hi! here I am! I’ve been busy creating some fun new recipes and I can’t wait to share them with you. The heat here has been brutal and we have had every single fan going pretty much all day. Even though we are up about 2500ft, the sun still beats down on our little cottage and every day we hope for some cloud coverage to help cool things down. This cool and refreshing zucchini salad definitely hits the spot when it’s too hot to turn on the stove. 
Zucchini is the perfect summertime vegetable. It grows like crazy and can be found at every farm stand-pick some up next time you’re at the market. This salad comes together in less than 20 minutes and pairs perfectly with any meal.
Slicing the zucchini as thin as you possibly can is what really makes them just melt in your mouth. If you have a mandolin, that’s the best way to do it, but if not, then you can use a peeler and make long thin strips. That will work just fine. Of course I used macadamia nuts because we get tons of them here, but pecans or hazelnuts would be great in this too. You can also top it with some fresh ricotta or parmesan. YUM!
It’s surprising how much you can get out of just 1 zucchini. It made enough for the two of us with even a bit extra to give our neighbor. The larger zucchinis tend to have a lot more seeds and are a bit mealy for my taste so I look for the smaller ones which I find to be way more tender. A yellow squash would be fabulous in this salad too.
Simple food like this always tastes best with good company so invite some friends over and give it a whirl. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think.
- 1 medium zucchini
- ¼c macadamia nuts
- ¼c sunflower seeds
- ¼c avocado oil or olive oil
- 1t dijon mustard
- 1T honey
- ¼t sea salt
- 2T fresh lemon juice
- 1t tamari
- 1 bunch baby arugula or spinach
- Slice the zucchini into rounds as thin as you can. I used a mandolin which made paper thin slices. You can also use a vegetable peeler to make long thin strips.
- set aside.
- Toast the macadamia nuts and the sunflower seeds in a 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, mustard, lemon juice, honey, tamari and salt until well combined.
- Add the shaved zucchini, nuts and seeds and toss gently until everything is coated with the dressing.
- Serve on a bed of the baby greens.
Laura says
August 18, 2015 at 5:24 amLooks delicious! I’ve never used a mandolin, but have always wanted one!