Salads Are Inevitable, But Are Not All Made Equal

Delivery 7/3/2012

• 2 Zucchini
• 2 Yellow Summer Squash
• 2 Bulbs of Garlic
• 4 Cucumbers
• 2 Heads of Romaine Lettuce
• 1 Head of Curly Kale
• 1 Bunch of Swiss Chard
• 1 Bunch of Beets, With Greens
• 1 Bunch of Scallions
• 1 Bunch of Thai Basil
• 1 Bunch of Carrots

As the title says, if you have a CSA share you will most definitely be eating multiple salads for multiple meals, multiple times per week.  Your basic green salad is probably the easiest, most versatile way to use a number of vegetables - slice them up, throw them over lettuce and serve. 
But why limit yourself to basic garden salads?  Here's an idea for a quick, fresh salad which uses a familiar vegetable in an unsual way.

Zucchini & Carrot "Pasta" Salad

• 2 relatively small, tender zucchini (the larger they are, the tougher.  Grate the large ones for zucchini bread but not for salads or sautees).
• 2-3 carrots
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, halved
• Which ever fresh herbs came in your share (scallions, thai basil were in mine this week), chopped finely
• 1/4 cup of good olive oil
• The juice from one lemon
• A handful of pine nuts, toasted until golden and fragrant in a dry pan
• 1/2-1/3 cup of goat cheese, crumbled (not everybody cares for goat cheese.  If you want to omit this ingredient, that's fine, but add salt - the cheese provides the bulk of saltiness for this salad).

Take the cut side of the clove(s) of garlic and rub the inside of your salad serving bowl with them, until the bowl smells very garlicky.  Take a vegetable peeler as if you're going to take the skin off the zucchini and carrots in long strips, but keep going:  Use the peeler to basically make long noodle-like strips of both raw vegetables.  Peel/strip them directly into your waiting garlicked-up bowl.  Toss the strips gently with your chopped herbs, then dress with the oil and lemon.  Lastly, toss with pine nuts and goat cheese, and serve.