Cucumber and Avocado Salad
**MACERATE IT!!** - see reason for process below
Ingredients:
- Cilantro Leave - 1/4 cup coarsely chopped leaves, remove sprigs
- Ginger - 1/4 cup chopped peeled
- Peeled Frozen Garlic Cloves - 6, lightly crushed
- Jalapeno Pepper - 1 fresh minced, option remove seeds
- English Cucumbers - 2 , cut into 1/2
- Kosher Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Celery Stalks - 4, thinly sliced on a diagonal
- Lime Juice - 2 Tbsp fresh
- Grapeseed or Vegetable Oil - 2 Tbsp
- Avocados - 2, halved, pitted, sliced
- Basil Leaves - 1/4 cup torn fresh
Instructions:
Combine cilantro, ginger, garlic and jalapeno pepper in a resealable plastic freezer bag; seal. Lightly pound with a skillet or rolling pin until ginger and garlic are well mashed. Add cucumbers, salt and sugar. Seal bag; shake to mix. Squeeze bag firmly to slightly mash cucumbers, 1-2 minutes. Place bag in a large bowl; let macerate at room temperature, turning halfway through, until juices form, about 35 minutes.
Empty contents of bag into bowl; turn bag inside out and scrape out any small bits. Mix in celery, juice, and oil. Season with more salt, if desired. Divide avocado among plates; spoon salad over. Garnish with chopped cilantro and basil.
**Macerate It!!**
Sprinkle salt and sugar on produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, or berries(hold the salt!); let stand for 20-40 minutes. This process, also called maceration, draws out the juices, creating a natural sauce.
