Easy, healthy, and in-season: Cucumber salad and “After Eight” pears

So here’s a development: I actually went ahead and tried a vegan day on Tuesday. I think it might have been that “power of public confession” phenomenon. Having admitted I’ve developed a gum-and-coffecake habit, I kind of had to purge it. Immediately. I went heavy on some unusual fruits (most notably dried goji berries, which are actually incredibly delicious. This was a great discovery, as they’re also packed with antioxidants). Sparkling water was another winner. It made everything I did feel a little more upscale. I’m happy to report that bad habits were substantially tamed.

Having been in deadline-fueled mindless eating mode for so long, it felt really refreshing to pare it down. So much so that I went back to the recipe archives and pulled up two incredibly easy favorites. It turns out this is the time for both–cucumbers are just coming in season, and winter pears are still all over the farmers’ markets. Here’s how to make them (as well as why they’re so great for you)…

First off, we’ve got the Scandinavian Cucumber Salad. It’s an absolute staple at big family gatherings–as a side to fish, especially. I was trying to think of how to describe the taste; it’s remarkably complex, given how easy it is to make. I guess I’d say it has a bit of that “sweet and sour” flavor mix, but cleaner, somehow. Cucumbers, for their part, are high in asorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid. Both are, among many things, anti-inflammatories (which is why cucumbers work for puffy eyes). You can also get all the vitamin Bs (meaning it’s a great energy-booster), along with hefty doses of fiber, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium.

Next, there’s the pear dessert. I have no recollection where this one was picked up–nor do any family members–but it’s been an oft-resurrected staple since the mid 1980s. It’s made with After Eights; if you haven’t had them, they’re basically upscale, more chocolate heavy Junior Mints. They also happen to have just the right chocolate-to-mint balance and meltability to totally transform ordinary pears. As for heath benefits, in addition to fiber and vitamin C, pears are high in copper (which fights free radical damage) and vitamin K (great for bones, among other things).

Now, on to what you do…

Scandinavian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients
1 medium English cucumber (In other words, look for the very long, skinny kind.)
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar (This is, indeed, a lot. But a huge portion of the marinade stays in the bowl, so not even close to all of it gets eaten.)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure
1) Peel the cucumber and slice it very very thinly (certain kinds of cheese slicers work especially well here). Place the slices in a bowl.
2) Mix the remaining ingredients. Let them stand for 10 minutes, then pour over the cucumbers and mix well. Marinate the salad in the refrigerator (the original recipe says three hours. Given that my relatives have been known to “serve immediately,” I think you’d be good with however much time you’ve got).

This next one’s even easier:

“After Eight” Pears makes 4 pear-half servings

Ingredients
Two pears (I like the dark reddish winter ones for this.)
4-8 “After Eight” Chocolate wafers. (Or, really, any other minty-meltable chocolate you’ve got hanging around. Also, it looks like while all After Eights used to be vegan, there may now be some variants with butterfat lying around. If this matters to you, definitely check the box.)

Procedure
1) Halve and core the pears.
2) Place on a very lightly greased dish and bake them in the oven until they’re tender when pierced with a knife. (At 375 degrees, this should take about 15 minutes or so.)
3) Place 1 or 2 of the chocolates (life is short, so two a great choice) on each pear half and return them to the oven, baking until the chocolate melts (about 5 minutes). Serve as-is, or with a little ice cream or frozen yogurt.

*Note: If you don’t want to go through the pre-baking process, you can use canned pears, preferably ones with no added sugar so the dish doesn’t get too sweet. The nice thing here, is you’ll get more of a “poached pear” effect, without actually doing any poaching…