Want something bright and different to use up summer produce? Maybe you have too many zucchini’s around? Or maybe like me, you have lots of plums in the house? This is a perfect seasonal salad for right now, with the concept adapted from Laura Wright.

Those little plums in the photo below are local ones from our farmer’s market; we also have large imported ones from Costco. Any kind you have will work well in any combination and proportion. Plum sizes vary widely, so think in terms of approximately the amount of three larger plums.

You can buy almonds already toasted, like I did here, or toast your own. Either do them in the oven at 350º for ten minutes on a baking sheet, or on the stove by constantly stirring them over medium heat in a dry pan on for 5 minutes.

Shave the zucchini lengthwise with a vegetable peeler, rotating around the vegetable until you get down to the seedy center. Save that part for something else like zucchini bread, or stir-fry.

This recipe serves two.

Zucchini and Plum Salad Recipe

1 shallot, diced
2 Tablespoons champagne vinegar
3 Tablespoons sliced toasted almonds
2 or 3 zucchini, shaved with a vegetable peeler.
3 plums any variety, cut in wedges
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 Tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon ground Kashmiri dried chillies, or sprinkle of Aleppo pepper
2 ounces goat cheese or soft vegan cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, cover the shallots with the champagne vinegar. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Arrange the shaved zucchini on your serving plate.

Spoon the vinegar-soaked shallots evenly over the shaved zucchini, then drizzle in all of the remaining vinegar in the bowl as well.

Arrange the plums on top of the zucchini.

Sprinkle the chopped thyme and parsley over the salad, and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top as well. Season it with salt and pepper, add the sliced toasted almonds, and sprinkle of the ground chillies over the top.  Scatter the small bits of goat cheese (or vegan cheese) throughout.

Let the salad sit for 5-10 minutes so that the acid from the vinegar and the salt can soften the zucchini a bit. Then serve and enjoy!