Good morning this Wednesday! I hope you are all well and safe. Missing many of you - check in when possible.
It is dry this morning. Didn't get that rain overnight. It still feels very muggy out - the news guy lied!! LOL. Supposedly after today the humidity goes away for a few days and we will see sun and dry. It will be time to get caught up outdoors!
Even though humid still, it is sunny and pretty out.
Today let us talk about the gift that keeps giving from our gardens. Zucchini! It is about that time for everyone. There are just a ton of uses for it. I have had quite the repertoire of uses and recipes for years. Glen used to call me Bubba - as in Bubba Gump Shrimp!
Here are a few ideas!
Click on recipe to enlarge
Click on recipe to enlarge
These are both great vegetarian uses for zucchini. Replacements for meat, and taste so yummy.
Click on recipe to enlarge
Click on recipe to enlarge
Love cream of zucchini soup. I keep grated and chunked zucchini in the freezer, so I can make this during the winter as well. You can always throw in some rice for more substance.
Grill it
Add to eggs or quiches
Bread it and fry
Add to brownies, muffins and sweet breads
Add to soups or casseroles
Great raw in salads - both veggie or pasta
Use in place of lasagna noodles in lasagna
Add grated to any dish - to add extra vitamins (you can hide from kiddos)
Zucchini boats - wonderful and you can make to suit your taste
Replace apples in pie with zucchini slices (same seasoning) for faux apple pie
Make chips from it - tasty!
Roast it
Make zucchini rolls - kind of like rolled lasagna
Again, I know it truly doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own - but it does take on flavor well. It is adding a nutrient rich veggie to the diet and can actually be hidden well from those with an affinity to the idea of squash!
Now is the time.
Gardens are growing and starting to produce. People are leaving gifts on doorsteps and unlocked vehicles! Whether you are growing, gifting or just using - get creative. It is a very inexpensive way to add vitamins to your diet. Such a prolific veggie.
Get zucchy with it!
Have a fabulous day!
Cheryl. thanks to you I started preserving zucchini "pineapple". I use it to make carrot pineapple muffins & in baked beans. Excellent. One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is sauteed with onion then sprinkled with grated cheese. Yum.
ReplyDeleteYAY - thank you for letting me know that!
DeleteI love sauteed zucchini and yes onions and cheese and lovely combo. I like cheese on everything. But that is a great combo.
We had almost 6 inches of rain here yesterday and a number of flash floods. Luckily no damage for us. I LOVE zucchini. There are just so many uses for it. One of my favorites is zucchini pillows. Take two thin slices and lie them criss cross. Add a spoon full of ricotta cheese with herbs in the center. Fold them up to form a pillow shape and bread and fry or air fry. Have a bit of sauce for dipping. Delicious!! Have a great day!!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, that is a lot of rain. I had heard your area got hit bad. Glad you are OK and no damage.
DeleteI love zucchini too. I agree, so many ways to use it. Your idea sounds wonderful - I will try that this summer. Yum.
Love these easy and inexpensive recipes.
I spent some time yesterday making cream of zucchini soup base to put in the freezer. 3/4 pound zucchini chunked, 3/4 cups water, 2 TBSP dried basil ( from my garden). Bring to a boil and cook until zucchini is soft. Cool and puree. Pour into a freezer container and freeze until ready to use. To make the soup, melt 3 TBSP butter in a pan, add 3 TBSP chopped onions and cook until soft. Add 3 TBSP flour and make a roux. When roux is finished cooking slowly add 2 cups of milk of choice. You can even use reconstituted powdered milk for this. I use either almond or coconut milk and cassava flour for the flour to make it gluten free. Cook until thickened. When thick pour in the zucchini base and season with salt to taste. We like substance too so I often add other things to it like you do, Cheryl. If you add Old Bay seasoning to your fritters it will taste like a crab cake. Cookie
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of cream of zucchini. So many different recipes out there. Years ago, an elderly neighbor gave me a recipe - and I adjusted over the years.
