It’s midsummer and the zucchini have arrived—in abundance! What to do with all those beautiful green vegetables? You know you don’t want to waste them after all the effort you put into growing them!
Did you know that zucchini are low in calories and contain useful amounts of folate, potassium and Vitamin A? That’s all the more reason to try not to waste them.
Here are five recipes that call for zucchini. I guarantee you will enjoy them. They may send you back to the garden searching under those zucchini leaves for any you might have missed!
Zucchini Bread
This is an old recipe that I have had in my recipe box for many years.
3 eggs
1 1/2-2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 tbs. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp, baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- Beat eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla.
- Stir in zucchini and flour with rest of dry ingredients.
- Pour into greased, floured loaf pan.
- Bake 350 for 60-80 minutes
Grilled Zucchini
- Slice zucchini either cross wise or length wise about 1/4 inch thick.
- Marinate in olive oil with your favorite herbs.
- Grill on an outdoor gas grill, turning once, being careful not to burn them.
Enjoy!
Sliced Zucchini, Potatoes and Onions
zucchini
onions
potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
- Slice onions and start to fry them in oil in a frying pan.
- Slice zucchini and potatoes very thin and add to onions.
- Stir occasionally and season with salt and pepper.
- These can be served for dinner or breakfast.
Zucchini Pickles
This is a recipe from an old pickling cookbook that I have had for many years.
About 2 lbs. of zucchini
1 /2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of white vinegar
3 tbs. dry mustard, 1 tbs. ground ginger, 1 tbs. curry powder, 6 peppercorns
- Rinse unpeeled zucchini and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Layer with salt in a large bowl. Cover bowl with a towel, and let it stand overnight.
- The next day, drain and rinse squash in cold water and place in a heavy kettle.
- Combine sugar, vinegar and spices in a heavy saucepan.
- Heat to boiling. Boil for 5 minutes and pour over squash.
- Heat to boiling and cook 5 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
- Spoon hot mixture into hot sterilized jars and seal.
- Cook in a water bath for 15 minutes.
Zucchini Stir Fry
This is a dish that you can quickly prepare, when you don’t have a clue what you are going to have for dinner. You can serve it as a side dish, or put it over rice or pasta.
zucchini
olive oil
garlic
onion
basil
tomatoes
- Cook onions in olive oil.
- Add garlic and cook slightly
- Slice zucchinis and add them to the mixture.
- Add cut up tomatoes and basil.
- Cook until soft, but not mushy.
You can add cut up peppers or mushrooms to the mixture as well. Be creative and enjoy!
Here’s an extra recipe for you that involves the squash blossoms. You can harvest the flowers and remove the stamens and pistils. Then dip them in egg and flour and fry them in a little bit of oil. They are especially delicious when stuffed with mozzarella cheese.
Enjoy your zucchini this year. With all these recipes, I bet you’ll be growing a few more plants next year!
Author Bio: Stephanie Trementozzi has enjoyed gardening all her life and zucchini are one of the vegetables she always grows.
