Zucchini and Green Chutney Salad
An artful low carb recipe with bold flavor, Zucchini and Green Chutney Salad.
Salads have the power to be wildly exciting or extremely boring.
When you are trying to follow a low carb diet, salads tend to be the latter. Without the help of nuts, cheese, and croutons, is there hope for salad?
I say yes.
It’s easy to get tired of the plain lettuce leaf variety. Sometimes you just need to branch out and experiment with other canvases.
Zucchini makes a great salad base because it has a mild and cooling flavor. It’s tender and easy to chop, but can also be sliced with a veggie peeler into long thin ribbons for an elegant touch.
This Zucchini and Green Chutney Salad brings together the feel of fine-dining with the flavors of India.
The dressing is a bright, spicy green chutney that draws its texture from pureed chana dal and it’s color and flavor from cilantro and peppers.
The roasted chana dal also provides a deep nutty essence that boosts the fresh cilantro to the forefront.
The salad itself is a simple mix of zucchini ribbons, sliced mango, and thinly sliced red onion. Once the dressing is added and sweetness of the mango and cool texture of the zucchini offer the perfect balance.
Zucchini and Green Chutney Salad is great on its own. Also try it with Indian Spice Rubbed Chicken!
Zucchini and Green Chutney Salad
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the chana dal on a baking sheet and roast for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Then move the chana dal to the food processor with a 1/4 cup of water and puree until smooth. Add a little extra water if needed.
- Add the serrano pepper, lime juice, garlic, cilantro sugar and salt. Pulse to break down. Then add the remaining water and puree until smooth. Blend in the sugar and salt and pulse to mix. (Makes about 2 cups.)
- Using a veggie peeler, slice the zucchinis into long ribbons and place them in a serving bowl. Peel and slice the mango into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin slivers. Top the zucchini with mango and red onion and drizzle with green chutney.
Glad to be back on your lovely blog, Sommer. Love the refreshing spread and the Zucchini salad. the chutney is a staple at my home, I eat it with my Indian flat breads and rice recipes.
Sommer – what a beautiful salad, and I love the dressing – would never think to use chana dal in the chutney.
Gorgeous salad! I just happen to have all of the ingredients, too! Never can get enough zucchini in the springtime.
Congrats on the buzz!
Beautiful. The ribbons are really elegant and that chutney is so bright and lovely in every sense. Great job creating a healthy salad that is still flavorful and craveable.
This just looks so pretty! I love all the green in your pictures – they look amazing!
Hey Sommer, if this is diet friendly then sign me up;-) Beautiful salad!
love the mango ribbons sommer, stunning salad!!
sweetlife
I’ve got some lovely fresh zucchini that I picked up from the farmer’s market just yesterday. This looks like a perfect summery way to really highlight them. YUM!
I know I can always learn something new on your posts! Never heard of chana dal or a slow carb diet! The salad is far from boring in your combination of flavors and the presentation! I like the mango ribbons. I’m assuming you need to choose a mango at the perfect ripeness to slice it so beautfiully?
Beautiful presentation! I like the idea of dressing it with a green chutney.
Mmm, love this one, Sommer. I get in such a rut with salads…lettuce, tomato, peppers…BORING! This is anythign but!
This looks so refreshing and full of flavors..
the perfect summer dish
What a pretty and fresh summer salad!
This looks gorgeous and very nutritious too. I love your India-inspired recipes – there’s always something new I pick up from them. Chana dal in green chutney – must try that soon!
You made zucchini look cool :)
Perfect salad alternative, you are right, lettuce can get boring after a while!
The vibrant colors are so alluring, I wonder if I could use this to toss into some pasta?
This is wonderfully perfect for summer. So pretty too. I love the mango addition and the green chutney sounds excellent. Cant wait to make for a light dinner next week, maybe with some fish.
Wow. Really beautiful salad. I will investigate this Chana dal some more. We always have so much zuchinni in our garden I’m grateful for another idea. Do you have a book to recommend for a slow carb diet?