DeleteYour recipe sounds wonderful too. Thank you for sharing it.
Ooooh, love the Old Bay idea! Will try that this year too. Thanks
We had similar to Lori's zucchini pillows last night for our evening meal, instead of frying them I baked in marinara sauce with more grated cheese melted on top. Making pillows is a great use for that one fruit that always go rogue and you discover it when it's HUGE.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my slack commenting, I am struggling to stay on top of things at the moment, take care, Louise.
Hi Louise. I hope you are continuing to heal.
DeleteThat sounds really good too. Yep, we always get that one or two that hides beneath the leaves and gets huge. Always a use for them. I love how creative you all are.
No zucchini here in the stores or in the garden. I suspect my brother may have some later in the summer. He usually gives me a couple and I make zucchini loaf. I'll have to try a couple of these savory recipes. The zucchini pillows almost sound like ravioli, especially when baked like Louise mentioned. That's something both my daughter and I would enjoy, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI guess again, it is location. Just starting to produce here for me. I have lots of little ones on - so it won't be long. It does kind of sound like ravioli and it has to be delish. Hope you get to indulge in some this summer.
DeleteZucchini nut bread, made from the recipe of a dear family friend who has since passed . . . yum! Can't wait to get to the farmstand and get some fresh zucchini. I also like to use it in veggie kebabs on the grill, skewered with peppers, onions, and some small tomatoes, brushed with either a terriyaki glaze or BBQ sauce. OK, now I need to find some as my mouth is watering!
ReplyDeleteYUM on the bread - it is always so good.
DeleteThe kabobs sound wonderful. I like grilling in slabs as well - kind of like zucchini 'steak'. So many wonderful ideas.
I love to use zucchini but the garden is behind this year!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people are having that problem. Weird weather.
DeleteI miss having a garden and figuring out what to do with the abundance of zucchini! Your zucchini meatballs look very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSorry you don't have a garden. Maybe you could get some from neighbors or the farm market.
DeleteThe meatballs are very tasty!
We have had some rain!! Maybe now my zucchini plants will *do* something. :) It's been *so* dry and hot.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can use all sorts of things in multiple ways, and I thank you all for the suggestions for zucchini. Once it gets going, many suggestions are needed! ;)
Mary
Glad you got some rain! Hopefully it brings some relief and growing! Yes, the plant can be very prolific and many ideas are needed. Hope yours start growing now.
DeleteYour pictures and ideas are fabulous! We are going to miss all this fresh produce from the backyard grow-cery store in a few months. We have yellow squash which I have been cutting into slim wedges and sautéing with asparagus and then adding a shredded four cheese blend and letting it melt. Quite tasty!
ReplyDeleteLooks like no rain for a few days and cooler temps. Yay!
Thanks. My yellow squash plant has finally started growing! I look forward to some. That sounds yummy. Everything is better with cheese!
DeleteI so look forward to the next many days. Such a nice relief.
I am not a fan of zucchini, but the zucchini "meat"balls look very good. I will try them!
ReplyDeleteGood, glad you found something you might try. When someone says they aren't a fan - then decides to try a new recipe, makes me happy! ENJOY
DeleteI love zucchini. My three children were the only children in town who did not hate it. I made a casserole--layer sliced zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, buttered bread chunks, bake, add cheese on top. One casserole was never enough so they had to eat the other vegetables served at dinner.
ReplyDeleteOne day, I made three zucchini casseroles. On the way home they asked as the always did what was for dinner. I said, Zucchini casserole. They asked what else. I said nothing else. Their little faces were so disappointed. They rejoiced when they saw three large casseroles ready for dinner. It was so funny. They gulped it down. I did this often for them. The casserole had two vegetables, dairy, bread--balanced meat with a fruit.
That sounds very good. Too cute that they got so excited about it. I was raised with zucchini as well, so it was just something we ate. Mom found lots of neat ways to fix it too.
DeleteI like those kind of one pot meals that contain many food groups.