Vegetable Ceviche Cucumber Cups

(For a PDF of this recipe, click here: Vegetable Ceviche in Cucumber Cups) 

Vegetable Ceviche in Cucumber Cups

Ingredients

• 4 juicy limes
• 2 juicy oranges
• ½ pound of carrots, minced
• ¼ pound each of red pepper, yellow pepper and green pepper, minced
• 4 cucumbers, ½ of one seeded and minced for ceviche, the other 3 ½ sliced into ¾ inch thick rounds.
• ½ medium red onion, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro*
• 2 avocados – still a little firm, chopped small
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add carrots, peppers, minced cucumber, red onion, shallot, jalapeno pepper, garlic and cilantro to a medium bowl.  Squeeze the juice of the limes and oranges over the top and toss to evenly coat all vegetables.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours for flavors to blend and for the citrus juices to break down the strong flavors of the onion, shallot, jalapeno and garlic.

In the meantime, take the slices of the remaining cucumbers and scoop out a bowl in each to accommodate the ceviche.  Be careful to not go all the way through.  Store in an airtight container until you are ready to fill.

When it’s ready, remove the ceviche from the refrigerator and add the avocado – refrigerate again for about 15-20 minutes.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the cucumber rounds and the ceviche from the refrigerator.  Using a small spoon, place a scoop of ceviche into each cucumber round.  If you have leftover ceviche, you can use it like guacamole!

*for the cilantro, be sure to use only the leaves, the stems have a harsher, sometimes soapy flavor.