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If you haven’t noticed I am all about the fresh summertime veggies right now. Can you blame me?!
It’s the best time of the year for food! Okay, maaayyyybeee early fall when all the squash and pumpkins, and apples are coming into season while there are still melons and tomatoes and sweet corn available. OMG sweet corn! I need to have more sweet corn!!!
Take advantage while all the goodies last!
This raw zucchini quinoa salad with lemon herb vinaigrette is no exception to making use of all the summertime seasonal veggies.
I actually created it for all of those vegetable garden junkies out there! It makes use of grape tomatoes, raw zucchini, and a tone of fresh herbs. Your garden is seriously going to love me for this one! And so is your taste buds, and your tummy!
I know that raw zucchini sounds kind of weird in a salad but you know there is that whole zoodles craze where zucchini is often eaten raw, so why not slice it and put it in a huge salad? It’s so crunchy and fresh and delish – you will go nuts over it!
After testing this raw zucchini quinoa salad several times I finally found that the zucchini needs to go to a spa after it’s sliced. As in it needs to detox with some salt for a while while you make the remainder of the salad.
Yes, it’s a necessary step to draw out the water that’s in the zucchini so that you won’t end up with a watery salad on your hands. No body wants a watery salad amiright?! Don’t worry your zucchini will still be crunchy.
I cut my zucchini paper thin by using a mandolin slicer. Of course you can carefully use a chef’s knife to thinly cut the zucchini but trust me, a mandolin will make the job go faster and you will have paper thin zucchini that flops onto your fork…I dunno why it’s so good that way, but it is.
About the lemon herb vinaigrette: There are so many fresh herbs in there that really makes the entire salad pop with flavor! We haven’t been able to grow zucchini, or any other plant related to zucchini (I miss you cucumbers) for a while because we are plagued with the cucumber beetle which only goes away if you don’t plant anything it feeds off of for 3 years….or something. No zucchini this year…or last year…or who knows when.
BUT my herb garden is doing amazing this year! And so is our cherry tomato plant, it has taken over our porch, literally!
In an effort to make use of my herbs I threw a bunch of them into the lemon herb vinaigrette! We’ve got thyme, sage, oregano, and lots of fresh mint. Rosemary is really good too. Guys, the result is an herby, flavorful, summer explosion in your mouth!
Only takes you 30 minutes to make this raw zucchini quinoa salad and what you receive is a huge bowl of healthy goodness.
The combo of the crunchy paper thin zucchini with the tangy artichoke hearts, juicy and sweet grape tomatoes, zesty and herby lemon vinaigrette, and the tender quinoa with a bite of salty feta cheese here and there will make you addicted to this raw zucchini quinoa salad!
Raw zucchini quinoa salad would be a great side dish to go with any meal. Here are some ideas of what to serve it with:
- easy eggplant lasagna roll ups
- salmon cakes with Greek yogurt horseradish dip
- pineapple turkey burgers
- rosemary foil salmon with corn and fennel
- or sheet pan Italian sausage and peppers
It would also be the ideal side dish to bring to any party. It lasts in the fridge for several days so it would be a great salad to prep for packed lunches or dinner through out the week. So versatile.
Either way, I know this raw zucchini quinoa salad won’t disappoint.
And I hope it helps you to make use of all of those garden fresh veggies and herbs you can either pick in your own back yard, or run to the grocery store or farmer’s market to get. What a great time it is to be a foodie, so many ways to get fresh and healthy food onto our plates.
Did you make this recipe? If so, remember to leave a comment down below along with a star rating. I love hearing from you and the star ratings help my posts to rank higher in google! Thanks, friends!
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Raw Zucchini Quinoa Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: side, salad, 30 minutes, healthy, easy
- Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan
Description
Easy raw zucchini quinoa salad with lemon herb vinaigrette is the ultimate summer salad to make the most of garden fresh ingredients. A great side salad to any meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 small zucchinis
- salt
- Lemon herb vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon each fresh dill, thyme, oregano, sage, chopped (can use any combo of herbs your like or have in your garden)
- 2 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Remainder of the salad
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 15 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
- Optional: 6 to 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (omit if avoiding vegan or avoiding dairy)
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: Add the uncooked quinoa and the 2 cups of water to a small sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer – simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed. Transfer the quinoa to a baking sheet and spread it out, this helps it cool faster. Allow it to cool completely.
- Slice and drain the zucchini: While the quinoa is cooking you can slice the zucchini into as thin slices as possible, I like to use a mandolin. Place the zucchini slices on a clean dish towel and sprinkle with a good amount of salt, toss to coat. Allow them to sit on the towel for the remainder of the time needed to make the salad. You will notice the zucchini start to release a lot of water, this is what we want so that our salad doesn’t get watery on us.
- Make the lemon herb vinaigrette: To a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients: chopped herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, honey, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and olive oil – whisk to combine. Taste and adjust flavors as needed, set aside. Keep in mind that the vinaigrette will season the entire salad, it’s a big salad, so you want the dressing to be really well seasoned.
- Finish: By now your zucchini will be really watery, use another clean tea towel or a paper towel to blot the zucchini so it’s as dry as you can get it. To the large mixing bowl with the vinaigrette add the cooled quinoa, drained and dried zucchini slices, grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, stir to combine.
- Chill: This salad can be served immediately but it’s best if you let it chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours so that all the flavors come together and it’s nice and cold and refreshing.
- Serve: Transfer the salad to serving plates or bowls and top with a sprinkle of the crumbled feta cheese. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Mandolin slicer: I used a mandolin to get paper thin slices on my zucchini and onion. I highly recommend this. However, you can go slow using a sharp chef’s knife to get the slices as thin as possible. Here is the mandolin I use.
Herbs: I know it seems like a lot of herbs but they really help flavor this salad and make it taste like summer. I really recommend using all fresh herbs here, but if you are making this during the winter then swap 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs for the fresh. And if you don’t have access to fresh mint just leave it out, dried mint isn’t worth buying, no flavor.
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