Regular readers know we are huge fans of “Asian” cuisine–Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, or whatever imaginary Asian fusion dish someone has put together. Many Asian dishes have a terrific flavor, without necessarily having a bunch of fat, sugar, or other carbs–especially if you skip the noodles and rice (unless you use low/no-carb shirataki noodles or rice). And since Colleen’s diabetes diagnosis, we’ve really been trying to avoid the carbs and sugars, even more than the fats and the calories.
If you’re looking for a cold side as an accompaniment to an Asian dish like our Sriracha Grilled Chicken or our Spicy Slow Cooker Thai Pork, cucumber is a good place to start. I’ve previously written about my Sunomono Salad, but I now have another favorite–Thai Cucumber Salad. While not quite as easy as the Sunomono, it is pretty darn close, and can be done in 20 minutes or less, if you’re organized.
And with the ability to customize the heat of the dish with thai chilis or red pepper flakes, it is definitely more than just another cucumber salad!
16g carbs and 5 Weight Watchers Points+ per serving.
- 3 medium or 2 large English Cucumbers, halved, seeded, and sliced
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sugar or Splenda
- 2 Thai Chiles (or sub Serranos or dried chilis)
- 1 Garlic Clove, diced or grated
- 2 Tbsp Canola Oil (I sub 1 Tbsp Canola and 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil)
- 1 Cup Cilantro, chopped
- ½ Cup Roasted Peanuts
- ½ Red Onion, thinly sliced
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chiles, garlic and oil together in a small bowl.
- Toss seeded and sliced cucumbers with cilantro, peanuts, and onion in a larger bowl.
- Combine salad and dressing and toss again.
- Add salt to taste.
