Tomato Zucchini Carpaccio

I hope you all had a nice weekend! I finished my first half marathon (2:15:28), so that was pretty exciting – though I’m not feeling so spectacular today! The longest I’d run before today was 12.5 miles, so I was happy with my time. If anyone is interested in my 10 week training plan just let me know!

I know I sound like a broken record, but zucchini is so awesome, you guys! This carpaccio recipe makes great use of fresh garden veggies and it makes for a great starter. It’s light, refreshing, and very flavorful, so it’s a delightful way to begin a meal. The fresh chives and balsamic boost the depth of the flavor profile and it’s beautiful enough to serve at dinner parties.

The key to the success of this dish is the thinly sliced veggies. If you have a mandolin I encourage you to use it, however, I made do with a very sharp knife. You want to make sure that the slices are no more than 1/4″ thick, that way there aren’t a lot of juices running on the plate, which helps with presentation, and diners can just get a bite of both the zucchini and tomato by cutting it with just a fork.

You could also do this with lots of other raw veggies, including mushrooms I found at Fine Foods Specialists and cucumbers, and you could try many different types of vinegars and oils on it to bring out your favorite flavors. Also, you could try changing the flavor profile by switching up the herbs and garnishes. A little pink Himalayan sea salt goes a long way for flavor, too!

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Have a wonderful week!