This recipe comes from one of Nikki’s and my favorite cookbooks: Big Vegan Flavor. It is such a good book and you should grab a copy today even if you are not vegan. We are not and even in this recipe we used full fat greek yogurt not the coconut she suggests. This is a nice fancy dish that will make you and your guests feel special but really most of it can be made a head of time and you will love the out come.

Ingredients For the Salad:

1¼ to 1 ½ pounds (570 to 680 g) about 6 to 8 Persian cucumbers
or 2 medium English or Japanese cucumbers
Kosher salt
½ to 1 recipe Yogurt-Tahini Sauce (page 215)
¼ cup (30 g) roasted almonds, chopped
(use sunflower seeds if nut-free)
1 to 3 tablespoons Spicy “Honey” with Candied
Jalapeños
Optional 1 can Chickpeas

Ingredients For Yogurt-Tahini Sauce:

3/4 (170g) good-quality coconut yogurt (if you want it to be vegan) or Greek yogurt is fine
3-4 Tablespoons well-stirred tahini
1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves grated or finely minced
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Optional ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (for a touch of sweetness)
1 1/2 teaspoons sumac (for extra tanginess and subtle sweet fruit flavors)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon (for a hit of herbal and sweet)

Ingredients For Spicy “Honey”:

1/2 cup (165g) agave nectar
3 jalapeños peppers, sliced

Directions:

STEP 1: Chop and smash the Cucumbers – Slice the ends off the cucumbers, then cut them in half lengthwise. Using your largest heaviest knife, smash the ckues by pressing the flat side of the knife against them, using the heel of your palm to press down (similar to smashing down on a garlic clove to remove the peel).If you are using larger English cucumbers, chop them in 2- to 3 inch segments, then turn them on their sides and smash them.

Tear the smashed cucumbers into bite-size chunks discarding any loose seeds or watery membranes. Transfer to a colander fitted over a bowl or in a sink. Sprinkle the cucumbers with 1/2 teaspoon salt mixing with your hands to ensure all the cucumbers evenly coated. Place a bag from the freezer over the top to push them down and keep them cold. Let rest for 30 minutes on the counter or up to 4 hours in the fridge. Discard any accumlated liquid and shake off excess water from the cukes to avoid a watery salad.

STEP 2: Spicy Honey – In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the agave and the jalapeños. Heat until the mixture just starts to buble, then gently simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to submerge the jalapeños. Then, remove from the heat and let infuse for 10 minutes. Once cool, store in sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.

STEP 3: (optional) Fried Chickpeas – Empty a can of chickpeas and rinse them. Then in a small frying pan add olive oil, and put the chickpeas in over medium heat. Add Salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 4: Yogurt-Tahini Sauce: In a medium bowl mix all the required ingredents and any optional additions unitil relatively smooth. Season with salt and crack in some black pepper. Taste, adding more as needed. If your yogurt isn’t tangy, add more lemon juice. For more richness add the remaining 1 tablespoon tahini. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

STEP 5: Plate – Grab a large shallow bowl or plate and schmear on a generous amount of the yogurt-tahini sauce (we did this directly on each persons plate) Top with the smashed cucumbers, followed by the almonds. (Optional Chickpeas added now to the top these off). Drizzle with a bit of the spicy “honey” (Include candied jalapeno slices for extra heat and they look amazing). If keeping leftovers plate what you plan to serve and store the components separately.