Braised Cucumbers

So the braised cucumbers were a hit with 3/5ths of the family.

3 thumbs up – 2 thumbs down

The results are not unsurprising.

The hubs is no fan of squash in any form and the texture is very much like squash, or zucchini, a bit firmer. He said they tasted like pickles. *GASP!* A harsh generalization in my opinion. I admit, they did have a “pickle-esque” hint to them, but they are wonderfully delicious and delicate tasting. I’ve made them 3 times since Saturday and will definitely add them to our rotation…at least for lunches when Daddy isn’t eating with us. For now, I shall try to lay off for a while for fear of cucumber overload…I don’t want the kids gagging at the thought of them. Flashback to the sunny days of my youth and The Summer of 100 days of Okra. My mom had a garden and the okra took off like crazy! Once a lover of okra, it took me a good 15 years to regain my appreciation of it after what seemed like weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of okra. Ugh, I’m still a little queasy at the thought of boiled okra. I shall have to investigate immediately to find any Julia recipes that involve okra *raises left eyebrow*. For now I am going to take a stab at a vegan version her Boeuf Bourguignon. Brace yourself for a complete bastardization of the original. Obviously, I’m not trying to replicate the taste of her DEEElicious dishes (come on, there is absolutely no vegan substitute for bacon fat)…I’m just trying to result in something tasty and new for our kitchen.

Here’s the recipe I used for Braised Cucumbers…it’s easy peasy!

Note: You’ll notice I’m not big on measuring…I’m a mom, I have a lot going on….for example, right now I have to go get the baby out of the dog food bag!


1 large cucumber

Smart Balance Lite

Lemon juice

Dried mint

Cut the cucumber into quarters, scrape out seeds (or use a seedless one) and cut into 1 inch chunks.
Heat Smart Balance Lite then add cucumbers, cook for about 5 minutes
Add a little bit of lemon juice (not too much) and sprinkle with dried mint leaves.
Continue cooking for about 2 minutes.
Mmmm mmmm mmmmm.


Song of the day:

Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips