Alpha Gal Friendly Vegan Smashed Cucumber Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Smashing cucumbers before salting them is a technique that genuinely transforms this dish — the jagged, cracked edges soak up the creamy lemon tahini dressing in a way that neat slices never could. The dressing itself comes together in minutes from tahini, fresh lemon juice, a touch of maple syrup, and ground cumin, landing somewhere between nutty and bright with just enough richness to feel indulgent. Scallion greens, torn cilantro, and a pinch of red pepper flakes keep every bite lively and a little unpredictable. The salting-and-draining step is a small but important move — it pulls out excess moisture so the dressing clings to every piece rather than turning watery at the bottom of the bowl. For anyone navigating alpha-gal syndrome, this one is genuinely stress-free: every ingredient here is entirely plant-based, with no mammalian meat, dairy, or gelatin anywhere in the mix. Toasted sesame seeds and an optional drizzle of sesame oil finish things off with a satisfying crunch and depth. It's the kind of salad that disappears fast, so you may want to double it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 ½ lb persian cucumbers (about 8–10 small)
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (green tops only)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly torn
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
For the dressing
- ¼ cup well-stirred tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp water, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For serving
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Trim the ends off the cucumbers. Place them on a cutting board and smash each one firmly with the flat side of a chef's knife or the bottom of a heavy mug until the skin cracks and the flesh splits open. Tear or cut the smashed cucumbers into rough 1- to 1½-inch pieces and transfer to a colander set over the sink.
- 2
Toss the cucumber pieces with ½ tsp of the kosher salt and let them drain in the colander for 10 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels. This draws out excess water so the dressing clings rather than pools.
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