Cucumber and Radish Salad by Health Coach Melanie Rathbun, FMCA

As you may have noticed by now, we at BWC For Horse Lovers love consuming and preparing local and seasonal produce.  Radishes are currently being pulled from many gardens and local farms, so it’s a great time to share some information (and of course a recipe you can all enjoy at home!). 

I often come across clients who have never tried radishes, or who simply don’t know how to prepare them, so now may be the perfect time to experiment.  Don’t let them be an afterthought. The more we can eat the rainbow and try new foods, the more nourishment we can take in from all of the amazing fresh produce that is available to us.  

A radish is a root of a plant from the brassica family.  Close relatives to the radish include broccoli, mustard greens, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, and turnips. Radishes range in flavour from peppery hot to mild and sweet, depending on the age and variety of the plant, and they also come in many shapes and colors. Radishes are spicy, crunchy (can make for a great snack if the munchies set in!) little roots that grow fast and are really low in calories. They may even help or prevent some health conditions. Radishes are nearly all water, with a good source of Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps battle free radicals.  It also helps prevent cell damage caused by aging, a poor lifestyle, and the environment we live in. Radishes also include folic acid, and most of the trace minerals, including zinc, iron, silicon, and selenium.  The phytonutrients in radishes are beta-carotene, caffeic acid, diallyl sulfide, ferulic acid, glucoraphanin, sulforaphane, methyl mercaptan, and raphanusin.

They may not be the most popular vegetable in your garden, but radishes are one of the healthiest as this root vegetable is packed with nutrients. 

I’ve included a recipe for a Radish & Cucumber Salad.  This creation is fresh, and packed with flavour. Enjoy!

Radish & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

3 TBSP hemp seeds

2 TBSP hemp oil

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

3 TBSP fresh dill, divided

1 ½ cucumbers, sliced, or 10 mini cucumbers, sliced (this is what is shown in the picture)

1 cup radishes, sliced

Directions:

• To make the dressing, add the hemp seeds, hemp oil, apple cider vinegar, and half of the fresh dill into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
• Add the sliced cucumber and radishes into a bowl and toss together with the dressing.
• Top with the remaining dill and enjoy!

Notes:

Leftovers:  best enjoyed the same day! For longer-lasting leftovers, refrigerate the vegetables separate from the dressing in airtight containers for up to two days.

More fiber: serve over a bed of spinach, arugula or kale.

More flavor: add salt and pepper to the dressing.

More protein: top with chicken breast or chickpeas.

Storage tip:  keep wrapped in a paper towel inside a paper bag in your crisper.

Did you know:  most of the ‘hot’ taste is in the skin.  Peel for milder flavour, if desired.

Culinary compatibility:  green onions, chives, dill, mint, thyme, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and sesame oil all work well.

Keep the green tops:  they are delicious and healthy.  Add them into salads or sautee in a bit of olive oil and garlic. They can easily be mixed with other greens such as mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, and spinach.

 

References:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-radish#1

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/the-benefits-of-radishes