Zucchini with Basil, Mint & Lemon

Sometimes you need something simple.
Like that one time when at a friend’s bbq party you ate something like 8 ribs, a couple of burgers and 100 honey glazed chicken thighs. No wonder afterwards the dog was trying to bite your calf, he no longer saw you as a human being but rather as a walking sirloin steak. Not like that happened to me or anything lol.
Any-hoo, as I was saying, sometimes you need something simple and also light, fresh and nutritious. Something that will make you feel less guilty for all the meat you engorged.
Behold people: enters zucchini with basil, mint & lemon.
This is quite an unusual side dish to serve at a barbecue — where the potato salad reigns supreme.
But trust me, success is guaranteed.
It’s terribly simple to make, and it’s fantastic because it’s a nice little side dish that goes great with barbecued meat or fish, but also with other things like mozzarella, goat’s cheese or cured meats.
It’s light, green, fresh and so delicious.

Prepare zucchini this way just one time and I guarantee you will forget how you did it before.
Maybe not. Maybe you will just learn a new way to prepare zucchini, and that’s good enough for me.
Look for zucchini that are small to medium in size (the larger ones tend to be watery and less flavorful), consistent in color, and free of soft spots and shriveling.
Once you master this quick zucchini recipe, you’ll find lots of great ways to change it up. One of my favorite variations includes adding fresh chiles and pile it on top of sunny-side up eggs.

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Ingredients
Serves 6 as a side dish

8 small zucchini
1 garlic clove, un-peeled and crushed with the back of a knife
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus a couple more for garnish)
handful fresh mint leaves, chopped (plus a couple more for garnish)
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a small bowl (or a mason jar) combine lemon juice, olive oil, basil, mint, garlic, salt and pepper.
Set aside.
Rinse the zucchini under cold water and cut off the ends. Cut zucchini in half, then cut half into four wedges (you should get 8 wedges per zucchini).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add zucchini wedges and cook for 4 to 5 minutes max (the zucchini should retain their crunchiness and a little bit of bite, do not overcook it.)
Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain again. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve (if the zucchini have released some water while cooling, discard it) pour dressing over zucchini, gently toss, sprinkle with remaining basil and mint and serve.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 67 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein.