Zucchini Apple Salad

The word Salad sounds boring to many. And then there are some i know who only survive on Salads, who make special Salad diet plans, not just for the purpose of diet or to lose weight but simply for the love of eating fresh. I myself was never a salad person, like i would never order a salad when at a cafe or restaurant. The reason also being, most of the "usual" restaurants here served only cucumber,tomato and onion as salad. Its off late that people are exposed to different types of salad ingredients and the sauces and dressings. Moreover, the easy availability of these fruits and vegetables has also helped a-once-termed-exotic-salad reach everyday menu in homes.

Cost factor : Buying broccoli, zucchini, baby corn, purple cabbage or even coloured peppers as everyday buy for a middle class person was not affordable a while back. But the same veggies are available at Farmer's market or wholesale markets these days, for nearly the same price as french beans or lady's finger. 

Exposure due to Internet :Social media and Google has also helped a lot of good salad recipes made available for women to try at home apart from just Garden Salad. There are so many good YouTube videos and blogs available showing easy, less time-consuming and tasty recipes of salads.

The love of trying something new : People these days are willing to experiment, have a taste of different cuisines and try different palates. This love and curiosity has upped Salad's position from "Oh, so boring" to "It looks delicious". Not to mention all the health benefits that eating any fresh vegetables or fruit provides us. So, all in all, it's a win-win situation that people are enjoying eating raw.

Last evening, this bug of "trying something new" bit me too. I had fresh zucchini and fruits at hand. So, made this easy-peasy salad for dinner and it turned out great. I didn't use any sauces or any difficult dressings and the simplicity of it made it more tasty. At times, dressings overpower the salad taste, so i used just 5 basic ingredients and let the taste of veggies and fruits remain. 

Moreover, it's a quick meal. Just chop, assort and mix. That's it. No sauteing, no crushing, no tossing.

Ingredients:

Zucchini - 1 medium sized

Apples - 2

Yellow bell Pepper - half

Red bell pepper - half ( You can also add onions or green capsicum but i didn't)

Olive oil - 1/4 cup

Pepper - to taste

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp ( Substitute with honey if preferred )

Vinegar - 1- 2 tsp ( Use apple cider or red wine vinegar )

Herbs of your choice - I did sprinkle oregano and dried parsley on top but it's optional

Method:

Chop zucchini, apples and peppers and combine in a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, pepper, salt, vinegar and sugar. Pour this dressing over the zucchini-apple mixture.

Toss and sprinkle herbs of your choice

Please note: Serve this salad immediately after tossing. Don't let it rest for long.

Happy Cooking :)