Summer Vegetable & Zucchini Slaw

Summer Vegetable Zucchini Slaw in two different ways.

As much as I hate to admit it, the summer is quickly coming to an end. I hope you are having a fun one filled with good food and adventure. My summer included leisurely camping weekends, rock climbing in the Sierras (with an amazing view of Mount Whitney), a visit to Descanso Gardens and a new found love for anything cooked on the grill.

Summer in Descanso Gardens

As summer winds down, I’m finding myself wanting to capitalize on the abundance of fresh garden goodness available right now. Last weekend, I came home from the farmer’s market with heirloom tomatoes, a canary melon, fresh parsley & oregano, a giant head of green lettuce and chili peppers that left a subtle just-perfect spiciness on my tongue.

This Summer Vegetable & Zucchini Slaw recipe is one that I made throughout the summer as I experimented with a different combination of vegetables. The main goal was to create a crispy and refreshing salad that wasn’t made with your typical base of leafy greens. This easy summer salad recipe features fresh corn, but it is also great with julienned red & yellow bell peppers. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet this would also be great on a sandwich or hot dog.

Summer vegetable zucchini slaw with red and yellow bell peppers.

There’s still a bit of summer left, so make sure to savor it until the last moment. If you’re into botanical gardens, here’s a thorough article to a list of some beautiful ones across America. As for me, I’m going backpacking in the Palisades next week. I’ll update you all about it soon enough, but until then, I’d love to hear about your favorite summer recipes and moments. Ciao!

Descanso Gardens Purple Blooms

Summer Vegetable Zucchini Slaw in two different ways.

Summer Vegetable & Zucchini Slaw

Yield

2-4 servings

Prep Time / Cook Time

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Activity Guide

Bike Touring, Car Camping, Picnic

Ingredients

  • 1 medium zucchini, shredded
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels, chopped off the cob
  • 2-3 stalks green onions, chopped
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Tools

  • Cutting board
  • Fork
  • Grater
  • Knife
  • Large bowl

Method

  1. Add oil, honey and half the lemon zest to bowl. Squeeze the juice of a lemon half over the ingredients and blend well using a fork. Taste and adjust with more lemon, oil or honey as needed.
  2. Add all vegetables in bowl and mix well to distribute dressing evenly.
  3. Add salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with remaining lemon zest.

5 thoughts on “Summer Vegetable & Zucchini Slaw

  1. You got me on Zucchini slaw. How come I didn’t think of it! Considering I always have zucchini laying around. Thanks for posting:)

    In this part of the world, I’m so happy summer are getting over. I will miss all the vegetables and fruits ofcourse but I have no business in dealing with 50 C temp everyday!

  2. Can I make this in advance? In other words, can I make it on Friday and carry it camping to serve Saturday? I don’t want to turn the veggies to mush with the lemon juice. Thanks!

    1. We haven’t done that before but our best guess is that the version with bell peppers instead of corn would hold up better overnight. We’ve had corn go slimy on us when the temperature on our backpacking trip ended up being way hotter than we thought it would be. You might want to keep the zucchini a little thicker and go light with dressing to help avoid the mush factor. Let us know how it goes!

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