My Pink Salted Cucumber Sandwich puts an unusual spin on your classic PB&J. This healthy quirky-combo will satisfy your salty/sweet craving...
It's Hot. I'm Sweaty. A muggy bright ball of sun burns through puffy clouds in the powder blue sky - it's hot. I'm trekking home, carrying a ba-zillion heavy bags, huffing and puffing through the concrete city sidewalks. The phrase Urban Desert comes to mind. The taxicabs are starting to resemble camels. A digital billboard clock blinks 85 degrees. I'm parched, sweaty, tired. I'm dreaming of camping out in front of the AC for a few minutes and possibly chugging an iced cold drink as soon as I get home. Salt. I'm also craving salt...
Salty Craving. Everyone gets them. Salt cravings. Whether it be from an active lifestyle or a really hot sweaty day - you're bound to reach for something salty, sometime soon. Funny thing though, "salt" seems to be a *four-letter word* lately. Salt bans. Sodium-reduced foods. Salt is suddenly controversial...
Too Much of a Good Thing is bad. But salt does do a few good things in our bodies... "Salt helps maintain the fluid in our blood cells and is used to transmit information in our nerves and muscles. It is also used in the uptake of certain nutrients from our small intestines. The body cannot make salt and so we are reliant on food to ensure that we get the required intake." -RSC.org
And the down side of the salty story: "“High levels of salt in the diet are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, particularly among certain vulnerable groups and individuals,” said registered dietitian and ADA Spokesperson Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo." -ADA
But everyone is different - Talk to your doctor about your own salt needs. But if you're like me and simply crave a salty fix once in a while - here's my trick for keeping "salty"... "healthy" ...
Salty Foods. Most salty foods are considered low quality snack foods like potato chips, french fries, pretzels, crackers etc. So why not add a pinch of salt to some healthy foods instead. I had this idea a few years ago and posted a Salted Apples recipe on this blog. Well now I'm in love with pink-salted cucumbers. Just a very very tiny sprinkle does it. Think of them as cucumber "chips".
Pink Himalayan Salt. I adore pink Himalayan salt. It became 'trendy' a while back and now even stores like Trader Joe's sell it. I'm not sure why I love it so much, but the flavor is just so pure and light. My pink salt grinder bottle says,
"TJ's Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt gets its soft pink color from the earth's elements."
More on Pink Salt: "Himalayan salt is reported to contain 84 elements that naturally occur in the ocean as well as in our bodies." -sfbsc
"The salt is harvested in the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range and is essentially fossilized sea salt." -WiseGeek
Interesting read: Grey Sea Salt Vs. Himalayan Pink Salt
Sodium Content. ⅛ teaspoon provides 16% RDA of sodium. So use it lightly, but a little grind goes a long way. I actually prefer adding salt to salt-free foods like fruits and veggies - because then I control how much salt goes on.
Now let me put my pink salted cucumbers into a quirky recipe I crafted today...
Salty Sandwich. OK, so you might read this recipe and have a "huh?" moment. But trust me, it's delish. I was making myself a peanut butter and apricot jam sandwich on whole wheat with a side of my pink salted cucumbers. I decided to just cram the cucumbers in the sandwich - and it turned out to be super refreshing.
The Flavors: A juicy crunch from the hydrating cucumbers, paired with the sticky sweetness of the apricot jam and a nice silky buttery flavor from the peanut butter. Give it a try, it's definitely a new twist on your traditional pb&j sandwich!..
Pink salted Cucumber PB &J Sandwich
vegan, serves 1
2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
2 teaspoon apricot or any fruit jam
5 slices of cucumber, sliced thin
sprinkle of pink salt
Directions:
1. Spread your pb and jam on your bread slices.
2. Slice your cucumber - thin. Add a light grind of pink salt over top your cucumbers. Add them to your sandwich.
3. Slice and serve!
PB&J with Cucumbers:
Salted Cucumbers:
