Cucumber salads are joys of summer. If you're anything like me, the notion of a bountiful garden is just what I need at the end of a Minnesota winter. By May, I'm chomping at the bit to get seeds or starts in the ground. With August just around the corner, I'm less romantic about it. I've walked through my favorite recipes and find cucumbers to be a burden. Happily, this recipe brings back a happy dose of gardening joy.

This cool cucumber salad has a bit of a bite to it, but is tempered by the addition of cashew butter. The texture is improved with this addition, but if you have an aversion, you could substitute with tahini or sour cream or leave it out altogether. It's delicious in all its forms. In fact, you can play with any of the seasonings if you're comfortable doing so. As with all my recipes, this is an idea, not dogma!

I conjured this recipe as part of my imaginary Summer Evening Meal with Maya Angelou--one of my indulgent make-believe meals that I've shared. Even without Dr. Angelou's company, the meal is a lovely one for a summer dinner. Take a look and tell me what you think!

Preparing your Cucumber Salad

To begin, cut the cucumbers into rings about ½" thick. This thickness with help the cucumbers retain some crunch. Slicing the cucumbers thinner is just fine, but will lead to softer cucumbers and may not hold up quite so well if you enjoy leftovers.

Sprinkle the cukes with salt and place them in a colander over a plate. This will help them shed some water. Let the cucumbers drain for about 20 minutes or up to an hour.

While these drain, slice your onions very thinly and set them to the side.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the cashew butter, vinegar, mustard, sorghum syrup and spices with a fork or whisk. Add salt to taste--the cucumbers will have some residual salt from the how they were drained so don't over-salt the dressing.

Add the onions to the bowl and mix with the dressing.

Dry-off cucumbers with a clean paper towel to remove the moisture that has released and to remove excess salt. Add these to the dressing and onions in your serving bowl and toss together.

Place the salad in the refrigerator and allow to chill for about an hour. Longer is fine. Before you're ready to serve, check the seasoning and add more salt if needed!