Summer Squash Salad with Grilled Peas, Mint & Avocado Caesar Dressing

By Published On: 21 June 2013Last Updated: 17 January 2017

This easy salad combines some of the best of what summer has to offer with a delicious Caesar dressing made from hazelnuts and creamy avocado.

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Summer Squash Salad with Grilled Peas, Mint & Avocado Caesar Dressing

By Carly Sitner, Guest Contributor

Despite the overcast, chilly weather where I live, summer produce is coming in full swing. Zucchini squashes, peas, greens and corn are what I want to eat at every meal. This easy salad combines some of the best of what summer has to offer with a delicious Caesar dressing made from hazelnuts and creamy avocado. You don’t need fancy kitchen equipment to get beautifully thin slices of squash. Use your vegetable peeler for more than just getting rid of the outer skin, use it to make delicate ribbons of vegetables for a salad that looks as good as it tastes.

Summer Squash Salad with Grilled Peas, Mint & Avocado Caesar Dressing

Serves 4

You’ll Need

  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 radishes
  • 1 summer squash
  • 1 zucchini
  • 10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbl raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high (alternatively you can place vegetables under the broiler if you do not have a grill).

Prepare a pouch made from foil and toss the sliced snap peas, corn and olive oil together inside. Season with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly charred, about 10 minutes.

Use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to slice thin ribbons of radish, summer squash and zucchini. Toss with the grilled vegetables, fresh mint and hazelnuts.

Drizzle with Caesar dressing and serve.

Avocado Caesar Dressing

Yields 1 ½ cups

You’ll Need

  • 1/3 cup raw hazelnuts
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 2 tbl lemon juice
  • 1 tbl dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie’s Naturals Worcestershire Sauce)
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine the hazelnuts and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Be careful not to take this too far or you will end up with hazelnut butter.

Add the avocado, lemon juice, dijon and Worcestershire. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go. Add both oils and season with salt and pepper. Blend for 1 more minute until thick and smooth.

Taste and season with salt if necessary.

Photo: Carly Sitner

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HELLO! I'm KD Angle-Traegner.

Writer, activist, and founder of Four Urban Paws Sanctuary. I’m on a mission to help people live a vegan life. Read more about KD…

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