I hate cooked zucchini. 

Hate may be a strong word, but I definitely strongly dislike it. It's the only vegetable I can think of that I truly do not like. Something about the texture maybe, who knows? Because of this, I have mostly avoided zucchini - never chose it off the menu at restaurants or bought it from the grocery store, or even read through recipes that called for it.

This miraculously changed when I decided out of nowhere to attempt eating it raw, and oh my god, I'm so glad I did. I used to use a vegetable peeler to create thin strips of it and tossed it together with some other crunchy raw veggies and avocado. However, that technique always took much longer than expected so the frequency that I made that delicious dish dwindled down.

When my birthday came around this year, my heavy hinting that I would love adding a spiralizer to my cooking tool collection paid off, and one was beautifully bestowed upon me. This allowed me to start right back up with my zucchini salads - this time with much greater ease and frequency.

This combination here is one that I particularly enjoy, as it includes newly rediscovered goji berries, and my love for mangoes. The chia seeds do gel up a bit here, so if that isn't your jam feel free to omit them. You can also replace them with hemp seeds, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds.

Every time I make a zucchini salad, I throw together different ingredients to make the dressing, and have decided that it's best to keep it simple for this particular salad base. The ratios I listed below are the ones I like the best in this case, but it's easily tweaked to accommodate your tastes. This makes a large salad, and I find that the entire thing is suitable for a meal for one - I ate the whole salad in the photos for lunch. It can also be split up to serve two or three as a side salad.

yields one large serving, or two smaller side servings

1 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned 
1 mango, cubed
2 radishes, thinly sliced
4-6 large leaves fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp goji berries
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 small lemon, juiced (about 2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (see notes)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare first four ingredients, then combine in a medium bowl with the goji berries and chia seeds. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the lemon juice, mustard, and oil. Pour dressing into the medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and a generous amount of pepper, and toss to coat.

Notes

• The dressing ingredient measurements are by no means set in stone. This is the combination of flavors I like, but feel free to taste as you make it and adjust amounts accordingly.
• Omit the mustard for a completely raw recipe.