All you need is a few ingredients and a few minutes to create this grilled zucchini with pea, mint, and ginger pesto. Fantastic recipes sometimes happen by accident. I was grilling some beautiful zucchini and wanted to add a sauce to add more flavor. My motto is, “if you don’t love vegetables then you aren’t making them right.” My specialty is flavorful vegetables and that is exactly why I am able to eat so many everyday. My first thought was a pesto but I didn’t have any basil. Then I remembered my Spring Pea Dip recipe which is a big hit on the blog and packs a huge flavor and nutrition punch. Unfortunately I didn’t have the cilantro that is key to this recipe. When you feel all is lost just take a look in your fridge and amazing things can happen. I looked in mine and saw a bunch of fresh mint that I just bought at the store and I had an aha moment. So, I made the recipe swapping out the mint for cilantro, used lemon instead of lime, and drizzled in some additional olive oil for the perfect pea, mint, and ginger pesto.
As a dietitian, the number one thing I see clients struggle with is not eating enough vegetables. One reason you will see so many vegetable recipes on my blog is because I want to showcase all the delicious and easy ways most nutritious foods can be enjoyed. You shouldn’t have to feel like you are forcing yourself to eat something green. This pesto is a really great example of that. It makes any vegetable taste great and only takes a few minutes to prepare. You can even freeze the pesto in ice cube trays for more flavor in a pinch.
My tips for adding more vegetables into your diet are pretty simple. One of my number one tips is to include vegetables at all of your meals and snacks. A few suggestions are green smoothies or veggie scrambles for breakfast, lettuce wraps for lunch, taco salads for dinner, and veggie sticks with nut butter or hummus. In addition, you can switch out your grains for nutrient dense vegetables to make zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. You can also make salad dressing or even pesto, like this one, with vegetables already added into the recipe. Even adding vegetables to your sweet treats like pudding is a great way to think/eat outside the box. Though nutrient deficiency is a big problem many people face for different reasons, simply not eating enough of the good stuff is a major factor.
Do yourself and your health a favor and find more ways to add vegetables into your diet and ENJOY them!
Ingredients
- 6 large zucchini sliced longways into 1/4 inch slices (I used a mandolin)
- Coconut oil
- Sea salt
- Pesto
- 2 cups frozen green peas thawed
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves about 3-4 stalks worth
- 1/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 inch fresh grated ginger
- zest and juice of half lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
- Toss the zucchini sliced in coconut oil to prevent sticking to the grill.
- Place the zucchini on the hot grill and cook on each side about 3-5 minutes until you see grill marks and zucchini is slightly softened.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- To make the pesto, add all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, to a food processor or high speed blender.
- Chop all of the ingredients until pureed.
- Drizzle in the olive oil while the machine is running until desired consistency, start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for a few months.
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