Marinated Zucchini Salad with Olives, Artichokes, and Red Pepper

Ingredients

• 4-5 small zucchini, cut into half moon slices about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 can large pitted black olives, drained very well
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained very well
• 1 red or green pepper chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 red onion chopped into bite-sized pieces, optional
• 1 cup your favorite Italian dressing with no sugar
• Juice of half lemon
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Optional: additional 1/4 cup grated parmesan to sprinkle over salad just before serving

Directions

1. Slice the zucchini into quarters or small bite sized pieces. If the zucchini are large, trim out the seedy center and most of the pale interior before cutting.
2. Cook the zucchini until it is just tender but still has a little bite, about 3 minutes if you steam it and a bit longer if you saute it. Drain it thoroughly. If you want to cool it quickly, you can drop the hot zucchini into ice water to halt the cooking, though that step is not required.
3. As the zucchini cooks, open the olives and artichoke hearts, then pour them into a colander so they can drain completely. This matters here, because extra liquid from the zucchini and olives will make the salad watery.
4. Cut the red bell pepper, and the red onion if you are using it, into bite sized pieces.
5. Put the zucchini, olives, artichoke hearts, red pepper, and red onion if using into a Ziploc bag, or use a plastic or glass container with a lid that seals tightly.
6. Add enough dressing to coat the vegetables, then mix everything carefully so the pieces stay intact. Use only part of the dressing for the marinade, saving a little to add right before serving.
7. Refrigerate the salad for 4-8 hours to marinate.
8. If you think of it, flip the bag or container occasionally so the dressing reaches all the vegetables, but the salad will be fine if you skip that.
9. Right before serving, mix in a bit of the dressing you held back.
10. Add more freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top when serving, if you like.
11. For the best texture and flavor, use freshly grated cheese. Grating it on the larger holes works nicely for the final 1/4 cup, and the salad looks great with that cheese scattered over the top instead of stirred in. If pre-grated Parmesan is what you have, use it and carry on.