Written by : Brigit Binns

The Bite of Spring

Looking for something light and healthy this spring? Try this salad featuring zingy feta cheese and nutrition-packed raw zucchini that is shaved with a peeler or mandoline.

Yummy zucchini salad!

Try this healthy, delicious salad made with colorful shaved zucchini.

This bright, colorful zucchini salad is not only good-looking—it’s good for you. Rich in antioxidants such as alpha- and betacarotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, green and yellow summer squash are a low-calorie boon to your system. If you eat the skin, you get a boost of dietary fiber in addition to a generous dose of potassium and vitamin C.

Pair this recipe with crusty bread and a glass of crisp white wine, and serve as a delicious starter, or even a light lunch.

Summer Squash, Herb and Feta Salad

Serves 4

½ small red onion, sliced into very thin rounds
2 green zucchini, trimmed, sliced paper-thin lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or mandoline
2 yellow squash, trimmed, sliced paper thin lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or mandoline
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
About 12 basil leaves, minced
About 12 leaves fresh mint, minced
About 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Good-quality balsamic vinegar for sprinkling on top (optional)
 
Place the onion slices in a bowl with ice water and let sit for about 10 minutes to take out some of the bite.
 
In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, squash and onion slices; olive oil; lemon; salt and pepper and basil and mint so all the vegetables are coated and seasoned.
 
Have ready four plates and place a quarter of the vegetables on each plate. Top with the crumbled feta and drops of good-quality balsamic vinegar, if using.
 
Serve right away.

Brigit Binns is the author of 29 cookbooks, though she may have lost count. Her latest, Eating Up The West Coast, is available wherever books are sold.

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