Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe (Vegan)

Richard introduced me to making a simple chopped cucumber salad with seasoned rice vinegar many, many years ago. We love it as a side dish with pizza. A little while ago I decided to add more flavors and texture to it and spice it up a bit by adding carrots and cilantro to the salad and hoisin sauce and chili paste to the dressing. This is now our favorite cucumber salad. The dressing is amazing! It's tangy, slightly sweet, and spicy all in one. The cilantro adds great flavor and the carrots add a great crunch. This is a great party appetizer, and goes wonderfully with pizza.

Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe

1 medium to large cucumber
1 medium to large carrot
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (about half a bunch)
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce

Peel, de-seed, and chop the cucumber into bite-sized cubes. Peel and julienne the carrot into 1 inch matchstick-size pieces. Rough chop the chilantro leaves. Put the cucumber, carrot and cilantro into a mixing bowl. In a 1 cup measuring cup, add the seasoned rice vinegar, the Sambal Oelek and hoisin sauce. Use a small whisk to mix it all together. Pour it over the salad and mix gently with a spoon until all of the cucumbers and carrots have been mixed with the dressing. You can cover it with plastic wrap, refrigerate it and serve it later, or you can serve it right away. Serves 2 to 3 people as a side dish.