Zucchini Ribbon Salad With Mint, Walnuts, and Feta
I can’t believe it ‘s zucchini season already!
For my 1st zucchini of the season I wanted to make a dish that really allows the freshness of the zucchini to shine through.
A refreshing no-cook Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Mint, Walnuts and Feta is the perfect dish to showcase just-picked zucchini. If you’ve never tried using zucchini raw before, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by it’s subtle sweet flavour and great texture.
This light summer salad is as tasty as it looks! No special tools or equipment required, just your everyday vegetable peeler to make beautiful zucchini ribbons.
Raw zucchini ribbons curl around toasted walnuts and creamy crumbled feta cheese. A bright lemony, mint dressing and a scattering of fresh herbs finish off this easy summer salad.
It’s delicious on it’s own or served alongside grilled meat. The mint in the salad pairs particularly well with grilled lamb.
Fresh and dried mint make an appearance in this salad, dried mint flavours the vinaigrette, while fresh mint adds a beautiful scent and refreshing cool flavour to the salad.
It’s nice to include a few different fresh herbs along with the mint, to scatter over top of the salad. I’ve used a mixture of dill, tarragon and lemon balm from my garden, but you can choose to use all mint, or a mixture of your favorite herbs.
For more ideas on delicious ways to use your zucchini check out my post Zucchini, Zucchini, and More Zucchini!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp walnut oil (or use 1 additional tbsp olive oil)
- ½ tsp dried mint
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp honey
- Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 -3 tbsp low-fat crumbled feta
- ¼ cup toasted walnut pieces
- 2 tbsp fresh mint
- 2 tbsp assorted fresh herbs optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive and walnut oil, lemon juice, honey, dried mint and cumin along with the cayenne or red pepper flakes if using. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the vinaigrette to absorb the flavour from the mint and cumin. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper.
- Cut the end off the zucchini, leaving the stem on so that you have something to hold on to Using a vegetable peeler, shave down the length of the zucchini to create ribbons, until you reach the seeds. Turn and repeat on all sides. Discard the seeded center of the zucchini.
- Place the ribbons in a bowl and toss with a some of the dressing to lightly coat.
- Arrange the ribbons on a platter. Scatter the toasted walnuts, feta cheese and fresh mint, and fresh herb mixture over top. Drizzle with a little more of the dressing.