RECIPE: Zucchini Marinated Salad

Two things that I always grow in my garden are zucchini and basil. They are easy to grow and I always get way more than I can use. There's only so much zucchini bread we can (or should) eat, and while we love to use the basil on tomato and brie sandwiches or on bruschetta, again, we're talking BREAD! Too much bread, makes too much me.

So in my search for other useful ways to use zucchini and basil, I stumbled upon this delightfulMarinated Zucchini recipe from food.com. I doubled the recipe because my zucchinis tend to be over 2 pounds.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb zucchini, washed, sliced paper thin (or comparable squash such as crookneck or pattypan)
• The juice of 1large lemon, more to taste (3-4TBSP)
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed and cut in half (approx 1 tsp chopped garlic/clove)
• 1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 -3 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 -3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped. (Substitute 1tsp dried herb per tablespoon needed)

Directions: 

•  Note: It is your choice to peel or not peel the zuchhini.
• Toss the thinly sliced zucchini with the lemon juice, garlic halves, olive oil; salt and pepper to taste. Remember to use a non-reactive bowl for marinating.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate 4-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Once you are ready to serve the salad,  Save one garlic clove, finely minced and toss back into the salad along with the fresh herb of choice. *Important*: Stir in the fresh herbs with the zucchini mixture before serving.
• Adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Best eaten within 24 hours

This is certainly a nice change from all that bread and zucchini lasagna we usually make and my kids ate it too! The zucchini wasn't mushy or soft, rather the texture was crisp, similiar to cucumbers, making it pleasing to eat.

What are you growing in your garden? Do you have recipes that freeze well? I like to pull garden vegetables out of my freezer in the winter, when we're longing for a taste of summer.