Thayer in the Kitchen

1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon Penzey's dry minced ginger) 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons brown sugar salt (if needed) 1 box (about 8-12 oz.) whole-grain linguine, or whatever you have available 2 large carrots, julienned 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced into strips (if you are a big pepper fan you can use one of each) 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 - 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 1/4 - 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped 1# cooked shrimp My husband was kind enough to peel and devein the shrimp.  I sauteed the shrimp very quickly in a little oil in a pan and then let it cool. Whisk together the dressing ingredients: peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Add the dressing to the vegetables, pasta, and shrimp and mix well.  Try to ...

I noticed that I have previously posted a number of cucumber soups.  However, this is a new recipe and Arthur encouraged me to post it.  Probably so that I could make it again.  Otherwise, I tend to lose the recipe and then he's out of luck.  This one does not require cooking.  It is improved by spending some time aging in the frig.  It mentioned 8 hours.  It didn't get that at our house and it was still very good. This was a handy soup to make because we got quite a few cucumbers in our CSA box, plus the dill.  I have parsley and tarragon growing on my deck. Ingredients: 2-1/4# cucumbers  halved and seeded—1/2 cup finely diced, the rest coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 small shallot, chopped 1-2 garlic cloves 1/3 cup loosely packed dill 1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves 1/4 cup olive oil Salt & pepper 1/4 cup red onion, fin...

In the summer we seem to get inundated with cucumbers.  This is another good way to use some of them.  It makes a good first course for a meal or a light lunch. Soup 1 medium cucumber peeled and seeded (about 11 ounces) 2 cups plain Greek style yogurt 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt pepper to taste Puree the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Garnish or Salad Topping 16 grape tomatoes cut in quarters or about 1 cup of chopped tomatoes 1 small cucumber, peeled and diced 1/2 cup either fresh or frozen (defrosted) corn kernels 2 green onions, sliced thinly 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon sunflower or olive oil salt and pepper 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves Combine.  Top each bowl of soup with some of the salad topping. Adapted from The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet by Barbara Rolls

This is a recipe I made when I was getting a bunch of cucumbers from my CSA farm.  I liked it because it was easy and incorporated cucumbers in a cooked dish.  Arthur liked it and said I should make it again.  It is gluten and dairy free. 1/4# or 50 g of masoor dal (red lentils) 1-1/4 cups coconut milk (I just used the whole can) 500 g or 1# of cucumbers, no need to peel if they're organic.  Cut in half, remove seeds and cut into crosswise slices 2-4 fresh green chilies, cut in half lengthwise (I used 2 and removed the seeds since Arthur is not a big fan of dishes that are too spicy) Salt to taste For tadka ( A Tadka is a ghee   or oil based spice mix added to a curry at the end of the cooking. It adds a wondrous taste to the dish, so do not skip this step) 8-10 curry leaves 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil Wash the lentils.  Pour 1/2 c. of the coconut milk and 1-1/2 cups water.  Add the lenti...

This is a very simple salad that is worth making.  Arthur said this one has to go on your blog.  "It would convince someone who thought they didn't like quinoa to reconsider it."  I didn't make the dressing because I didn't have any fresh basil.  Next time I'm going to try the salad with the lemon basil dressing.  I used some of Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette as a substitute. First cook the quinoa: 1 cup quinoa (rinse thoroughly if the package does not say it has been prerinsed) 2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Place the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.  Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.  Let it cool it to room temperature. Fruits and Vegetables: 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup cubed ripe mango 1 cup diced cucumbers 2 tablespoons dried cranberries 1/4 cups pecans (optional) Add desired dressing to the quinoa, next...

This is a very good and rather unusual summer salad.  The ingredients for it are plentiful now in the summer months. 3 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thinly (1/2 moon shape) (about 4 cups) 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries Salt & pepper to taste 1/2 cup any vinaigrette dressing you like, a balsamic is a good choice 3-4 tablespoons thinly sliced mint leaves 1 cup or less (about 1/4#) crumbled feta cheese.  I used goat feta cheese from DreamFarm. Combine cucumbers and blueberries.  Season with salt & pepper. Add dressing, mint, and feta.  Toss gently to combine You could serve this over a bed of salad greens if you like. Adapted from a Wegman's recipe. 

This is another recipe we borrowed from Blue Moon Community Farm.  It is a wonderful way to use a bunch of cucumbers.  A challenge many of us are dealing with at this time of the year (August). In this recipe the cucumbers are cooked which is rather unusual, but its yummy and easy.  Try it! 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, diced 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) 4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly slice cucumbers, divided 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 avocado, diced 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt Heat oil, add garlic and onion.  Cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute.  Add 3 3/4 cups of cucumber slices, broth, salt and pepper and cayenne.  Bring soup to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 8 minutes or until the cucumbers are soft. Transfer the soup to a bl...

This is a yummy salad made with sugar snap peas from our farm and some peanut butter from yum butter.  Read more about it below. 6 ounces soba noodles (I guess spaghetti would be OK too) 8 ounces sugar snap peas 1/2 cup halved thinly sliced cucumbers 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup Asian Jazz Peanut Butter (see below) * or plain peanut butter 2 tablespoons cold water 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil Cook soba noodles in salted water for about 3 minutes, then add the sugar snap peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Check the noodles to see if they are as cooked as your prefer. Drain and rinse under cold water. Let drain in a colander while making the dressing. Combine the peanut butter, water, vinegar, hoisin sauce, honey and sesame oil and whisk together until smooth.   Place the noodles, peas, cucumbers, and gre...

This was a recipe that came in our JenEhr Family Farm newsletter.  I made cauliflower potato curry on Saturday for dinner.  It was very good, but I didn't post the recipe because it was on a scrap of paper that I seem to have misplaced.  Anyway I served the curry with this riata.  Its a sweet and cool and a nice contrast to a spicy curry dish, plus another good way to use radishes.  1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded 1 cup diced radishes (small dice) 3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt 2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped * 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's) Grate cucumber into a medium bowl.  Add radishes and remaining ingredients, stir gently to combine.  Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight (if you have time--if not just eat it).  * I didn't have golden raisins and used regular raisins.  I think any dried fruit woul...

Balkan Cucumber Salad • 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion • 1 cucumber, preferably a long English cucumber (we get them in our CSA box) * • 1/2 tsp. salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 3/4 cups plain yogurt, drain off any accumulated liquid. ** • 1 clove garlic, minced • 2 tbs. fresh mint leaves, minced • 4 tbs. (packed) finely minced parsley • 2 scallions, finely minced (greens included) • 2 tbs. freshly minced dill (dry is OK if that's all you've got) • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (or not) Cut the cucumbers into thin rounds and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for walnuts, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Sprinkle the walnuts on top just before serving. Adapted from The Moonshadow , a weekly newsletter of the Blue Moon Community Farm * No need to peel these seedless cucumbers.  If you have the standard ones, I'd peel them and remove some of the seeds. **  You could probably also ...