Grilled Zucchini Ribbon Salad AND The OXO Mandoline Slicer Giveaway!

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Before I begin this week’s post, I’m thrilled to announce that the amazing folks at OXO have sent me another wonderful kitchen gadget to give away to one lucky reader! I’ll feature the fantabulous (and I’m not just saying this because they gave me one) Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer in today’s post and then before the recipe, I’ll give you the scoop on how you can win one of your very own! (This giveaway has ended.  Thank you for your entries!)

Call it Kismet, call it dumb luck, call it perfect timing. Whatever it was, it worked out just right. I have held onto this recipe for a while. Years ago, I saw Michael Chiarello make this on his Food Network show and I tucked it away in my “I’ll Make it Someday” binder. I forgot about it for years, and during a recent recipe purge, came across it again. I set it aside, to keep in that binder, because I knew I really wanted to try it out. The next day, I got a note from OXO telling me that they’d love to share their new Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer with me. I knew instantly the recipe I’d try out first!

I know I’m pretty safe in saying that all of us had a pretty abnormal winter. Sure, a few people got some snow, but for most of us, winter was pretty mild. Now, in March, we’ve moved into almost summer-like temperatures. Warm weather means it’s time to lighten up that menu. When it’s nice and sunny, I want fresh and light. It appeared that this grilled zucchini salad would fit the bill perfectly.

I started by slicing up four zucchini using my new, handy-dandy mandoline. I easily set the slicer at the size I desired and it was as easy as that! If you don’t have a mandoline, you could easily just slice the zucchini by hand. Just go for thin slices. Not paper-thin, but less than 1/4 inch.

The slicer made quick work for me, and once they were ready, I tossed them with just a bit of olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

I could have used my outdoor grill, but I have a little indoor grill that worked perfectly for this. A grill pan would work just as well. I took a few minutes and quickly grilled up each slice of zucchini, just on one side of each piece, until they were soft and had nice little grill marks on them

After about ten minutes, I had grilled up the whole bunch. I set them aside to let them come to room temperature.

While the zucchini were cooling, I whipped up a quick, flavorful dressing. Lots of fresh lemon juice, garlic, fresh basil and parsley, and just a hint of red pepper flakes all whisked together with some olive oil.

I knew just by looking at it that it was going to be packed with flavor and exactly what I was looking for to help welcome in the summer weather.

When we were ready to eat, I carefully tossed the zucchini in the dressing, piled it all on a plate and topped it with some shaved Parmesan cheese a few toasted pine nuts.

I have to admit, it was really pretty. It looked so summery and fresh. Even better, it was really, REALLY tasty. My husband said it was the perfect salad for summer and my daughter (Can you guess which one?) said that just when she thought she couldn’t like zucchini any more, this recipe came along! We enjoyed it with some beautiful steaks, fresh off the grill. It may be March, but it seemed an awful lot like summer at dinner last night! Oh, and as an added bonus, I had the leftovers for lunch today and it was delicious! I’m pretty confident in saying you could make this up quite a bit ahead of time to serve for a party. It was delicious chilled, or you could prep everything up, keep it at room temperature and then just toss it together right before you serve it. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Would you like one of these wonderful OXO Hand-Held Mandoline Slicers for yourself?

If so, simply leave a comment after this post on Chew Nibble Nosh!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

**Tell me, what’s your favorite thing to cook once the weather starts warming up?**

Want another entry? If you follow Chew Nibble Nosh on Facebook, leave a second comment and let me know! If you follow my Twitter feed (@chewnibblenosh), leave yet another! The winner will be chosen via a random number generator software program, so each comment will serve as a separate entry. Each individual may have no more than three entries (assuming main comment, Twitter and Facebook comments/entries are all utilized). Make sure you leave separate comments if you’re a Facebook and/or Twitter follower to up your chances!

The Nitty Gritty Important Stuff:

- The giveaway is only open to US residents who are 18 years of age or older.

- Entries must be received by 11:59 PM EST on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

- The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via the contact email left with the winning comment. The winner will be asked for their name, age and mailing address. If the winner does not respond by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 with the requested information, a new winner will be chosen.

- The winner will be announced on Chew Nibble Nosh, Facebook, and Twitter on Sunday, April 1, 2012 (and I promise, it won’t be an April Fool’s joke :) ).

- The giveaway prize has been provided at no cost to Chew Nibble Nosh by the wonderful people at OXO.

GOOD LUCK!

GRILLED ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD

Adapted from Michael Chiarello

( The original recipe feeds 12-15. I was feeding 4, so I cut the recipe in half. I am posting the halved recipe that I used. If you need more, just double it!)

