Zucchini Smash with Fresh Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenZucchini Smash with Fresh Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	5 minutes (2 hours for the Fresh Ricotta)	Total Time	25 minutes
Servings	4	Cost Per Serving	$2.05

Zucchini Smash

2	Medium Zucchinis
1/2 cup	Cherry Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup	Fresh Basil Leaves
1/2	Lemon, juice and zest
3 cloves	Garlic, unpeeled
1 tbsp	Extra Virgin Olive Oil
To taste	Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Fresh Ricotta

To make fresh ricotta, add the milk and whole cream to a large pot. Place over medium high heat and bring up to a simmer (185 degrees F). Remove from heat and add your vinegar and salt. Stir gently for 2 minutes until you start to see curds forming. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let cool for an hour. Carefully pour mixture through a strainer lined with a few layers of cheese cloth. Squeeze the cheese in the cloth to get rid of excess moisture, and discard the liquid. Refrigerate in the cheese cloth until ready to use.
On a cast iron grill or BBQ over medium high heat, grill your whole zucchinis and garlic for a few minutes on every side, until the zucchini is golden brown on the outside, but soft and cooked through in the middle.
Roughly chop the zucchinis and add to a bowl. Peel your garlic cloves and add them to the bowl with the zucchinis, along with half your basil leaves, olive oil and a little salt and black pepper. Smash with a fork until well combined.
Place a spoonful of the zucchini mixture on a plate. Top with a good spoonful of ricotta, a squeeze of lemon juice and some lemon zest. Add the tomatoes and some fresh basil on top.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for the Zucchini Smash with Fresh Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes

Zucchini is a very good source of fibre, containing 2.5 grams per cup of sliced zucchini. Some of this fibre is in the form of pectin, which may help keep blood sugar and insulin levels within healthy ranges.
Zucchini is rich in several antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants help protect the eyes from cataracts and worsening eyesight due to aging.
Cherry tomatoes may be small in size, but are equal to their larger counterparts when it comes to nutritional value. Tomatoes are rich in plant chemicals such as lycopene that have been shown to reduce risk of prostate cancer. Laboratory studies suggest that some of the plant chemicals found in tomatoes may also help prevent endometrial, breast and lung cancer cells from multiplying.