Cucumber, Radish, and Cherry Tomato Relish

Doug was grilling chicken the other night on one of our warm summer evenings.  I remembered seeing this recipe on Martha Stewart's web sight, so made a batch while the chicken was grilling.

It is very healthy and bursting with color.  The jalapeno chile gives this relish some heat.  If you want a milder version, remove the ribs and seeds.  I varied the original recipe and added fresh vegetables I had on hand, such as celery, red bell pepper, and cilantro.  While the chicken cooks, the vegetables steep in a vinegary mixture until they are lightly pickled.  The cilantro adds a bright, sharp flavor as it does to homemade salsas.

Relish for Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed or 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 small jalapeno chile, stem, ribs, and seeds removed
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 5 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large
• 1 small red onion
• 2 stalks diced celery
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish

Assemble the ingredients.

Measure 1/4 cup white vinegar & 1/4 cup water & add to sauce pan.

Measure 1 tsp. sugar.

Add 2 cloves garlic smashed or 1 tsp. minced garlic.

Chop 1 small jalapeno that has stem, ribs and seeds removed.

Add 1 tsp. salt to ingredients in sauce pan.

Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
You can strain through a fine sieve to discard solids or
leave the jalapeno & garlic in the mixture for added flavor.
Let cool completely.

Dice 1 English cucumber, you can peel if you wish.
I left the peel on for added texture and color.

Thinly slice 5 radishes.

Halve or quarter 8 ozs. cherry tomatoes.

Finely dice 2 stalks celery.

Dice 1/4 of a red bell pepper.

Cut into 1/4 inch dice, a small red onion.

Combine all diced vegetables into a medium bowl.

Pour cooled vinegar mixture and toss to coat.

Chop fresh cilantro.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or your favorite  grilled  meat.

Enjoy!
This is a fabulous relish with grilling in full swing.
And, soon there will be an abundance of cherry tomatoes.
The perfect pairing for a light, summer meal.

What is an English cucumber?

English Cucumber

English cucumber is a type of cucumber where the cucumber skin is entirely edible unlike other types of cucumbers where the skin is tougher and tastes bitter. Eating the skin of an English cucumber will add a little fiber to your diet.

English cucumber is typically quite a bit longer than other types of cucumbers, sometimes 3 or 4 times longer making them ideal for commercial growers, because they have more volume per cucumber compared to other varieties.

Of the over 100 varieties of cucumbers, ¼ are pickled, ¼ are sold in supermarkets around the world, ¼ are cooked particularly in Asia and Europe and the remainder are simply spoiled and thrown away.

English cucumber can last a little longer in the fridge than other varieties because they are usually wrapped in plastic. English cucumber seeds are small and completely edible. You can eat the skin, eat the seeds and experience less burping, which is a common complaint with garden slicing cucumber varieties. The only drawback to an English cucumber is that it is typically more expensive.
(from www.englishcucumberinthegarden)

Nutrition in a cucumber:

✱ Greenhouse long English Cucumbers do not take much longer than 3 weeks to grow.
✱ Cucumbers are high in water content, and contribute towards weight loss (they are natural diuretics), and keep blood pressure in control too.
✱ It is said that the high vitamin K content of cucumbers also helps with strengthening the bones, and keeps any neurological problems in control.
✱ If a cucumber has an unnatural shine, it has a wax coating over it, to help preserve it longer. In general, a naturally grown cucumber is supposed to be a dull green.
✱ Cucumbers belong to the same family as fruits like pumpkin, watermelon, and zucchini.
✱ The best quality of cucumbers is always the long and slender kind. If it looks shriveled, it isn't fresh.
✱ Largely consumed by people on a diet, cucumbers are great for digestion, and act as a very good cleansing agent for the body.
✱ Commonly used for beauty purposes too, sliced cucumber if placed on the eyes can help get rid of wrinkles around the eyes.
✱ Cucumbers contain a compound called sterols, which help keep cholesterol levels low. This compound is present maximum in the peel of the fruit, hence, it is best to consume cucumbers without getting rid of the peel.
✱ The world's largest cucumber weighed till date has been 59 pounds.
✱ There are several different types of cucumbers that are available, apart from the English cucumber. Some of them are, Persian cucumber, East Asian cucumber, Lebanese cucumber, Apple cucumber, etc.
✱ As strange as it may sound, cucumbers have other odd uses too... They help get rid of hangovers, as well as headaches. They act as a great breath freshener. They also make very good cleaning agents, and can help clean anything, right from shoes to faucets.
So, those were the nutrition facts as well as some other trivia about the English cucumber. The next time you're munching on some, you know how much more it is good for.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/english-cucumber-nutrition-facts.html