Raw Courgette (Zucchini) Salad with Cranberry Beans and Feta

A fresh tasting, crunchy and filling salad with ribbons of raw courgette and cucumber. The addition of beans and feta turns it into a meal in itself, but it could also be a great side dish for a barbeque or any type of grilled meat.

One of my favourite things to have on hand in the freezer is a bag of cooked pulses. I usually have stashes of cranberry beans and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in there, which I mostly use in salads. I cook big batches of them in the slow cooker (a recipe for chickpeas can be found here), bag one-cup portions in little freezer ziplocks and pull one out whenever I want a salad for dinner. Plain lettuce and tomato is great, but if that’s all I have I’ll be rummaging in the fridge within the hour. Adding some pulses is a good way to ensure I’ll be full enough to leave the cheese and crackers alone after dinner. Most times.

It’s been just over a year since I discovered how good courgettes (zucchinis) are when eaten raw (pasta salad and pesto have been my fave), so I thought I’d try them in a salad combined with cucumber, cranberry beans and feta cheese. And since it’s trendy, I thought I’d cut them into Pin-worthy ribbons. As it turns out, I think this was the best way to do them, as the really thin slices are much nicer tasting than chunks. While I was at it I did the cucumber the same way. I used a mini cucumber, but if you can’t find those just choose a regular one that’s as thin as possible. Basically you don’t want it wider than your peeler.