Charred Zucchini Salad

This is an original recipe of mine, and one of my favorites not just because I made it up, but also because it's freakin delicious!

Every summer I grow way too many Zucchinis and have to figure out what to do with them. In the past I've made stir frys, fritters, breads. I've pickled them, stuffed them, even eaten them raw.

And then I came up with this salad. It requires a little bit of forethought, just for the needed marinating and chilling prior to serving, but the final product is well worth it.

Deep and savory, yet refreshingly light, this salad gets all its freshness straight from the garden. It is simple goodness and a consistent crowd pleaser at summer barbecues. This is a recipe for your recipe books. Give it a try, you'll be happy you did.

CHARRED ZUCCHINI SALAD

(serves 4)

- 2 medium zucchinis, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

- 1 small red onion, peeled

- 1 c garden cherry tomatoes

- fresh basil, chopped

- 1/4 c asiago, shredded

dressing

- 1/8 c Balsamic Vinegar

- 1/8 c Balsamic Hot Sauce

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp dried Basil

- 1 tbsp dried Oregano

- 1 tsp Black Pepper

Marinate sliced zucchini and the whole onion in dressing for at least 3 hours. Turn on grill and spray with cooking spray. Grill zucchini, basting with dressing as it cooks, until charred on one side, then flip, and remove from grill when charred on the other side. Cook and baste onion until soft and tender, remove from grill, and let cool before slicing into thin strips. In a bowl mix zucchini, onion, and quartered cherry tomatoes with chopped basil, cover and let sit in fridge, letting the flavors combine until cool. Top with shredded asiago before serving, and get ready to take all the delicious credit (except for inventing it!).
This Awesomeness was shared on;
Seasonal Saturdays on Bella Vita's Blog