Crisp Cucumber Salsa

I love the taste combination of "hot" and "cool" - spicy Mexican food with cool sour cream, warm grilled chicken on a cool salad, and so on. When my dad gave me a ton of cucumbers from his garden, I wondered what on Earth to do with them.

I already put some on sandwiches, wraps and salads for a nice crunch, but I still legitimately had three more cucumbers to eat and needed a way to use a lot at once, so I decided to make this cucumber salsa recipe. The crunchy cucumbers are coated in cool sour cream (woah there...) and the zippy jalapeños really bring the heat. Match made in heaven, during this heat wave.

Oh, and it's pretty healthy and gluten-free and all that. Until you add in the tortilla chips. And until you realized, you've eaten the whole bowl.

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Crisp Cucumber Salsa

• 2 cups finely chopped, seeded, and peeled cucumber (I like cucumber skin, so I only peeled half)
• ½ cup finely chopped seeded tomato
• ⅓ cup chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 4-5 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup sour cream (make it generous)
• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
• Tortilla chips or scoops, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. 

2. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips. 

Note: Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face. Trust me, it ain't fun.