Greek Cucumber Zoodle Salad ~ Hydrating and Refreshing

FEEL GOOD FRESH SUMMER FOOD

It's summer again! Yay! This means raw food and lots of it; I often eat high raw in the summer as I feel at my best when eating light, fresh, and hydrating foods when the air is warm. 

Cucumber noodles are my new obsession, I can't believe that before this year, I'd never thought to make them before, and now I have; I can't get enough. 

I find I'm buying four cucumbers every week to make this Greek-style salad as it is incredible. I love all the elements and flavours that come together perfectly. I can close my eyes and remember being in Greece a few years ago, eating foods like this... It brings back many beautiful memories. 

Putting the nostalgia aside, I find this recipe super beneficial for my well-being as I know it is nutritionally balanced, healthy, super hydrating, and delicious, all energizing and satiating me.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET A SPIRALIZER!

A spiralizer is a wonderful device to own if you enjoy making salads more exciting and you love how raw foods make you feel as much as I do.

There are different types of spiralizers, some work great, and others I've had in the past, not so much. I now use a stainless steel spiralizer and haven't looked back. 

It works simply; you cut your vegetable of choice to fit in the device and turn the handle to make noodles. That's it!

Raw veggies in noodles or ribbons help create a more satisfying and enjoyable texture than ordinary cut salads, especially when consuming raw foods; you need that excitement to keep on track. I cut salads less often as they do not excite me near as much as I would require them to make them frequently, so having a spiralizer was a game changer. It helped me find and enjoy salads in ways I never thought possible.

Spiralizers are not expensive, and If you treat yourself to one, this cucumber noodle salad recipe should be the first one you should try; it's my new favourite, and because it's so quick and straightforward, I find I'm making this during my busiest work days.

I'm telling you, the flavour combined in this recipe, the pretty colours, and all the curly cucumber noodles are a thing of beauty on your plate, making sure that no one will resist a salad like this!

WHAT MAKES THIS SALAD GREEK-STYLE?!

Greek Cucumber Zoodle Salad Recipe

The perfect summer salad combining fresh cucumber noodles, salad veggies, chickpeas, dairy-free feta, and a side of both hummus and homemade tzatziki.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tin chickpeas
• 100g vegan Greek-style feta cheese
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup olives, sliced
• 2 large cucumbers, spiralized
• handful fresh raw greens per bowl, I used homegrown lettuce
• 1 tbsp per bowl of homemade or store-brought hummus
• 1 batch of homemade tzatziki, below

Homemade Tzatziki Recipe

• 1/2 a pot of Greek-style or plain dairy-free yogurt, I enjoy oat or coconut
• 1/2 a cup of grated cucumber, I use leftovers from spiralizing or leftover cucumber which I've frozen
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped, can substitute dried dill, though fresh tastes best
• 1/2 a lemons juice
• Pinch of fine sea salt to taste

METHOD

1. Use a spiralizer to create cucumber noodles, you will have to cut the cucumbers in half, so you can spiralize each half into each bowl for 4 servings. Keep the ends of the cucumber leftover from spiralizing to make your tzatziki.
2. Place all the ingredients for the tzatziki in a bowl and mix well, store this in the fridge until using it improves in taste the next day, so make in advance if you can. I often freeze my cucumber ends and use them to make this dip as a "no waste" solution. Stores well up to 1 week in the fridge.
3. Top each bowl of cucumber noodles with chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, olives and vegan feta, adding hummus and your homemade tzatziki on the side.

Enjoy!

Recipe by Rose Wyles - The Vegan Nutritionist

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