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Grilled Zucchini Ribbon Salad AND The OXO Mandoline Slicer Giveaway!
Recipe type: Side Dish
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 3-4 large zucchini
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt/kosher salt and ground pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp. red chili flakes
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly chopped basil leaves
  • 3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
  • shaved Parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions
  1. Heat up your grill or grill pan.
  2. As the grill heats, slice your zucchini. Trim off the ends and using a mandoline, vegetable peeler, or a very sharp knife, slice the zucchini lengthwise. Toss the sliced zucchini with 4 Tbsp. of the olive oil, some salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Brush the grates of your grill/grill pan with some olive oil. Quickly, grill the zucchini slices on one side, until lightly marked and softened, about 1-2 minutes per piece. Remove to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the rest of the olive oil with the garlic, red chili flakes, lemon juice, parsley, and basil. Add the zucchini ribbons and carefully toss to coat. Pile the zucchini ribbons onto a platter, and top with the pine nuts and shaved Parmesan.
  5. ENJOY!

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78 thoughts on “Grilled Zucchini Ribbon Salad AND The OXO Mandoline Slicer Giveaway!”

  2. It looks so good and we love zucchini – I will have to try this! I like to make pesto when it gets warm and pasta salad!

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  3. Can’t wait to try this new recipe! It looks amazing! I love grilling out as the weather gets warmer. I love making new salads, relishes, and marinades to keep from getting tired of the same old stuff.

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  6. Zucchini is one of my favorite summer veggies and I can’t wait to try this recipe out -low 70s in KS today! However, the ultimate summer veggie is tomatoes straight from the garden with a little salt and pepper!

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  13. Looks delicious!! I can’t wait to start my garden later this spring. I love to cook kabobs with all the fresh veggies!

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  23. I am excited to try this recipe. My favorite thing to cook during the summer is hamburgers stuffed with gorgonzola and topped with bacon and BBQ sauce and chic pea salad for a side.

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  25. Summer means grilled FRESH FARMER’S MARKET veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, asparagus, and red/yellow/orange peppers combo for a festive addition, and especially FRESH GREEN BEANS that always taste so much better than store bought fresh/canned/frozen!
    I am lucky enough to have a husband who is the “grillmaster” and to live in a climate where we grill year round.
    I was coincidentally looking for a mandolin slicer a few weeks ago @ Crate and Barrel and they only had a huge $100 machine.. Glad to see OXO has one!

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  32. It’s a toss up for me.. Nothing says summer like a grilling and smoking a cedar planked salmon steak with Jack Daniels Barrel wood chips with a nice homemade Mojito.

    OR

    Diced up sauteed chicken breast, mixed with chives from my garden to make a delicious and healthy chicken salad.

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  33. I loooooove this recipe (and you too.) My staple summer item is pasta salad. There are so many ways to dress it up, different veggies, different vinagarettes, shrimp, etc. Perfect to eat outside on a summer evening!

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  38. Italian sausage sandwiches hot off the grill with sautéed peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese. I love it with a big buttery corn on the cob! Yum!

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  39. When the weather warms up here in AZ I like to keep my kitchen cool and grill outside! I love hamburgers on the grill the best! I also like to toss on some corn in the husks. Perfect warm weather dinner!

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  41. I love to make tomato, cucumber & onion salad. I also love (and my kids do too) grilled pineapple with nutella or honey drizzled on top. Yum!

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  42. When the weather warms up, I like to do picnic dinners and take them to the park. Tonight we had homemade chicken salad sandwiches at the park by our house. I put grapes, celery, and a little bit of montreal steak seasoning in my chicken salad for flavor and crunch. Yummy!

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  49. This recipe sounds great I can’t wait to try it. One of my favorite summer dishes is a cold tomatoe sauce called Checca Sauce made by Giada .It is made of all our fresh favorites including tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil.

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  50. Would you believe that my husband does all our cooking! I know…..I’m pretty lucky because he’s a much better cook than me. My favorite grilled food that he makes is anything from his garden. There’s nothing better than fresh grilled vegetables; tomatoes, spinach, onions, fresh basil, and snap peas.

    Reply ↓

  59. My mother-in-law’s Zucchini Tomato Salad (which is the perfect texture if you have a mando, which I don’t, LOL!)!!! It’s julienned zucchini, tomato, onion, chopped garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper…..soooooo yummy!!!

    Reply ↓

  61. Vermicelli noodles with tofu, cilantro and basil, julienned carrots and cucumbers, in a sweet-vinegar sauce topped with chopped peanuts. So fresh and delicious!

    Reply ↓

  62. Sliced zucchini /fresh lemon juice/olive oil/salt and pepper/shaved peccorino Romano (loccateli) sliced the long way or short in circles, I like to mix green zucchini and yellow squash ! Yum, always a hit !!!

    Reply ↓

  63. Bacon wrapped asparagus, butter crusted filet mignon and grilled squash/zucchini all cooked on the Big Green Egg.

    Reply ↓

  64. I love making pasta primavera. Or asparagus roasted with parmegiano reggiano. Or dandelion salad. Or I might try sorrel soup.

    Reply ↓

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