Zucchini Crostini

In addition to watching Project Runway with Chelsea on Thursdays, we've also taken to trying new recipes for fun. She stumbled upon this one from Yum Sugar, so we had to try it!

Zucchini Crostini

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup shredded basil
½ cup marcona almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into ¼-inch slices (about 12 slices)*

Directions

1. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in the middle of a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, then squeeze the towel to remove excess moisture. Repeat until as much liquid as possible has been released, then transfer the zucchini to a bowl.
2. Add the garlic, basil, almonds, thyme, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to the zucchini; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the bread and grill or broil the bread until toasted, then let cool.
4. Top each slice of bread with about 3 tablespoon* of the zucchini pesto and serve immediately.

Let me say, these turned out DELICIOUS. They were easy to make and we paired them with some pre-made gazpacho from Whole Foods. All in all, it was a great light summery meal.

And to see how pretty they looked when we made them, here's a photo!