grilled zucchini with yoghurt

Refreshing flavours of lemon and garlic with grilled zucchini ribbons, served on a tahini yoghurt and finished with fresh basil and toasted pinenuts. Delicious!!

A version of this recipe has been on my blog of a few years now, but I have decided it needed an update. The additional yoghurt layer adds a creamy, richness to the dish.

ZUCCHINI

The zucchini (also known as courgette or baby marrow) is sliced into ribbons using a potato peeler or thinly sliced with a knife, which are then fried in a bit of olive oil until they soften.

Make sure not to overcook them as they will lose their texture and will go mushy. We want them to be soft but still have some texture.

I used a variety of yellow and green in season zucchini in this recipe.

THE FLAVOURS

LEMON

Make sure to use a fresh lemon and NOT bottled lemon juice.

The lemon zest is important too as it enhances the lemon flavour in the dish.

GARLIC

Lemon & garlic are a wonderful flavour combination. I finely sliced the garlic and fried it in a bit of oil until golden and crispy.

You can however use crushed and finely diced garlic. If you are using raw garlic, I would recommend adding it into the yoghurt mixture.

THE YOGHURT LAYER

This is a mixture of tahini and plain (non-diary) yoghurt, a bit of lemon juice and salt. Simple!

This brings an additional layer of flavour - nutty, rich and creamy.

PINENUTS

The toasted pine nuts are highly recommended as they add a delicious nuttiness and crunch... You know how much I love a crunchy element in a dish!

If you don't have pine nuts you can substitute them for sunflower seeds, slivered almonds or crushed walnuts.

BASIL

Adding an herby flavour element takes this to the next level. If you don't have basil, you can replace it with any herb such as parsley.

ENJOY WITH

• fresh crusty bread

• as a side dish to a summer BBQ

• or add cooked pasta and a bit more olive oil for a summery pasta dish.

OTHER RECIPES TO TRY

smoky corn ribs

butternut, kale & spelt salad

tomato & cannellini bean salad

vegan caesar salad

GRILLED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGHURT

Refreshing flavours of lemon and garlic with grilled zucchini ribbons, served on a tahini yoghurt and toasted pinenuts.

Serves: 4 as a side

Time: 15 - 20 min

INGREDIENTS

• 6 - 8 mini zucchinis (courgette), washed and cut into ribbons

• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• sea salt, to taste

• 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp pine nuts

• handful fresh basil leaves

• zest from 1/2 lemon to serve

FOR THE YOGHURT

• 4 tbsp non-dairy yoghurt

• 2 tbsp tahini

• Zest from 1/2 lemon

• juice from 1 lemon, or to taste

• sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toast the pinenuts in a dry pan until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside

2. Next, add a tbsp olive oil to the pan and fry the garlic slices until golden and crispy. If you are using fresh garlic, you can also add it to the yoghurt mixture or fry it with the zucchini ribbons.

3. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside until needed.

4. Using the same pan add more olive oil if needed. Add the zucchini ribbons and fry for about 2 -3 minutes on each side, or until golden. The thickness of the ribbons might affect the frying time. If you don't have a large frying pan you might have to try them in batches.

5. In the meantime, make the tahini-yoghurt by mixing all the yoghurt ingredients together. Taste and season as needed. If you are using fresh garlic, you can add it this mixture.

6. Spoon the yoghurt mixture onto your serving dish and top with the zucchini ribbons.

7. Spoon over the crispy garlic and finish with lemon zest, chopped basil and the toasted pinenuts.

8. Add the lemon zest and season with sea salt and black pepper.

9. Enjoy!

HAVE YOU MADE THIS?

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