Cool Creamy Cucumber Salad
Cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad is a complete and easy summer meal with the addition of protein-rich chickpeas. Fresh dill and sweet yet spicy red onions make this a delicious summer salad.
Cucumbers and Sour Cream
When I was a child, my Dad would make “Cucumbers and Sour Cream,” as I lovingly called it. Yum! It was the epitome of summer. That, and Tomato Sandwiches (fresh garden tomatoes on good bread with mayonnaise and even pickles). It was simple garden produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, dill) served up simply. And I loved it!
My Dad’s roots were German and Lithuanian and this popular Cucumber Salad is a popular side dish in Eastern European countries. The perfect blend of creamy, yet balanced dressing, with the cool notes of cucumbers and herby-fresh dill make it easy to understand why it is a favorite.
No-Cook Meal and Soooo Easy
In the summertime, this is a great no-cook meal. It’s a fresh light lunch or dinner or even pleasant picnic food (though the dairy needs to be kept cool). It is a delicious side dish to grilled foods, or barbecue or even sandwiches. And better yet – these ingredients are easy to find! You may even have the majority of them at home on a given day (if you use dry dill, only use 1 tbsp as the flavor is much stronger and the dryness of the dried herb would be overwhelming in a larger quantity).
Perfectly Dressed
The secret to this Cool Creamy Cucumber Salad is in the dressing. 1/2 Cup Sour Cream is combined with Red Wine Vinegar, Fresh Lemon Juice, Sugar, Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder and plenty of fresh dill.
Non Traditional Salad Addition
Thinly Sliced Cucumbers – check! Thinly Sliced Onions – check! Just like Dad used to make.
Chickpeas, rinsed and drained (Garbanzo Beans) – wait, what? This nontraditional addition to this salad is delightful! And it allows this salad to stand alone as a great summer lunch or even dinner.
The Magical Chickpea
Did you know that the chickpea is considered to be both a vegetable and a protein? In terms of Macronutrients, one cup of chickpeas provides:
- 14.5 grams (g) of protein
- 4.25 g of fat
- 44.9 g of carbohydrates
More nutrition on the chickpea
High in Fiber – with 12.5 g fiber per cup, which lowers cholesterol, controls blood sugar, and more!
Iron – 4.75 g iron per serving, important for making hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells.
Calcium – 80.4 mg Calcium, can help you achieve the average recommended value for adults of 1000mg. Calcium helps to build and maintain strong bones and teeth, and is important to circulation, hormone health, muscles and more.
Give the Chickpea a chance in this Cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad! It is such a great way to sneak in nutrients with the magical effort of the chickpea!
Enjoy! And if you like the recipe, please share on Pinterest, or snap a photo of your creation and tag me on Twitter, or Instagram!
Cool Creamy Cucumber Salad
Equipment
- mixing bowl Large
- Mandoline or sharp knife
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- Juice of Half a Lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Pepper (about ¼ tsp)
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ Cup Dill Fronds finely chopped
- 2 English Cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1 Can Chickpeas (16 oz) drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Combine sour cream, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the finely chopped dill fronds (remove from stems) to the bowl, and stir.
- Place the cucumbers and onions into the bowl, and gently combine with dressing.
- Pour the chickpeas into the bowl, ensuring they are first rinsed and drained. Stir into the salad. Place the bowl into the refrigerator to allow flavors to blend, for at least 10 minutes, but up to 30 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, and serve!
- (Please note that due to the water content of cucumbers, this salad is best served after preparing it. It will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but the cucumbers will lose their crispness and the salad may turn soggy. To prepare in advance, keep the vegetables separate from the dressing and dress just prior to serving. The dressing and veggies can be prepared up to a day in advance. Sliced cucumbers store best when covered with a damp paper towel in an airtight container). Enjoy!
