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Healthy And Delicious Lemony Marinated Zucchini Salad

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Zucchini is delicious raw, especially when it is marinated before being added to a salad.

Zucchini Salad

This healthy and delicious lemony marinated zucchini salad is the perfect side dish to bring to a summer cookout or on a picnic! The zucchini is topped with slivers of red onion, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pistachio nuts, Kalamata olives, and crispy bacon. So much tastiness in every bite!

Many of the zucchini recipes I’ve shared here on the blog have been made with cooked zucchini, but zucchini is equally as delicious raw, especially when it is marinated before being added to the salad.

First, slice the zucchini into very thin slices. I use this mandoline slicer. I love this simple tool for cutting up thin strips. As you can see in the pictures below, the food holder on the mandoline protects your hand from the blade while you slice. I also often use this cut protection glove (not pictured) which really helps protect fingers from getting nicked.

The middle picture is a view of the back of the mandoline where you can see where the slice comes out.

Once you have sliced up the zucchini, place all the slices in a shallow baking dish with the lemony marinade for at least two hours.

zucchini slicing

Just before you’re ready to serve your salad, finish prepping your ingredients. Cook the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Toast your pistachios in a small pot in sizzling garlic butter. Slice up the red onion (I used the mandoline again to make evenly thin slices).

Drain the zucchini and discard the marinade.

Now here is the fun part. Roll up each slice of zucchini and divide among four plates.

Arrange the slivers of raw red onions atop each plate of zucchini. Raw onions are so good for you. You can read more about the health benefits of onions here. And they add such pretty swirls of color.

Zucchini Salad

Next, sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. It adds a lovely creaminess. Because goat’s milk is closer in comparison to human milk than that of a cow, some people with low tolerance to cow’s milk can tolerate goat’s milk. Read more about goat cheese here.

The goat cheese I used is a Chèvre from the Vermont Creamery. This is a wonderfully tasty cheese. Vermont Creamery proudly states that their goats’ milk comes from high quality, sustainable, and environmentally sound farms. It really turns this salad into something special.

After the goat cheese, top the salad with toasted pistachios. I love the buttery crunchiness they add to the salad.  (If you’re concerned about nuts manufactured on shared equipment with gluten containing products,  Nuts.com prominently labels which products of theirs are certified gluten-free).

Now for the chopped bacon. I’ve always recommended no nitrate bacon, and lately I have been using sugar free bacon from U.S. Wellness Meats. You may be able to find sugar free paleo friendly bacon at your supermarket.

Finally, add a handful of Kalamata olives to each plate. They’re good for you too.

There you have it: a delightful summer salad with super healthy ingredients.

Zucchini Salad

I think this salad is delicious with a very light vinaigrette. For the vinegar, I used Bragg’s apple cider vinegar. It is one hundred percent gluten free and one hundred percent nourishing to your body.

Raw apple cider vinegar has a host of health benefits from improving digestion to alleviating heartburn to maintaining healthy skin. It alkalizes the body, balancing your pH, to help you fight off disease and inflammation. I especially like Bragg’s because it contains the “mother” of the vinegar: strands of proteins, enzymes, and friendly bacteria.

To soften the sharp taste of the apple cider vinegar, I mix it with a little olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.

Some tips about olive oil! To be sure that you’re buying a high-quality olive oil, look for an extra virgin olive oil (EVOO); otherwise, it has been chemically refined. For the freshest olive oil, check the harvest date on the label and make sure it is within one year. The oil should come in a dark glass bottle and be stored in a cool, dark cabinet.

With the vinaigrette made, we’re ready to dig in! John and I couldn’t resist adding extra slivers of red onion and a little more bacon to our salads. I can’t wait for you to try it.

Zucchini Salad

I’m looking forward to many beautiful days the summer has in store. We’ll be able to eat our meals outside and enjoy our garden. I’m looking forward to planting vegetables and grilling on the barbecue and coming up with many more tasty recipes. 🙂

I hope you have an opportunity to slow down and enjoy this fun salad with family and friends. What are you most looking forward to these upcoming months?

Enjoy! Have a happy and healthy week!

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4.86 from 7 votes

Healthy And Delicious Lemony Marinated Zucchini Salad

Allow 2 hours for marinating zucchini in the refrigerator before assembling your salad. Zucchini is delicious raw, especially when it is marinated before being added to a salad.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author Barbara | Gluten Free Homestead

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons pistachios
  • 10-20 Kalamata olives
  • 2 slices bacon cooked and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons goat cheese
  • For the marinade:
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
  • For Toasting Pistachios:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • For Vinaigrette:
  • ½ cup good extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons Braggs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
  • 1 teaspoon gluten free Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove minced fresh garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Marinate zucchini: Slice zucchini into thin strips using a mandoline and place zucchini in a shallow baking dish. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic to a small bowl and stir. Pour marinade over zucchini, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  • When you are ready to assemble your salad, Toast Pistachios: Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it bubbles and begins to brown. Turn off the flame and add garlic and pistachios. Stir well to coat the pistachios until slightly toasted.
  • Assemble Salad: Drain zucchini and discard marinade. Roll each slice of zucchini and divide zucchini among 4 plates.
  • Top each plate of zucchini with slices of red onion, toasted pistachios, olives, bacon and goat cheese.
  • For vinaigrette:Whisk together in a small bowl: olive oil, vinegar, basil, dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over salad as desired.

Nutrition-Label-zucchini salad

About Barbara

Barbara loves to bring fun into the kitchen and healthy food to the table. She also enjoys drinking coffee, eating a little chocolate, reading a good novel, going for walks and spending time with her family and friends.

Reader Interactions

Comments


  2. HI Barbara & Nicole,
    Sound and looks like a healthy and tasty salad – perfect for summertime heat when you want sometime tasty and filling but not too heavy. I love how you sliced your cucumber. I am going to try that myself. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!

    Reply

    • Hey Allie, Thanks for taking the time to stop by and then to leave your comment.

      I love marinating the zucchini. Sometimes I don’t even add any dressing; it’s so good. 🙂

      Reply

  4. This looks like my sort of salad (well maybe not the onions, I’m not a fan of raw onions). I’m definitely going to pin this to try. I think this would make a wonderful weekday lunch.

    Sally @ Life Loving
    #LifeLovingLinkie

    Reply


  5. Wow this looks so good! I usually make something similar for my husband and I, but it’s green squash instead of zucchini. If I made this dish I would certainly leave quite an impression at home. : )

    Reply

  6. Yum! That sounds just perfect for a light dinner on these hot days! A few months ago I found out that I’m allergic to squash but I bet your salad would be just as good made with cucumber instead of the zucchini. Going to try it soon!

    Reply

  7. Beautiful zucchini ribbons! I also love the addition of kalamata olives.
    I just returned from Greece and have a whole supply of olives I picked up there, this would be a wonderful way to use them.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and to leave your sweet note, Misty. I hope you love this as much as I do.

      Reply


  9. Such a beautiful salad. Love zucchini ribbons! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious dish on Simply Natural Saturdays. I’ll be featuring this post tomorrow – looking forward to what you’ll be sharing this weekend.

    Reply

  11. This is making me hungry reading this, zucchini and goats cheese are two of my favourite ingredients and this salad looks yummy! A zucchini mandolin does a fab job, I cheat and use a potato peeler. This is a brilliant recipe and will be fab for summer. Thanks so much for linking up a second post at #fortheloveofBLOG this week. Claire x

    Reply

    • Hey Candy, To each his own. That’s what’s great about salad. What would you add? Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. 🙂

      Reply

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