Summer Supper

I've been trying to focus my summer cooking around dishes that require little or no cooking time. I've been making a lot of new varieties of salads, quinoa, and other veggie-centric meals. There's one in particular that I keep coming back to at least one or two times per week.

Despite appearances, it's not pasta.... 

...it's actually a zucchini dish. Adapted from a recipe from this cookbook, it would be a perfect meal for someone who's trying to avoid carbs in their diet. Personally, I just like it because it tastes delicious and is easy to put together:

Start by prepping your veggies: chop up one clove of garlic, slice a couple of handfuls of grape tomatoes in half, and use a vegetable peeler to slice 2-3 zucchini lengthwise into long, thin strips. You can use either green or yellow zucchini. I used all yellow for this batch, which is why it looks like homemade fettuccine.

Once you've prepped everything, heat the garlic in a frying pan with olive oil and a few pinches of red pepper flakes for about a minute, then add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.

After the zucchini cooks for a few minutes and begins to look tender, add the tomatoes. Cook them until they start to release their juices to create a light sauce.

Remove from the heat and stir in some ricotta cheese, anywhere from a couple of tablespoons to a half cup, depending on how much you're making.

I hope you try this. It's a good one!