Zucchini and crispy chickpeas with whipped cottage cheese

While whipped ricotta and whipped feta have enjoyed their time in the culinary limelight, we could all stand to be whipping more cottage cheese. The tangy, lumpy curds transform into a plush, creamy bed for a tangle of raw zucchini and just-crisped chickpeas with little more than a blender and some fresh basil. Serve this summery minimal-cook dish as a salad-dip hybrid, swooshing the softly green spread on a plate and layering the dressed squash and beans over top, to scoop with your favorite grilled bread; or make like a chic café and pipe the whipped cheese into wiggles on toast and top with the salad.

Finishing with more basil is nonnegotiable.