Today's recipe comes from bkpkgene (more on him at the end of the post), he did a great job with this and I hope you all enjoy it!
Zucchini Fiesta Salad
Every spring I plant a large garden, this year being no exception. I love zucchini, squash of all varieties, cucumbers and especially LOVE crookneck squash. I planted extra of these vegetables this year as I have a number of new summer salad recipes I have been wanting to check out.
Here is one of my all-time favorite summer salad's focused around garden-fresh zucchini and crookneck squash. This particular recipe is complimented by cream cheese and avocado and has a light 'kick' to it.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound Zucchini (smaller size works best)
1/2 pound Crook-neck squash (smaller sized works best)
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
1/4 cup of your favorite Salad or Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste
Ground Cumin, to your individual taste
Green onion, thinly sliced. Use as much as you like, I pile it on!
1/3 cup diced green chilies
1/3 cup pimento-stuffed olives
3 oz. of cream cheese
1 medium Avocado
Lettuce leaves
Fresh Cilantro
Other Stuff you Need:
Sharp cook's knife
Pot and steamer basket
Pan of ice-water
Large mixing bowl
Prep
Wash the zucchini and squash in cold water. If you feel like adding a fancy touch to the zucchini, you can take a potato/vegetable peeler and peel four strips off the zucchini length-ways. This will give the zucchini a "striped" look. Now, cut the very ends off the zucchini and the crookneck squash, discarding them. Slicing crossways, cut the zucchini and then the crookneck squash in 1/4 inch slices. Staying consistent with the size of your slices will give a more pleasing visual appearance of the final dish.
Take your cream cheese and cut into small cubes. Pit the avocado; then cut into small cubes as well.
Note: I could give you a nice tutorial on pitting and dicing an avocado, but hey, why reinvent the wheel when there is already a great tutorial on this very thing at Simply Recipes. Check it out here.
Try to get your cream cheese and avocado cubes the same size. Now, take the olives and cut them in halves, lengthwise. No worries if the pimentos fall out of the halves, just keep them and toss them in the salad!
The key to this salad is steaming the zucchini and crookneck squash properly
Next up, we're going to steam the zucchini and crookneck squash until crisp-tender,
about 3 minutes. I use a basic 3 quart pot and a steamer basket for this. Be careful with your steaming time - too long and you will get limp and soggy zucchini and crookneck squash that won't be appealing. I am convinced this is why a lot of people do not enjoy zucchini and crookneck squash - it hasn't been properly prepared for them. Once the zucchini and crookneck squash have steamed to your liking, quickly put them into the ice water to cool; then let them drain well.
Let's put it together now!
While the zucchini and crookneck squash are draining, in a large mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add your drained zucchini and crookneck squash and stir lightly. Let chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
Once the zucchini and crookneck squash mixture has chilled, add the green onion, green chilies, olives, and cream cheese. Stir gently.
Time to serve!
To serve, arrange lettuce leaves on 4 salad plates. I like iceberg lettuce leaves for this, as they have give a nice, natural cup appearance when placed on a salad plate. Mound equal portions of salad on each plated lettuce leave. Garnish each salad with a sprig of fresh cilantro.
Serve and enjoy!
Did you know?
Crookneck squash are more commonly known as Summer Squash. They come from the cucurbit family of vegetables, which also includes Pumpkins and Cucumbers.
About the author
An avid gardener, genealogist, hiker and long-distance backpacker, bkpkgene (the author's trailname) resides in beautiful Cody, Wyoming. When not on the trails of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, bkpkgene fills his piggy bank in anticipation of the next big adventure working as a prep cook. bkpkgene is currently developing a website devoted to his backpacking and genealogy interests at http://backpackinggenealogist.com .
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