-I use a soft vegan cheese made here in Canada called VegNature. It’s cashew based and fermented with a crust of herbs/spices. It kind of looks like a typical goat cheese log and eats that way too. So good! If you can’t find something similar in your area, the Minimalist Baker site has an easy recipe for a homemade version here.
-I used Brightland’s new Parasol champagne vinegar, but lots of other vinegars would be good: white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, and regular balsamic vinegar all work.
-I also garnished my salad with a torn zucchini flower. This is a pretty touch, but not necessary :)

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Ingredients

1 small shallot, finely diced (about 3 tablespoons diced shallot)
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 medium zucchinis
2 golden plums (or nectarines, peaches, other varieties of plum etc)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped
⅓ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and ground Aranya Black Pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground Guntur Sannam Chillies, or to taste (see headnote)
2 oz (56 grams) soft vegan cheese, crumbled

Methods

Place the shallots in a small bowl and cover them with the champagne vinegar. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Toast your sliced almonds in one of two ways: on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 10 minutes (my preferred way for even toasting) or in a skillet over medium heat with frequent stirring for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave your zucchini lengthwise. Once you get down to the middle of the zucchini, it will be more difficult to shave. I usually get the zucchini down to about ½ an inch of core. I save the core for a stir fry, zucchini bread or other use!
Arrange the shaved zucchini on your serving plate. I like to curl the pieces a bit for presentation. Spoon the vinegar-soaked shallots evenly over the shaved zucchini. Drizzle all of the remaining vinegar as well.
Cut the golden plums into little wedges and arrange them on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle the chopped thyme and parsley over the top of the shaved zucchini salad. Evenly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top as well.
Finish the salad by liberally and evenly seasoning it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the ground chillies over the top. Gently crush the sliced toasted almonds with your fingers as you sprinkle them over top. Evenly scatter the small bits of vegan cheese throughout the shaved zucchini salad.
I like to let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes so that the acid from the vinegar and the salt can soften the zucchini a bit. Serve the salad up right after!

Laura's Spicy Shaved Zucchini Summer Salad

Recipe from: The First Mess

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small shallot, finely diced (about 3 tablespoons diced shallot)
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 medium zucchinis
2 golden plums (or nectarines, peaches, other varieties of plum etc)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped
⅓ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and ground Aranya Black Pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground Guntur Sannam Chillies, or to taste (see headnote)
2 oz (56 grams) soft vegan cheese, crumbled

Methods

Place the shallots in a small bowl and cover them with the champagne vinegar. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Toast your sliced almonds in one of two ways: on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 10 minutes (my preferred way for even toasting) or in a skillet over medium heat with frequent stirring for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave your zucchini lengthwise. Once you get down to the middle of the zucchini, it will be more difficult to shave. I usually get the zucchini down to about ½ an inch of core. I save the core for a stir fry, zucchini bread or other use!
Arrange the shaved zucchini on your serving plate. I like to curl the pieces a bit for presentation. Spoon the vinegar-soaked shallots evenly over the shaved zucchini. Drizzle all of the remaining vinegar as well.
Cut the golden plums into little wedges and arrange them on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle the chopped thyme and parsley over the top of the shaved zucchini salad. Evenly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top as well.
Finish the salad by liberally and evenly seasoning it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the ground chillies over the top. Gently crush the sliced toasted almonds with your fingers as you sprinkle them over top. Evenly scatter the small bits of vegan cheese throughout the shaved zucchini salad.
I like to let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes so that the acid from the vinegar and the salt can soften the zucchini a bit. Serve the salad up right after!