Marinated Cucumbers

It's summertime, and that means the cucumbers are taking over the world! I didn't grow any this year, but my sister and my mom's best friend did and they keep giving me more than I know what to do with.

This recipe is one I've never actually written down before, it's just something I make when I've run out of cucumber ideas. It's sort of like three bean salad, but with cucumber and onion instead of beans. It's nice to keep on-hand when it's hot, since it keeps for almost a week before going bad due to the vinegar.

I used to make this with sugar, but started using Splenda in an effort to control the carbs. As it turns out, there really isn't that much difference (I think it's a little under 2g), but at least it's something. You can make whatever quantity you like depending on how many cucumbers you have. I happened to have one large one left, so that's what I used. I also used part of a Vidalia onion, although I've used pretty much every possible type of onion when I've made this (and usually use a small yellow onion). Vinegar, water, salt and pepper round it out, and we're off!

I always peel the cucumber when it comes from someone's garden, because I'm inherently lazy. Store cucumbers are either engineered to not have spikes (thorns?) or they perform some magic to make them perfectly smooth, but as you know if you've grown them the real ones from a garden need to be scrubbed to remove the prickly bits. I'm not that dedicated to scrubbing, so I just peel them. Feel free to leave the peels on, or to be decorative and make stripes with the peels, whatever.

You actually need about one small onion, so since I was using a Vidalia I used 1 1/2 slices of it, diced. I've sometimes left the small onion in rings, or if it's a larger one I'll quarter it and separate it into rings. There are no rules here, so do whatever makes you happy.

The beauty of using Splenda instead of sugar is it dissolves almost immediately! I like to put the Splenda in my bowl first, then add the vinegar, then the water. There's no reason for that other than it amuses me how much vinegar makes Splenda bubble. I'm easily amused sometimes, but it's fun for me.

If you're going to use sugar instead, you'll have to stir for quite a while before it dissolves. With the Splenda, the only reason to stir is to make sure the vinegar and water are combined. If you want, you can also add the salt and pepper at this step instead of the next one. I meant to, but I got distracted.

Add the cucumber slices and onion to the vinegar mixture, stir to completely coat, and then push them down so they are as submerged as possible. Then just cover your dish and toss it in the refrigerator overnight. I like to make these in the afternoon when I'm in the kitchen making dinner, then stir them before I go to bed, then again when I get up, with a final stir before serving them for dinner the next day. I think it ensures every cucumber slice gets to spend enough time in the marinade.

I've also done this with fresh green beans, cauliflower, and carrots, although not all at the same time. Now that I've written that, I wonder why I haven't... I bet the combination would be fabulous!

Marinated Cucumbers

Serves 4

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

1 small onion, diced or separated into rings

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup Splenda (or sugar)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a bowl just big enough to hold the vegetables, combine the vinegar, water, and Splenda until dissolved.

Add cucumber slices, onion, and salt and pepper; stir to coat with marinade, then push down to submerge as completely as possible. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight (I tend to do about 24 hours). Stir a few times, making sure to push cucumbers back down into marinade.

Serving Size: 188g

Calories: 109

Calories from Fat: 1

Total Fat: 0.1g

Trans Fat: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 152mg

Total Carbohydrates: 22.1g

Dietary Fiber: 1.2g

Sugars: 19.6g

Protein: 0.8g