Zucchini Salad

We're well into zucchini season, and I've been playing, once again, with last summer's addiction: julienned raw zucchini salad. Inspired by a basic recipe Mandy and I found a year or two ago (essentially lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan, and fresh basil, tossed with the zuke--if I remember correctly!), I've been going nuts. Raw zucchini as the base of a salad is absolutely wonderful, though it's key to use something that's fresh from the garden or farmer's market. The stuff you get in the grocery store in November just doesn't cut it.

My two favorites so far toss pimenton-spiced chicken into the mix (with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper), and ramp pesto with goat cheese (again, with olive oil, salt, and pepper). Fabulous, refreshing, satisfying, and kind of healthy!