Oh, summer, wonderful summer!! I LOVE summer.

I love Mediterranean summer!

 

I LOVE million deegres, skin melting in the sun, I LOOOOOOVE going to the beach, I love the whole summer vibes.

I love the city filled with tourists, most of them just walking around having no idea where they are & where they’re going. I love sipping coffee in on a hot summer day, watching the sea.

 

I love the smell of pine trees on the beach & the endless song of crickets.

I love hearing children play, watching them build sand castles, jumping in the sea. I love super old grannies who spend all day on the beach, never running out of things to chat about.

 

I love being ready to go in a minute – just put on a bra & I’m ready!

 

I love how summer gives a completely new meaning to life – new energy.

Makes me ALIVE, the whole day.

I love how summer makes all worries disappear!

I love the sea & it’s salty taste. I love how it cleans my soul.

I love how easy it is just to be. In summer.

And of course, I LOVE SUMMER FOOD. (surprised much? haha)

Give me all the tomatoes, all the cucumbers, all the lemon & fish & garlic & rosemary & don’t forget the parsley!

Give me all the peaches, all the aubergines, all the strawberries (before the season is over!!), all the cherries!

Give me all these wonderful smells & vibrant colors of the summer food!

Give me the best olive oil on top of everything!

 

Clearly, I can’t escape from the fact that I am a child of Mediterranean sea & this is when I feel my best & most alive. Everything about hot Mediterranean summer makes me just wanna cry happy tears.

 

Perhaps it’s also a bit of nostalgia kicking in. It does every year at this time when it’s all about to happen – days got a bit longer, sun is showing up even here in Germany (although it’s super shy..), energy is a bit higher.

 

AND summer foods are showing up in local shops. Which is where I found first signs of fresh, gorgeous zucchinis today!

Oh, zucchini!!! I could eat them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

I picked up as much as I could carry, already dreaming about aaaaaaaall I could do with them & share with you guys.

I love how versatile they are – you can basically drop them everywhere; soups, barbecue, smoothies, desserts, sauces, bread, brownies – whatever you put them in, it works!

 

So, brace yourself, because this recipe is just a beginning of a wonderful zucchini relationship.

Luckily, being awesome + versatile as they are, I’m sure everyone will find their favorite!

 

Enough poetry – lets get down to business! 🙂

 

The recipe I decided to share with you today is zucchini carpaccio.

Because it’s:

• savory (I wanted to share something savory with you guys, to make sure you don’t think I eat only sweets)
• light
• fresh
• brings a dash of Mediterranean summer
• super low maintance + easy
• absolutely lovable
• no cooking; I’m not a big fan of melting in front of a stove on a warm sunny day & I guess you aren’t either
• healthy, healthy, healthy!

 

Speaking of healthy, zucchinis are amazing! A great source of fiber – one medium zucchini having around 2g. Even better source of vitamin C – just 1 cup containing a whopping 35% DV (1)

They are also rich in vitamin K, vitamin B6, B2 & folate!

Folate is SO important & challenging to get, since it’s very temperature sensitive. Many women are dificient or almost deficient. Therefore, eat your zucchini & avoid long cooking times (for all veggies, if I may add).

As far as the minerals go, potassium + manganese are the stars of the show when it comes to zucchini.

You want potassium in your diet for keeping the blood pressure on a healthy level, but also for keeping your brain function at a healthy level! Potassium is also crucial when it comes to relaxation + contraction of muscles. (2)

Manganese keeps our bones strong – this is important for women.

It also contains mangesium, copper & phosphorus. Smaller quantities of iron, selenium, calcium, zinc & sodium are also present.

However, zucchini is not the only star of this recipe – every ingredient I use has insane health benefits. I really love how simple it is to eat extremely healthy – and this recipe is a clear proof of that.

 

Lets talk for a moment about parsley. Parsley is one of my favore herbs ever – first of all, vibrant green color of parsley elevates every dish. However, parsley is way more than just a decoration – its nutritional profile is absolutely precious!

Super rich in vitamins K + C, beta-carotene & antioxidants (volatile oils + flavonoids), lovely parsley protects us from free radicals.

(Let me know if you want to hear more about free radicals & I’ll write about them)

What I also love about parsley is – iron! We girls who base our diet on various plants can find it challenging to get enough iron, especially because of our cycles. Parsley contains around 10% DV in just an ounce and it comes with tons of vitamin C – which helps absorption of iron. Brilliant.

 

Lime juice, as you can guess, is another great vitamin C source in our dish. Moreover, they also contain flavonoids & potassium.

 

Lastly, my favorite golden liquid (no, not coffee) – olive oil. Now, I won’t go into much detail about olive oil here because it’s so good it deserves its own article. But lets just say it’s one of the best fats ever & you should always have it in your kitchen + use it daily. Reduces LDL cholesterol & protects us with vitamin E (strong antioxidant)

Not to mention the taste – makes every dish worth eating.

 

To sum up;

 

WHY YOU SHOULD EAT IT:

 

• Zucchini: vitamins C, K, B6, B2, folate, potassium + manganese & fiber
• Parsley: vitamins K, C, folate, beta-carotene, volatile oils, flavonoids & iron
• Lime: vitamin C, flavonoids, potassium
• Olive oil: monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E

 

 

YOUR TURN:

 

What’s your favorite summer food?

Favorite way to enjoy zucchini? Aren’t they awesome?!

Remember to snap a pic when you make your carpaccio & use #ninasempire – I can’t wait to see your creation!

 

 

Lots of love,
Nina