Roasted Zucchini, Cherry Tomato & Basil Salad
This post shares a very basic and easy recipe from my book which offers a great way to use up that abundance of zucchini you may have piling up in your garden (along with some reviews of my book)
When you watch your zucchini plants grow and you go from “aww what a healthy little plant, it`s so tenacious and happy” to “Oh My God! That unholy behemoth zucchini plant has crushed its neighboring plants and is gonna take over the whole raised bed!” it`s time to pull out all the stops for using up those piles of beautiful squash. This recipe is simple but a winner every time. It goes great as a chilled side dish on a hot summer day.
I often like to stack functions when I start up the bbq or get a campfire going so I will be cooking dinner while also roasting up some peppers for making fermented hot sauce as well as some veggies for making salads like this for the next day.
This is easy to make but it really hits the spot!
Roasted Zucchini, Cherry Tomato & Basil Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 zucchini, halved
- 2 cups ripe cherry toms, halved (roasted, or fresh, both ways are tasty)
- 1 cup of diced chives or green onions
- fresh basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons to taste
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- black pepper
- (optional) a sprinkling of whatever other fresh herbs you have on hand, (sage, thyme, oregano etc)
-(an optional variation) add some watermelon cubes and feta for something fun, different and delicious.
Directions:
Half (and skin if store-bought) the zucchinis, brush/rub with olive oil and place on a baking tray (or on the grill on the bbq). Sprinkle with a pinch of black pepper and broil or grill until softened but not mushy.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
While zucchinis cool slice the cherry toms in half and add to a large bowl. Once zucchinis have cooled cut into half-inch thick pieces and add to bowl.
One glug at a time throw in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar (mixing and tasting each time) until you achieve the desired flavor. Slice up some fresh basil leaves and one handful at a time add them (mixing them in each time and tasting) until you get the flavor your looking for. Shazam fresh garden salad bliss awaits you!
Enjoy! :)
The recipe above is from my book (cover shown in image below).
For those interested in purchasing a physical copy of the book you can do so through this link:
https://recipesforreciprocity.com/shop/softcover/
Now I will share a few pics and reviews of my book which came in recently so you can all see what people think of the contents of the book.
Kim from Australia recently sent me the following pics and review:
"I waited with anticipation for this book to wing (or maybe sail) its way to Australia, and was not disappointed. It's a treasure trove of inspiring ideas, using plants as seasonally available. Just a glance at the lovingly-photographed harvests and food sets me off thinking about what I can do with what I have in the garden. Not just inspirational though, this is a practical, useful book, not one for sitting on a shelf looking pretty, but for the "survival bible" section of the bookshelf.
So far I have tried out the fresh and fermented Sambal Matah (which was excellent) and can't wait til my daikons are ready for Purple Dragon Chi. I really like the way most of the recipes can be adapted with what you have, or don't have, on hand - an essential quality if you prefer to stick with only what you grew yourself.
I also like the section on soil remediation, and the fabulous additional reading. I want to add John Ott's book "Health and Light" and the concept that plants are really stored light, to go with the light we get from being outside, tending to our gardens."
The picture below shows Ken in Kjipuktuk (aka Halifax) in Mi'kma'ki (aka Nova Scotia) reading his copy of my book.
Ken was kind enough to share a review on his website stating “This book is my new bible!”.
For more info on how he came to hold that copy of my book in his hands and info on the amazing organic oat creations that he sells (and barters with) read this note.
Sheila Bell in the United States shared this picture with me with the following review:
“In it’s pages, you will discover not only luscious and nutritionally wonderful recipes for natural food preparation from your gardens, but also recipes and ideas for stewarding, preparing, and nurturing your soil, your environment, your gardens (big or small) AND your community!! These recipes gently nudge the reader into actions that are not only attainable, but inspiring and therapeutic for you as a Sower, Reaper, and Consumer - full of a heart of gratitude and reciprocating back on so many layers.
There are a great many other qualities to add to this review, but rather than feed them to you, I encourage you to order a copy for yourself and seriously consider additional copies for gifts that will go on giving, encouraging, and calling into action those on your gift list - your little community. I promise you, this gift will not just sit on a shelf. It will become dog-eared, used, and especially grow into a guide and resource for plans that will inspire additional layers of depth into your community, your perspective, and your growing!” - Sheila Bell
and last but not least a review from Japan, James Corbett of corbettreport.com was kind enough to offer the following review and pic of him holding his copy of my book.
“Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way from Seed to Table explores regenerative practices, permaculture, stacking functions, and other very specific and practical information. As the title suggests, it includes plenty of recipes for things that can be made in the kitchen from the things that you're growing in the garden. But it also contains very specific and practical tips for people who are serious about actually weaning themselves off of the industrial food supply, the system feeding us processed chemical gunk that so many of us are stuck on. Its pages suggests processes and practices that help shape your garden into something that's productive and regenerative. It is holistic in every way.” - James Corbett (An award-winning investigative journalist, James Corbett founded The Corbett Report website in 2007 as an outlet for independent political and societal analysis)
The Corbett Report is an independent, listener-supported alternative news source. It operates on the principle of open source intelligence and provides podcasts, interviews, articles and videos about breaking news and important issues from 9/11 Truth and false flag terror to the Big Brother police state, eugenics, geopolitics, the central banking fraud and more.
The recipe looks delicious and the reviews were wonderful to see ... even before seeing James Corbett! Whoo-hoo, you're Big Time now, Gavin.