We are well into fall, the leaves are changing into fiery colors, and the garden is wrapping up. This year I planted spaghetti squash, and it was as prolific as zucchini. I have been busy using up the cucumbers from my garden with relish and pickles, and this Sour Cream Cucumber salad. The addition of a little honey to your sour cream, or to any dairy increases the bio-availability of the beneficial calcium in the yogurt. The lemon and the dill and seasoning add farm-fresh flavor to this creamy dressing. You can also use fresh field or garden cucumbers, and adjust the amount of thinly sliced onion to suit your taste. Being as cool as a cucumber is an expression that science has given new meaning to. It turns out that cucumbers contain substances that actually help our bodies to cool off internal inflammation and may even help prevent cancer. Cucumbers also contain the flavonal, fisetin, which is currently showing promise in protecting the brain from age-related decline.
If you are prone to allergies in the spring or fall, this might be the perfect salad for you, as both cucumbers and onions contain the nutrient quercetin, which is a natural anti-histamine. Cucumbers contain nutrients that nourish the pancreas and plant sterols that may help regulate cholesterol. Other nutrients such as silica promote healthy connective tissue and hair growth. When cucumber juice is mixed with carrot juice it can be beneficial in reducing uric acid and the pain from gout and arthritis.
This salad is very low in calories, but high in healthy ingredients. Be sure to wash your store-bought cucumbers well before slicing to remove pesticides and herbicides. Try to avoid purchasing the cucumbers with a waxy coating, as this coating should be peeled away. One thing I love about this salad is the fresh taste, and there are no industrial cooking oils, just real food, in its natural form.
Sour Cream Cucumber Salad
1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups quartered and cubed peeled
cucumber
1/4 onion thinly sliced and chopped
Mix together the sour cream, dill, salt, pepper, lemon, olive oil, and honey. Stir in the cucumber and onion. This salad is best served fresh.