It won't be long till I have cucumbers coming out of my ears from the garden, so I am coming up with uses for them now. This is a nutrient dense salad that is great for a light lunch or as a side dish at a summer barbeque, there is just something fun about eating them this way. I used just a pinch of cayenne for a hint of heat to go with the cucumber, if you like a lot of heat feel free to add a diced up hot pepper or more cayenne. If time is short, just serve in a bowl instead of in hollowed out cukes.
Cucumbers stuffed with Black Bean Salad
3-4 cucumbers; cut in half lengthwise and hollow out with a spoon. Then salt the boats and set upside down on paper towel to drain. Dice up the cucumber that you hollowed out, salt it and let it drain in a strainer while you make the rest of the salad.
In a bowl combine:
1 1/2 c. cooked black beans (you can sub 1 can rinsed and drained)
1 small red onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 of a red pepper, diced
1/2 of a green pepper, diced
To make dressing, in a small bowl combine:
Juice of 1 lime
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
Mix well, pour over veggies, stir in drained chopped cucumber and fill boats. Serve any leftover in a bowl.
