Fresh Cucumber and Avocado Salad

Charleston is hot! With few remedies to cure the heat wave that graces this city every summer, sometimes the most appealing answer lies inside your (air-conditioned) kitchen. There is nothing better than a refreshing chopped salad to accompany your dishes in the summertime. I was immediately excited about this recipe after seeing the post on Kalyn's Kitchen blog. The ingredients are simple and tantalizing: cucumber, avocado, lime, mint, and feta cheese.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad Recipe with Lime, Mint, and Feta
(Makes 2-4 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

2 cups chopped cucumbers (3-4 medium cucumbers or 2 larger cucumbers)
salt, for drawing water out of cucumber
1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 tsp. fresh lime juice (to toss with avocado)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint (measure after chopping)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (more or less to taste)

Dressing:
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T fresh lime juice
Peel cucumbers, and scrape out seeds if they are large. Cut cucumber into 1/2 inch pieces and put in colander. Sprinkle with generous amount of salt and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, use paper towels to blot the cucumbers to remove the water and salt.While cucumber is draining, peel avocado and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Put avocado into large salad bowl and toss with the 1 or 2 tsp. lime juice. Wash mint and chop with chef's knife or mini-processor. Whisk together olive oil and lime juice to make dressing and measure 1/2 cup crumbled feta.Add drained cucumbers, mint, and dressing to avocado and combine. Then gently stir the crumbled feta into salad ingredients. Serve immediately.