Shaved Zucchini Salad with pine nuts and parmesan

This is a summer recipe, I'll admit. And I don't know about for you guys, but man, here, I'm a little late to the party. All the other blogs are posting pictures of pumpkin-y things and cinnamon and chai, and here I am, hung up on zucchini... But I couldn't not share this recipe with you guys just because it's almost October. Seriously. It's good.

 

There's a certain point in the summer where the internet blows up with recipes using zucchini, because anyone who's ever tried to grow this hardy plant in their garden knows that zucchini is the sort of home-grown vegetable that just keeps giving...and giving...and giving. But even if you're not the home-growing type (like me - I've only ever managed herbs), I bet you there's still some nice zucchini squash at the grocery.

So do yourself a favor, the next nice day you have! Throw something on the grill and make this quick and easy salad, and appreciate the sunshine and the flavors of summer.

 This is one of those things that comes together in the blink of an eye, and the flavors are spectacular, the kind of combination that always tastes sunny. Refreshing green zucchini serves as a delivery device for a dressing made of bright citrus and sharp garlic. Top it off with the crunch of toasted pine nuts and a little bit of parmesan, and you've got yourself a winning side dish.

And the biggest sell of this recipe for me (at the time) was that it didn't involve turning my kitchen into an inferno. Okay, most salads don't involve turning your kitchen into an inferno, but don't you get tired of romaine tossed in vinaigrette? I do! This use of zucchini is a great alternative, and it pairs beautifully with lighter dishes such as chicken, fish, or (as I served it) honey-mustard-lime rubbed pork loin and some corn on the cob off the grill.

I could see the look in Sparky's eyes - he didn't think he'd like it. But one bite in, he was ready to wipe out the whole bowl.

Check after the jump for the recipe - and if it's a sunny day today, get out there and enjoy it while you still can!

White Bean Salad

It’s been hot outside, y’all.

I know; nobody takes my complaints of a heat wave seriously since I’ve moved to the great white north, but in the summer, the prairie gets to scorching on the odd day here and there. And so my oven and I? We had a little bit of a. . .brief falling out after two days of heating it up to 500 F for pizza dough applications.

Don’t worry, we’ve made up. . .and I’ve got the banana bread to prove it. Wink wink. 

Even so, for a couple days, I had nothing but cold dishes on the mind - and you know what? In the heat, I don’t really feel like consuming big hunks of meat, either, no matter how delicious. 

And so that’s how I came to make this cold vegetarian white bean salad. I love everything about it. 

I think this is really as summer as it gets. You don’t even have to glance at your oven for this recipe, it’s the simplest thing, a matter of chopping a little red onion, a few fresh herbs, and opening a couple cans. Yes, I said cans. Shh. Nobody has to know. 

And the dressing? Oh gosh, you guys, this dressing. I bet you can make it from things you already have in your pantry, and there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t. It’s light and tangy and flavorful, and very given to a little tweaking this way or that depending on what you’re pairing the dish with. I’ve got a mason jar of it in my fridge, and I’ve been shaking it up each day right before drizzling a little of it on some of the salad greens Sparky’s grandmother gave us from her garden. 

Even better, unlike most salads, this bean salad only improves after a few hours (or even a couple days) in the fridge. And while I find it’s best served cold, it would definitely stand up to a pot luck buffet where it might get to room temperature instead.

As a side note, living with boys (i.e., Sparky and his brother) has made adept at feeding carnivores, and admittedly, I enjoy a good steak or a pork loin as much as the next southern barbeque baby, but when I’m cooking for myself, I find I eat vegetarian dishes as much as not. That said, there are many benefits (both for your health and for the environment) associated with cutting meat out of your diet one day a week. If you are so inclined, a protein-rich legume dish such as this makes an excellent stand-in for meat. 

And if you’re serving this next to a strip loin, or (like we did) vinegar glossed chicken? That’s okay too, this dish is delish, any way you serve it. 

Check after the jump for the recipe for the salad and the amazing vinaigrette that goes on it. . . Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.