Cucumber Ribbon Salad With Garlic Tahini Dressing

Ingredients
1 large cucumber or 2 medium
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped plus a bit more for serving
hemp seeds or sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top when serving

Ingredients – Garlic Tahini Dressing
2 tablespoons unsalted tahini (see recipe at the bottom for homemade tahini)
2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 small cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Using the wide blade attachment on your spiralizer, spiralize your cucumber into ribbons. You can also slice the cucumber thinly with a knife, a mandoline, or make ribbons with a vegetable peeler.

Place the cucumbers in a colander over the sink to allow some of the water to drain off.  Meanwhile, make the dressing.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine.

Once ready to assemble, drain off any excess water from the cucumber ribbons and carefully pat dry with the paper towels.

Add the cucumber ribbons to a large bowl, with kitchen sheers cut up the ribbons to make it easier to eat. Add the onions and fresh mint and drizzle the dressing over top. Toss well to combine and evenly coat the cucumbers with dressing. Transfer to a serving platter, top with chopped olives, a bit more fresh mint, and hemp seeds. Serve and enjoy.

 

*Homemade Tahini:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spread 1 pound raw sesame seeds evenly across the rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned, tossing around every few minutes to avoid burning. Allow the sesame seeds to cool. Add the toasted sesame seeds to your food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for 2 to 3 minutes until the sesame seeds form a crumbly paste. Add Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drizzling in slowly while still processing, 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup will be enough. Process for another few minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary until the mixture forms a thick and fairly smooth paste.  Add more oil to make it thinner. Finish processing. Add sea salt to taste, if you’d like. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a month, or longer.