I had been seeing people make cold salads with zucchini all over the internet, and I thought I should give it a try. While it is summer, and zucchini is fresh and cheap, it is a great ingredient for recipes. And, I was getting tired of eating lettuce-based salads. I may make a zucchini lasagna in the future too!

Zucchini Ribbon Salad
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchinis (I used organic zucchini because I would be eating the skin)
• 4 oz. of good hard Parmesan cheese, sliced into thin shavings
• Juice of 1 lemon, and the zest of that lemon (about 1/2 Tbsp.), or use lemon pepper seasoning if you don’t have a lemon on hand
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning (Parsley, Oregano, Basil, etc.), or 1/4 Cup of chopped fresh parsley if you have it
• Splash of light Italian dressing (2-4 Tbsp.) or, use olive oil and vinegar
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a grill pan on medium heat.
2. Using a mandolin, thinly slice the zucchini in long strips (lengthwise). This doesn’t have to be perfect.
3. Place the zucchini strips on the grill pan to wilt them down, about 5 minutes. Stir to distribute the heat evenly to all the zucchini.
4. Remove zucchini from grill pan and place in a bowl over ice to cool. Toss zucchini with spices, and lemon.
5. After zucchini mixture has cooled enough, add Parmesan shavings.

Nutrition Facts (Approx. Per Serving): 180 calories, 10 g fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 11 g protein, excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, and phosphorus.

Mine didn’t turn out quite as pretty as I hoped, but it was refreshing, and the Parmesan cheese made it even better.