I know it is not time to harvest your zucchini plants yet, but I thought if I provided a few recipies for zucchini it may encourage you to plant some. Now last year I purchased two plants that were about the size of primroses and I was thinking that since I have such a big family I should get more. Then I remembered that my friends told me never to get more than two plants, there will be more than enough zucchini for my family and the rest of the neighborhood, so I took the two home. I placed the two plants on a nice little picket fence pen, gave them some food and waited. The last time I tried planting zucchini I killed them, I know it is hard to believe you can kill a zucchini plant, but I did. This time however it worked! and before long I had enough zucchini to feed the neignborhood just as my friends had said. Unfortunatly none of my children like zuccini unless it is in zuccini bread so it was up to my husband adn I to eat most of them. Coming up with new ways to use zuccini can be hard, so I hope the folowing recipes will help add variety of taste to your crop.
Zucchini is a member of the the squash and pumpkin (or cucurbita) family of vegetables. It is perhaps the best known, and most joked about of the many varieties of squash. Zucchini is indeed a prolific producer. A couple of plants in the garden, and you have plenty for family, neighbors, and friends. By mid-summer, you can't give zucchini away, as everyone has two or three in their refrigerators. Along with being a prolific producer, zucchini also readily cross breeds with many members of the cucurbita family, including pumpkins. Some very strange and interesting cross breeds (Mutations!) can result in future crops if you save the seed.
There are literally hundreds of recipes of zucchini. Enjoy them in generous quantities in the summer, as they are not good keepers. When the gardening season is over, they are gone.
Zucchini Santa Fe
Chopped green chilies give this summer side dish lots of zip - a popular flavor around Mom's Arizona home. It's a tasty way to use up a bounty of garden vegetables. -Karen Wingate, Coldwater, Kansas
INGREDIENTS
3 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
DIRECTIONS In a large skillet, saute the zucchini and onion in oil for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the chilies, tomato, salt if desire, pepper and garlic powder. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: One 1/2-cup serving (prepared without salt)
In Carmel, Maine, Jacquelyn Smith dresses up garden-fresh zucchini with mushrooms, onion, cheddar cheese and a hint of basil. "I let everyone season their own servings of this side dish with salt and pepper at the table," she adds.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sliced zucchini
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
DIRECTIONS
In a greased shallow 1-qt. baking dish, layer zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with cheese and basil. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition Facts
One serving: One 1/2-cup serving (prepared with reduced-fat cheese)
Garden-fresh zucchini and cherry tomatoes are tastefully combined in these colorful appetizers. Writes Amy Frombach of Bradford, Pennsylvania, "Folks tend to hang around the appetizer tray whenever I serve these pretty party bites."
INGREDIENTS
5 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long)
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
Cut zucchini into 3/4-in. slices. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the insides and discard, leaving the bottom intact. Place zucchini on an ungreased baking sheet; spoon 1/2 teaspoon crumbled blue cheese into each.
Combine Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper; sprinkle half over blue cheese. Top each with a tomato slice; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan mixture.
Bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm. Yield: 35 appetizers.
"When there's an abundance of zucchini in our garden, I know it's time for this fresh-tasting soup," notes Mrs. R.C. Friend of Lynden, Washington.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds zucchini, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half cream or milk
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute onion, celery, garlic and green pepper in oil until tender. Add zucchini, tomatoes, broth, basil and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in cream; heat through. Serve hot or cold. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).
Nutrition Facts
One serving: One 1-cup serving (prepared with low-sodium broth and skim milk)
