few years later after we had moved to El Paso, Texas I learned my craving wasn’t that odd at all. In El Paso eating elotes en vaso or corn in a cup was a normal thing. You could find corn in a cup at local grocery stores, some gas stations and at concession stands. I even sold it at a concession stand for my kid’s track team. Who knew?  Growing up corn was also simple, butter with salt and pepper in El Paso my eyes and taste buds were opened to a new way to eat corn.

Corn in a Cup/ Elote en Vaso | Country Girl Gourmet

Corn in the cup takes your basic corn to the next level elevating it with chili powder (like Tajin) and/or hot sauce (esp. Valentina), fresh lime, a bit of crema or sour cream and some cojita cheese. It is typically served in a styrofoam cup and is easily customizable. You have this cup of buttered corn and then you just add the layers of flavor turning it into something really wonderful. I don’t know if it is the simplicity of it or if it is just comfort food but in El Paso it was guaranteed to be something you would sell out of. Try it for yourself and change how you and your family enjoy eating corn!

Corn in a Cup (Elote en Vaso)
 
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Ingredients
  • 10 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed
  • 1¼ cups butter
  • 2½ cups lime juice
  • 2½ cups crema Mexicana or sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste (such as Tajin)
  • salt to taste
  • 1¼ cups crumbled cotija cheese
  • 1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Valentina®), or to taste (optional)
  • 10 wedges fresh lime
Instructions
  1. Place corn in a saucepan and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and return corn to saucepan.
  2. Spoon ¾ cup corn into 10 serving bowls; add 2 tablespoons butter to each and stir until butter is melted. Mix ¼ cup lime juice (or to taste) and ¼ cup crema Mexicana into each bowl; sprinkle a generous amount of chili powder or tajin over each. Season with salt if desired.
  3. Top each serving with 1-2 tablespoons cotija cheese and hot sauce; garnish with a lime wedge.
  4. *canned or frozen corn can be substituted for fresh corn... 5 15.25oz cans of corn=10 ears of corn*