Question of the Day: Sunday, July 22

I'm trying to clean my kitchen and have 7 huge zucchinis from the garden lined up on the counter.

Quick question today. Do you like zucchini and, if so, how do you cook it? (recipes are welcome!) 

**I eat low carb hence this first recipe below.

I make zucchini noodles - using a vegetable peeler (your choice if you use the initial skin layer or not), peel a strip, rotate, peel a strip etc. until you are at the seeded core of the zucchini.  I stop there, and save that core for use in soups, stews, or just sauteed as a side veggie.
Take the strips and sautee in what you prefer - butter or extra virgin olive oil, add some garlic, fresh lemon juice, fresh ground black pepper, sautee until done but not soggy.  I use these in place of noodles, and love them (as does my dh).

From my baking days - chocolate zucchini cake:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup margarine (old recipe, I'd use butter)
1-3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups finely diced zucchini
*Have no directions on this as to making it, so I'd probably mix wet, mix dry, then add dry mix to the wet, stir in the zucchini as the last step - but better bakers may suggest differently.
Bake at 350 degrees - check for doneness after 30-40 minutes, bake until long wooden skewer or toothpick comes out clean.

Thanks Pat! I've heard of using zucchini in place of pasta before but I've never tried it. Well, I did have spaghetti made from spaghetti squash but never regular zucchini. My MIL once made a lasagna with sliced zucchini instead of noodles years ago and said it turned out great! In fact, her sister (who HATES zucchini) ate so much and loved it. She didn't believe it was zucchini in it instead of lasagna noodles.

I have a chocolate zucchini bread recipe but your's sounds better with the spices. I will have to try that and see which one DH likes better. I now have at least 12 cups of zucchini in bags in the freezer and still 5 more zucchini left to shred. Plus another dozen or so growing in the garden. I think some are going to work with me tomorrow to give away. My arm is just getting too tired!

I love zucchini. The only time I have ever cooked it, it was mushy and gross. A lady at my old job used to bring me and my boss chocolate zucchini muffins made with all natural ingredients and no dairy and they were amazing.

- we marinate and grill it
- chop and put into salad
- make lots of zuchini bread and freeze it

Here are some recipes:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/233818/zucchini-recipes

Cranberry Zucchini Wedges recipe can be found here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/238204/breakfasts#post_3223380  The recipe calls for crushed pineapple, cransberries and shredded zucchini. It's like a coffee cake and those wedges are quite good. Not sure how well they would freeze, though. The recipe makes two cakes and all the wedges were gone in no time. Share some wedges with neighbors, parents, friends, etc. They're really good.

Our zucchini plants are becoming very prolific and we're having zucchini almost every night at dinner. I just like to saute slices of zucchini with lots of garlic and Italian seasoning. The slices grill well, too. Add zucchini chunks to your kabobs for the grill. Add chopped zucchini to an omelet or a frittata. Make zucchini muffins. You can make zucchini refrigerator pickles....I have a recipe at home for them. They're pretty good, too. Add chunks to your favorite summer stir-fry. Add slices or small chunks of zucchini to your favorite pasta and tomato soup.

Make zucchini boats (one of our favorites):

Cut the ends off small zucchini (they really need to be fairly small). Cut them in half lengthwise, and with a spoon, scrape lengthwise down the flesh, discarding the pulp, to make the boats. You are not trying to get rid of all the pulp, just to make a curvy slight hollow. Place them in a shallow baking dish. Now sprinkle with salt, pepper, and either dot with butter or drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees until they are just tender and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, returning them to the oven for a couple of minutes. (I will also add some chunks of tomatoes to the mix, sometimes a bit of bread crumbs, maybe some sauteed bacon, etc. I got this recipe from a woman on a food board that I post on, but I don't think I ever make them the same way twice!
 

Zucchini Provencal (from Taste of Home)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium zucchini, cubed

1/3 cup diced green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 large tomatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

In a skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in zucchini, green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender. Stir in tomatoes; heat through. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

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Zucchini Slaw

2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded and squeezed dry

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup coarsely shredded carrots

3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

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Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters (recipe is from a food board that I post on and the fritters are very good)

2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), coarsely shredded
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
3 large scallions, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh sheep-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Olive oil, for frying
Lemon wedges, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, garlic, scallions, ricotta, eggs, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir well, then stir in the flour just until incorporated.

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add 2-tablespoon mounds of the zucchini batter to the hot oil, spreading them to form 3-inch fritters. Fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain the fritters on the paper towels and serve right away, with lemon wedges.

To make ahead: The fritters can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours and recrisped in a 325° oven.

I like it fried:

Quarter it the long way and cut into chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drege in flour. Fry in hot pan with oil 'till golden brown. Easy!

OH I LOVE Zucchini !!! In fact, I am having a friend over for lunch this week and we are having zucchini souffle !!!