|
It's that time of year when it seems you don't have enough friends and family
to
give zucchini to. I have come to love zucchini time because over the years I
have
gathered quite a few ideas and recipes. Here are eleven ideas and recipes to
help you through zucchini overload time.
1. Freeze it. Shred it, measure it into the correct measurement for your
favorite
zucchini bread, then freeze in a freezer bag. When you want fresh zucchini
bread
this winter, all you have to do is thaw a bag out and add it to the recipe.
2. Freeze zucchini bread. Make zucchini bread loaves (see recipe below) and
freeze them for later. These are handy for bringing to potlucks or giving as
Christmas gifts.
3. Add to... You can shred zucchini and add it to spaghetti sauce and meat
loaf.
This adds nutrition and bulk.
4. Deep-fry it. Make your favorite beer-batter for making fish and chips, dip
slices
of zucchini in it and deep fry for a delicious treat. Dip in ranch or
barbecue sauce.
5. Fry in butter. Dip zucchini slices into egg wash, then flour, then fry in
butter
and season with salt.
6. Eat it fresh. Cut it up and dip it in your favorite vegetable dip such as
ranch.
7. Stir-fry it. Zucchini is excellent stir-fry material. Add it to your next
stir-fry, or
stir-fry it all by itself. Heat a wok or large frying pan on high heat, add a
little oil
and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Add stir-fry sauce or eat it plain, either
way is good.
RECIPES
8. Zucchini Bread
- 3 cups shredded zucchini (about 3 medium)
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans that are 9x5x3
inches. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in
remaining
ingredients. Pour into pans. Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until knife inserted in
center
comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves and remove from
pans.
9. Zucchini Relish
- 2 cups chopped zucchini (about 3 medium)
- 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
Combine zucchini and onion. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let
stand 2 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine remaining
ingredients
and bring to a boil. Add vegetables; simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish into
hot
jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes
in
a boiling- water canner.
10. Chicken Zucchini Parmigiana
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- seasoning salt to taste
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, sliced
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
In a large, heavy skillet saute chicken breast and garlic in oil about 8
minutes or
until lightly browned. Sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste. Remove from
skillet;
set aside. Add zucchini to skillet, sprinkle with seasoning salt to taste and
cook
and stir 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Push to sides of
skillet.
Arrange chicken in middle of skillet. Top chicken with cheese, tomato sauce
and
herbs. Cover, cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce is hot.
11. Black-Bottom Zucchini Bars
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa
In a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg and vanilla until. Blend in the
zucchini.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to zucchini
mixture
and mix well. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half; spread into a greased
13x9x2-in. baking pan. Pour remaining batter on top and spread out evenly.
Bake
at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool. As you can see,
zucchini is very versatile. I hope you'll come to appreciate it as much as I
have.
For more zucchini and other vegetable recipes, check out *The Vegetable
Recipe
E-book* that includes over 100 vegetable recipes here:
http://homemakersjournal.com/vegetablerecipes.htm
About The Author: © 2001, Monica Resinger
About the Author: Monica Resinger is a loving wife and doting mother of two
who enjoys gardening, painting, dancing and homemaking. She edits and publishes
the e-zine The Homemaker's Journal, a free e-zine published Monday through
Friday, that features a useful homemaking tip and scrumptious recipe of the
day; if you'd like to subscribe, just send a blank e-mail to:
HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
| 
