Cool Cucumber Avocado Lime Salad!

What a day, what a day! It was 90 degrees here in the Northwoods! Rewind the clock just one week ago, and it was in the 40s! Go figure!

A gorgeous Bald Eagle, on patrol:)

So we decided to take advantage of the “Chamber of Commerce” day as my dad calls it, and we spent it on the lake:) And while we were boating, we spotted a beautiful Bald Eagle – regal and majestic, perched, overlooking the lake. Bald Eagles aren’t rare around here – in fact, we have a big nest on our lake, and there are probably about 9 that fly around! But it was fun to see this one up close today!

garnished with thinly sliced orange peppers:)

Since it was so hot today, I wanted to keep in heat in the kitchen to a minimum. The Oven had just become a “4 letter word!” A cool, refreshing, crunchy dish was sounding pretty perfect.

so many flavors, textures and colors!

Sooo, I made a Cucumber Avocado Lime Salad over Millet. It was faaaabulous! AND it’s gluten-free, vegan, and Body Ecology Diet friendly!

mmmm!

Here’s what you need:

¾ cup millet cooked in 1 ½ cups veg stock
1 cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, deseeded, and then sliced thin
1 red pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 clove of garlic, grated
salt and pepper
1 avocado, diced

so fresh and healthy!

Dressing:
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp EVOO

what a plate!

Really simple: Cook your millet until it absorbs all the liquid – about 25 minutes. In the meantime, prep your veggies. After you slice your red onion, soak it in ice water for about 10 minutes (this gets rid of that bitter, onion-y bite). Also, after you slice your cucumber, wrap the slices in paper towels and squeeze out the excess moisture. Combine all your veggies (except the avocado), garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper into a medium-sized bowl and toss with the dressing. Place it in the fridge until your millet finishes cooking. When your millet finishes cooking, fluff it with a fork. Then, top your cooked, fluffed, and *slightly* cooled millet with your cucumber salad! Top with your diced avocado! Yum!

crunchy cucumbers!

This meal was fantastic! It really hit the spot on such a hot day! It was cool and crunchy, fresh and delicious! The flavors, textures, and colors made this dish extremely satisfying. The flavors were so bright and refreshing from the lime juice and cilantro. There was a slight sweetness from the red peppers, and a wonderfully subtle garlic backdrop.

good eats at the lake home!

And the textures were phenomenal. First of all, it was cool — which is just what we were craving! And then the veggies were beautifully crunchy, which paired perfectly with the rich and creamy avocado! Mmm! The millet chimed in at the end, providing a nutty chewiness – just superb!

buttery and rich avocado!

Finally, the colors were so summery and fun! The red peppers, soft green cucumbers, purple onions and lemon-green avocado made the plate look like a party!

gluten-free, vegan, and body ecology diet friendly!

We survived the first hot day of summer! How do you beat the heat when the temperature rises?

See ya tomorrow!