Shaved Zucchini and Sacha Inchi Salad

It isn't often that I make a raw salad that makes me say, "Wow!" out loud, but that is exactly what happened here. The Shaved Zucchini and Sacha Inchi Salad from Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health is refreshing and super flavorful!

What the heck are sacha inchi seeds? Sacha Inchi is one of the most nutritionally rich plants in the rainforest. Its seeds are a rich source of digestible protein, Omega 3, and vitamins. In fact, the sacha inchi seeds have a higher concentration of unsaturated fatty acids Omega 3, 6, and 9  than anything else including flax seeds. They were introduced to me by a Washington, DC-based company called "Sacha Vida."  They have an unusual nutty taste to them and the best part about using them in a salad is that they don't get soft so you can put them in your salad, put it in the refrigerator for a week, and they are still as hard and fresh as the first day you made the salad! Love these seeds!

Shaved Zucchini and Sacha Inchi Salad
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
Dressing

• 1/3 cup hemp oil (I used flax oil instead)
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

Salad

• 2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped sacha inchi seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
For the dressing, mix the oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Using a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini into ribbons, working from the top to the bottom of each zucchini. Stop when you reach the seeds. Put the ribbons into a large bowl.

Add basil and chopped sacha inchi.

 Then add the dressing. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper as desired.