Zesty Zucchini Ribbon & Cherry Tomato Salad

 

¼ C. olive oil

Juice from 1 freshly-squeezed lemon (or ¼ cup)

Lemon zest

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1 small bunch of fresh thyme, roughly chopped

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. black pepper

 

4 small zucchini (or 2 pounds)

1 C. halved cherry tomatoes

1 C. freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

 

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette:

 

In a small glass measuring bowl, mix olive oil and lemon juice.  Add the rest of the ingredients, and whisk until emulsified. Set vinaigrette aside.

 

Zucchini Salad:  Using a wide vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into ribbons (see Note) and arrange on a serving platter so that they aren’t sitting on top of each other. Slightly bend them or twist them so that the presentation is pleasing to the eye.  Randomly place cherry tomatoes on top of the zucchini ribbons and tuck a few underneath. Sprinkle cheese shavings on top. Then, drizzle the lemon thyme vinaigrette over the salad. Serve immediately. Leftovers should be refrigerated, stored in a glass, lidded container and eaten within 2-3 days. Note: Zucchini ribbons are easy to make if you have a wide vegetable peeler. First, cut off both ends of the zucchini. Rest one end of the zucchini on the cutting board, and starting at the top, slide the blade of the peeler down to the other end. Because the first ribbon you’ll make only includes the dark green zucchini skin, set it aside (more info to follow). Continue making ribbons until they start to include the immature seeds. At this point, rotate the zucchini and begin again. Each time your ribbons start to include seeds, rotate to a new side. You’ll probably rotate each zucchini three or four times, depending on its size, before you are done. You can dice up the leftover zucchini skin, flesh and immature seeds, and add them to A leafy green salad, roast them in the oven with other vegetables, or add them to your compost. Nothing will go to waste!