These cucumber appetizers are the PERFECT filling keto snack for those fun parties and gatherings! The creamy mouse is a delicious contrast to the crisp and fresh cucumber while the summer sausage adds a savory touch. You and your guests will LOVE these cucumber snacks!
We enjoyed these cucumber bites again recently as school as started back up and summer has ended and boy are they a good appetizer for parties! We served them with a sprinkle of fresh chives as it brightens them up and makes them look so elegant. Everyone loved these easy cold appetizers as they were the first ones to disappear from our buffet table – ha!
What I love most about this summer sausage recipe is foolproof, quick, and such an easy light bite! Oh and they’re nearly effortless to whip up as they come together in only 15 minutes. They’re perfect for all you procrastinators out there who need some last minute easy cold appetizers!
If you’re looking for some delicious horderves recipes – this one is a must! Just scroll down below to make your very own cream cheese appetizer to enjoy.
Is cucumber a fruit?
If you’ve ever wondered if cucumber is a fruit or vegetable – it’s a pretty complicated debate. Much like the tomato debate… there is no straight answer.
Scientifically, cucumber is a fruit because of how it grows – it grows from the flower of the plant and contains seeds. By scientific definition – that makes it a vegetable.
However…. If you ask someone in the culinary industry, they will give you a different answer. It’s more savory and contains practically no sugar. Therefore – it’s a vegetable.
So you it’s really up to you to decide. I personally will go with the culinary experts and keep calling it a vegetable 😉
cucumber benefits you should know
Personally, I love cucumber recipes – the benefits make them so worth it! When it comes to the cucumber nutrition – there are very low carbs in cucumbers and the cucumber calories are very low as well! If you want to speak numbers, there are only 4g of carbs per cup and 15 calories per medium-sized cucumber. Talk about nutritious!
But there are other benefits as well! You can expect all these other amazing cucumber benefits:
- Rich in nutrients
- Contains antioxidants
- Promotes hydration
- Lowers blood sugar
- Easy to incorporate in any diet
Seriously…. the cucumber benefits are amazing! It is in everyone’s interest to add these to their diet as the cucumber nutrition really benefit your body.
what is summer sausage
Are you sick of me talking about cucumber appetizers yet? Ha! This cold appetizer contains more than just cucumbers, though – the beef summer sausage is amazing as well. If you’re not sure what summer sausage even is – it’s a sausage that does not require refrigerating. It contains a meat combination of pork alongside some other meat and can be either dried or smoked.
When it comes to the nutrition, summer sausage calories are around 120 per ounce of summer sausage and are rich in potassium. However, they are heavy in sodium so it’s best to limit the intake of summer sausage. (As hard as that is since they are so delicious!)
how to make summer sausage
So what if you want to make your own summer sausage? Well – first is to grind, cure, and season the meat you are going to use for your summer sausage. Once you’ve done that, you can get started with the summer sausage casing – stuffing the meat into the desired type of casing (you can use natural or synthetic ones). Some meat grinders have attachments to help with casing, otherwise you can use a sausage stuffer. From there, you just smoke your meat and you are done!
how to eat summer sausage
You’ve made your summer sausage – now how do you eat it? First of all – make sure to cook it first. Many meats can cause food borne illness if consumed raw. It’s also important to note that not all summer sausage casing is edible so be sure to check before you consume it!
I like summer sausage best as a snack – either by itself or in summer sausage recipes such as this one. But you can eat it any way you would like, really. Just be sure to follow the guidelines mentioned previously.
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Keto Summer Sausage Cucumber Bites with Cream Cheese Mousse
Ingredients
- 3 oz full-fat organic grass-fed cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons organic grass-fed heavy cream
- 12 1/4-inch thick slices organic uncured turkey or beef summer sausage
- 12 1/4-inch thick sliced seedless cucumber
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks in a separate medium bowl. Beat 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining whipped cream 1/4 at a time. Cover the mousse and refrigerate 10 minutes.
- To assemble the bites, top each slice of sausage with a slice of cucumber. Pipe the cream cheese mousse on top, and sprinkle on the chives.
- Serve.
Alyse says
Great recipe for cucumber bites! Thank you for sharing!