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Shaved Zucchini Salad with Plums, Herbs & Almonds

5 from 11 reader reviews
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients

  • 1 small shallot, finely diced (about 3 tablespoons diced shallot)
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 2 medium zucchinis
  • 2 golden plums (or peaches, nectarines, other variety of plum)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • ⅓ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground dried chillies, or to taste
  • 2 oz (56 grams) soft vegan cheese, crumbled

Instructions

  • Place the shallots in a small bowl and cover them with the champagne vinegar. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.
  • Toast your sliced almonds in one of two ways: on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 10 minutes (my preferred way for even toasting) or in a skillet over medium heat with frequent stirring for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  • Using a vegetable peeler, shave your zucchini lengthwise. Once you get down to the middle of the zucchini, it will be more difficult to shave. I usually get the zucchini down to about ½ an inch of core. I save the core for a stir fry, zucchini bread or other use!
  • Arrange the shaved zucchini on your serving plate. I like to curl the pieces a bit for presentation. Spoon the vinegar-soaked shallots evenly over the shaved zucchini. Drizzle all of the remaining vinegar as well.
  • Cut the golden plums into little wedges and arrange them on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle the chopped thyme and parsley over the top of the shaved zucchini salad. Evenly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top as well.
  • Finish the salad by liberally and evenly seasoning it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the ground chillies over the top. Gently crush the sliced toasted almonds with your fingers as you sprinkle them over top. Evenly scatter the small bits of vegan cheese throughout the shaved zucchini salad.
  • I like to let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes so that the acid from the vinegar and the salt can soften the zucchini a bit. Serve the salad up right after!

Equipment

  • Vegetable Peeler

Recipe Notes

  • I use a soft vegan cheese made here in Canada called VegNature. It’s cashew based and fermented with a crust of herbs/spices. It kind of looks like a typical goat cheese log and eats that way too. So good! 
  • I used Brightland’s new Parasol champagne vinegar, but lots of other vinegars would be good: white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, and regular balsamic vinegar all work.
  • I use the ground Guntur Sannam Chillies from Diaspora Co. in this salad for a bit of heat. One of my favourite spices! You could substitute Aleppo pepper or even slightly crushed up dried red chili flakes.
  • I also garnished my salad with a torn zucchini flower. This is a pretty touch, but not necessary :)
Shaved zucchini salad with plums, herbs, and almonds is delicious and simple. Every bite is fresh, bright, juicy, toasty, and creamy with a hint of heat