This grilled zucchini salad with cilantro lime dressing is a great go-to summer salad that keeps your hunger at bay but your figure in check.

As summer nears, our palates begin to change. In the winter, we crave warmth through denser foods with a bit more of everything – fat, carbs and protein. In the summer, our bodies are naturally drawn to foods that are lighter and cooler in order to offset the ambient heat. This zucchini salad is a deliciously light way to fill up without being weighed down. The zucchini is grilled to smoky perfection, but then paired with a tangy cilantro lime vinaigrette that invigorates the senses and lifts the spirit, which is exactly what summer is all about!

For this zucchini salad recipe, you could also grill the corn, but I chose to keep the corn raw in order to bring more freshness to the salad. I also like the bite of raw corn, which is softened slightly by the addition of apple cider vinegar in the dressing. And while this recipe is delicious as is, feel free to add in any other grilled or raw vegetables of choice!

Grilled Zucchini Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Serves 4

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In the summer, we naturally crave lighter foods. However, your go-to raw salad recipe can become a bore if you repeat it daily. There are ways to enjoy the elements of a salad without taking part in the salad experience. Here’s how.

To tackle this new-age raw salad recipe, you’ll need a tough-skinned dark green that can serve as a “wrap” for regularly salad add-ins. In my take of this concept, I use collard greens to roll around julienned raw veggies and sprouts. To bring more bulk, taste and a sense of cohesion to the mix, I add raw hummus. The resulting raw hummus collard roll salad recipe is 100 percent raw, light, delicious and filling. Enjoy!

There are many ways you can alter this recipe to fit your tastes. I use carrots, cucumber and scallions as my veggie add-ins, mostly because I enjoy the crunch, but you can opt for softer veggies or even fruits, like sliced mango or melon. I also use cilantro, because I like the clean taste, but this can most certainly be swapped with fresh basil, mint, oregano, marjoram or parsley. As far as spices go, take the flavor wherever you heart desires! Try this recipe out first to get a hang of how the elements come together, especially with the raw hummus, and then personalize it the next time.

Chickpeas are excellent cooked, but they are the most nutritionally beneficially when germinated. Soaking in water allows the dried chickpeas to leach enzyme inhibitors and effectively become alive. You want the enzymes, not the inhibitors! Sprouting also increases chickpeas’ nutritional profile – protein increases by 20 percent, nucleic acid by 30 percent and certain vitamins as much as by 500 percent.

Convinced yet? Here’s how to make raw sprouted hummus and put it in a collard roll for the ultimate summer raw salad recipe.

Raw Hummus Collard Roll Salad Recipe

Serves 2

For the raw hummus:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas to make 2 cups sprouted chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons raw tahini
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Water, by the tablespoon, if needed to thin out the consistency

For assembly:

• 8-10 flat collard leaves, stems carefully removed
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 large red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large cucumber, julienned
• 2 scallions, julienned
• 2 large handfuls sprouts
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Place the beans in a large bowl or mason jar and fill with water. Let them soak overnight, for 8-12 hours. The next day, rinse and drain. Return to the container and cover with a sprouting lid or cheese cloth. Leave at room temperature and rinse and drain every 12 hours. After two days, they will have sprouted.

Place the chickpeas into a food processor. Pulse. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the olive oil. Mix until grainy, then while the processor continuously mixes, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the hummus until it reaches desired consistency.

For the assembly, lay the collard green leaves in front of you. There will be 16-20 halves created, after the stems are removed. work with 1 half at a time. Place it in front of you so that the small edge is facing you. Place 1 piece of the carrot, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and cucumber so that their lengths are spanning across the bottom edge of the leaf. Dollop a tablespoon or two of the hummus atop the veggies and then add a bit of the sprouts and cilantro. Starting from the bottom edge of the leaf, roll it over the add-ins and unto itself until you reach the other end of the leaf. Repeat with the other collard green halves.

Related on EcoSalon

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15 Hummus Recipes that Are About More Than Just Chickpeas

Photo Credit: Melody Polakow

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It’s officially summer. Every weekend there’s at least one barbecue to attend, and sometimes more than one a day. Do you panic when asked to bring a side dish to go with the grilled protein option? Are you bored with the usual pasta, potato, three-bean, and coleslaw options? I hear you.

Here are a few interesting takes on the classics from around the web.

Simply Recipes is serving up a nice Asian Napa Cabbage Salad in place of the usual boring coleslaw. Great with grilled chicken, beef, pork, or whatever is on the menu.

From Eating Well we’ve got a bean salad that provides the sweetness of a classic three-bean recipe but with tomatoes for a balancing acidic note. Great with burgers or steak.

The Kitchn is offering this delightful sounding potato salad with fava beans and fennel. If you can’t find fava beans (they are a spring crop) substitute frozen edamame.

Next time somebody invites you to a barbecue, don’t panic. Just say: “I’ll bring a salad”

Image: Nikki L

The post 3 Barbecues? Give These Salads Some Love appeared first on EcoSalon.

I know we just did squash but my plants are still producing like mad and who can resist a dish called Zuccaghetti? This salad-like concoction from Food 52 requires no cooking, so it’s great for hot days and it requires shredding, which will allow gardeners to work through their massive piles of squash.

Over at The Kitchn.com, they’re giving readers lots of ideas for picnic salads that aren’t the usual boring, dressing laden options. This crunchy cabbage and peanut slaw sounds like a mouthwatering Fourth of July pick to me.

As anyone who has ever tried to make red, white, and blue food knows, blueberries are pretty much the only option for the blue. This recipe from Food in Jars for Blueberry Butter uses a slow cooker to get the job done. How brilliant! You can be on grill duty while the blueberry butter makes itself.

Happy Fourth and Happy Cooking!

Image: Jeff Kubina

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