Me and my Mandolin

There is one tool that gives me the creeps every time I use it and that…. is my mandolin! My husband bought this for me as a gift and I know there are others out there with guards etc. but this is the one I have for now & it works beautifully. On cooking shows I literally cringe when the chef is in a race against time and grabs the mandolin with out a guard or glove and races to get some slices EEK!  Now all that being said I love this tool and I have a cutting glove I use. Like most people who use a mandolin at some point you are too confident in your abilities and I lost the right corner of my right thumb. It was a few years back and it feels like it was yesterday. So I use the glove to cut with, wash it ,dry it and put it back in the cardboard wrap every time so I never loose a digit or top of one again. Respect the Mandolin.
Inspired by Wendy at Chez Chloe (before she became a famous on Freshly Pressed) I had to try her zucchini but I had to put my twist on it. I can never leave “well enough alone”

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 medium zucchinis
1 lemon (1/2 sliced thin and juice remaining)
1 tbls olive oil (more if needed)
1 Tbls rice wine vinegar

sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 /4 tsp fresh minced garlic (not even 1 clove)
3 sprigs fresh thyme

WHAT YOU DO:
Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin strips, you want them to bend without breaking (best way is to test as you are cutting)
mix the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl (i did this to make sure I don’t over dress it)
put the zucchini slices in a jar or sealable container and add in the lemon slices in between ( 4 or 5)
then drizzle a few teaspoons of the dressing over them JUST TO COAT. you don’t want to add too much because the zucchini  is filled with water and starts to breakdown and you will have soaked veggies. roll the jar around to coat and put in fridge for an hour or so.
Serve on the side of a sandwich or meal.
Enjoy – T