Zucchini Salad with Pine Nuts and Mint

I’m not going to lie. Zucchini is not my favorite vegetable. I frequently eat it because it cooks quickly, is always available, and it’s not that expensive. However, it’s never something I get really excited about.

But I recently made a new cooking discovery, and now I’m craving zucchini.

This change happened when I came across Love and Lemons‘ Zucchini Coconut Noodles. In this recipe, she doesn’t cook the zucchini. My issue with zucchini is that it gets mushy quite easily when cooked, and I love vegetables with a crunch (I could munch on broccoli and brussels sprouts all day long).

Lightbulb! Perhaps I just needed to eat it raw.

And so I went about thinking all the ways I could eat zucchini raw, and my mind immediately went towards ribbons of raw zucchini in a salad. Using my trusty, sharp peeler, I peeled off the skin of the zucchini and then went about shaving off long ribbons of zucchini. They were slender and beautiful, and I knew they were going to make any salad an extra special treat.

After I shaved off as much as I could (I had to stop when I got to the seeds), I placed them in a bowl, and poured a bit of dressing over them to give them some time to marinate.

They were then joined by some mixed greens, ribbons of mint, and toasted pine nuts. I took a bite, and it was a life changing moment. At 32, I found a way to love and crave zucchini.

I’ve tried to make this salad every chance I can find, including at my recent anniversary dinner (photo above). I hope you give it a try soon too!

What vegetables did you not like at some time in your life but love now?

Smarts

• For more vinaigrette ideas, check out this video.