Chicago Tribune - Good Eatings Vegetarian Cooking

American cucumber salad

This recipe comes from chef Thomas Keller. Why do I call this an American salad? Our country combines many groups, religions and races, each keeping its individuality, staying connected to its history and often claiming its own neighborhoods while interacting with every other group forming a more delicious whole, just like this wonderful salad.

Here we have the Latin combination of lime, Serrano chili and cilantro; mint from the Middle East; olive oil from the Mediterranean; rice syrup from Asia; and cucumber from India.

Prep: 12 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

2 tablespoons each: lime juice, olive oil

1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon brown rice syrup

1 Serrano chili, finely minced

2 tablespoons each, minced: cilantro, fresh mint

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 cups salad greens

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced

Freshly ground pepper

1. Add the lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, brown-rice syrup, Serrano, herbs and salt in a small jar with a lid. Cover; shake vigorously until well combined.

2. Mix half of the dressing with the greens and half into the cucumbers. If adding tofu, mix it into the greens. Divide the greens among four plates. Nest the cucumbers in the center of each.

• If you have a mandoline or a food processor, use it to slice the cucumber, as thinly as possible. (First cut the cucumber into thirds crosswise so that the strips are not too long.) If you have a crinkle- or waffle-cut blade, either will make the cucumber slices very attractive. Discard the first and last slices that are all dark green peel.
• To add some crunch, more chew, more protein and more of Asia, mix some quickly cooked tofu into the greens: Cut four 1/8-inch slices off a block of extra-firm tofu; press out excess water with a kitchen towel. Brush a little oil onto a skillet; heat over medium heat. Sprinkle paprika onto both sides of the tofu; place in hot pan. Cook until one side is brown; turn. Cook the other side until brown. Sprinkle with a little soy sauce. Cut into bite-size squares; mix into lettuce before stirring in the dressing.

Nutrition information per serving: 89 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 215 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Baked crispy zucchini rounds

When I want a fun yet hearty snack, I bake up a batch of crispy zucchini rounds. They're easy to prepare, delicious and a novel way to create a nutritious snack or meal addition with all that zucchini from your garden.

To make the dish, rounds of zucchini are dipped into a ground chia seed and water mixture, then coated with a breadcrumb mixture. Because stray chia liquid tends to make the dry mixture clump up, the breadcrumb mixture is divided into three batches. As one becomes clumped, move to a fresh batch.

Be forewarned: The zucchini will not coat evenly. Also, the undersides bake up a little darker than the tops. For even browning, turn over each zucchini slice halfway through baking.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 18-20 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons ground chia seeds

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon each: garlic powder, pepper

Zest from 1 large lemon, about 2 teaspoons

3 medium zucchini, about 1 pound, sliced in 1/2-inch rounds

6 large basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Pour the water into a small bowl; whisk in the ground chia seeds.

2. In a second bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder and pepper until combined. Add lemon zest, using your fingertips to distribute the zest throughout the mixture. Divide dry mixture among three bowls.

3. Drop several zucchini slices at a time into the chia mixture, coating both sides; drop zucchini into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing coating onto both sides. Lay each slice on a lightly oiled baking sheet. They can be close together, but not touching. Repeat to coat all the zucchini.

4. Bake until crispy and beginning to turn brown, 18-20 minutes. Turn tray once. Place zucchini on a serving platter; garnish with basil.

• Be sure to measure the chia seeds after they are ground.
• If the dipping chia mixture gets too thick, gradually add drops of water.
• The zucchini are delicious as is, or you can serve them with your favorite pesto or marinara sauce. Look for chia seeds and nutritional yeast in health food stores or some specialty grocery stores.

Nutrition information per serving: 138 calories, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 457 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

Broccamole

"I do not like broccoli," President George H.W. Bush famously declared in 1990 in a New York Times story. "And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."