Cucumber Pineapple Salad

A refreshing --- and easy --- twist for a summer side dish. You can probably substitute basil or mint for the cilantro (~mojito/other summer drinks) if you like and omit the red onion, depending on your preferences.

Photo Credit: Cooks Joy

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cucumber, diced
• An English (or seedless/small seeds) cucumber is recommended 
• 2 cups pineapple, diced
• 4 Tbsp (fresh) cilantro, diced
• Many stores sell small packets of fresh herbs, which is easier and less wasteful than buying the whole bunch.
• 2 Tbsp red onion, chopped
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• A pinch/sprinkle of chili powder (if desired)
• Salt to taste (I didn't add any)

DIRECTIONS

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• To ensure an even mixture, I combined the cucumber and pineapple, then added the cilantro and mixed, followed by the red onion. I then drizzled and mixed the lemon juice, and then sprinkled the chili powder before one final stir.
• Chill and serve.

Recipe via Cooks Joy

Scottish Baked Courgettes

I left Mike with a lot of leftover food when I left Scotland on Sunday. We had just had company for a couple of days and also had his mum and sister down and John and Hazel from down the street. I was worried that all that food would get wasted (you know how I hate wasting food). But Mike proved me wrong with this dish that he told me he made tonight that he just made up as he went along. I filled in the numbers for him. Let us know if any of them need to be corrected, Mike.

Ingredients:

3 courgettes (zucchini) halved, with pulp scooped out and chopped
1 small shallot finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup chopped ham
grated or crumbled cheese

Cook shallot and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped zucchini and cook for a couple of more minutes until the zucchini is cooked through and tender. Add the ham just long enough to warm it up.

Fill the empty zucchini shells with the mixture. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Bunger it (stick it) in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.