Summer Zucchini Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt-Herb Dressing
Try this Summer Zucchini Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt-Herb Dressing recipe
Try this Summer Zucchini Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt-Herb Dressing recipe
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- for the dressing:
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 medium ears of yellow corn husked
- 1 cup of grape tomatoes quartered and seeds squeezed out
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas drained, rinsed
- 1/2 up small diced red onion
- 1 large basil chiffonade (a handful of ribbon-sliced basil
- 1 clove of garlic very finely minced
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/4 easpoon onion salt
- 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
- Carbohydrate 3.52792667711033 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.722457498909498 g
- Fiber 1.15010419007159 g
- Protein 1.21991595833276 g
- Saturated Fat 0.113050499849423 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -6 (110g)
- Sodium 882.57912916615 mg
- Sugar 2.37782248703873 g
- Trans Fat 0.0668629999704691 g
- Calories 23 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Place the corn in a pot and cover with water. Lightly salt the water and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, let cook for about 2 more minutes or until corn is easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain into a colander and shave the kernels off the corn with a knife and set aside.
- Slice the zucchinis halfway lengthwise, careful not to pierce the center.
- Spiralize, using Blade B and place in a bowl with the tomatoes, corn, beans, onion and basil.
- Pour over the dressing and toss to thoroughly combine.
Why does raw zucchini soften just enough when tossed with salt and acid, yet retain its snappy crunch? The answer lies in osmosis. When salted components interact with the moisture inside the zucchini noodles, excess water draws outward, concentrating the vegetable's natural sugars while softening the cellular walls just enough to absorb the dressing.
The Chemistry of the Dressing
Greek yogurt provides a thick, protein-rich base, but its natural casein proteins require thinning and balancing. Whisking nonfat yogurt with sherry vinegar and lemon juice lowers the pH, which brightens the dairy fat and breaks down the harsh bite of raw garlic. Garlic contains alliinase enzymes that release pungent sulfur compounds when ruptured; resting the dressing in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes allows those flavors to mellow into the yogurt matrix.
Squeezing the seeds out of the grape tomatoes prevents the watery interior from diluting the dressing's viscosity. Similarly, boiling the corn for precisely two minutes gelatinizes the surface starches just enough to make the kernels tender without losing their snap.
- Watery dressing results from failing to squeeze the tomato seeds; always drain them thoroughly before mixing.
- Mushy zucchini noodles indicate over-salting or excessive holding time; combine ingredients immediately before serving.
- Incomplete garlic distribution happens when minced cloves are added directly to oil instead of whisking them into the yogurt base first.
