Near the end of the summer, zucchini is ready to harvest.
A single zucchini plant can produce around 10 pounds of fruit during the season, and because they are fairly hardy plants, they are an ever-popular garden choice.
Chances are, you have zucchini coming out of your ears by mid-August.
Luckily, there are many ways to use zucchini you might not know about. Here are a few ideas to get you cooking!
Zucchini Bread:
This one easily springs to mind when you think of zucchini, but you might not realize the plethora of recipes that are out there: from chocolate chip zucchini bread to cinnamon swirl and dark chocolate; there are even savory options like cheddar and sour cream zucchini bread.
One thing that most recipes have in common is that the finished loaf is moist, delectable, and super easy to make.
Many recipes include some Greek yogurt to add moisture while cutting down on fat.
Zucchini bread is yummy enough for an after-dinner dessert, but healthy enough for a guilt-free breakfast that pairs great with a glass of cold milk.
Pickled Zucchini:
You’ve probably made, or at least eaten, zucchini bread before, but have you ever tried pickled zucchini?
That’s right, you can pickle zucchini just like you pickle cucumbers.
The final product is a pickle that has a slightly milder flavour and a softer texture, but otherwise tastes like its cucumber cousin.
You should pick your zucchini when they are still young and small for the best pickles.
Most pickled zucchini recipes are quick and easy, using basic ingredients like vinegar, dill, onion, garlic, and sugar.
Fried Zucchini:
There are many ways to fry up zucchini. Most recipes coat zucchini in a bread crumb mixture.
You can opt for a simple mix of flour, salt, pepper, and egg if you want a quick meal or side.
The good thing about fried zucchini is that you can use your bigger, older, zucchini; the fruit doesn’t need to be young and tender to taste great.
Healthy Pasta:
Zucchini can even be a healthy pasta replacement.
You can cut down on carbs when you use zucchini instead of wheat-based pasta.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini into strips, slice the strips to pasta sized noodles, and boil them just like regular pasta until they are as tender as you prefer.
Serve with a garden marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, or just plain old butter and salt.
Replace Potatoes:
Zucchini is not only great for replacing pasta, but it is also the perfect texture and flavor to replace potatoes.
With less starch, zucchini is healthier than your average potato, and it goes great in potato dishes like breakfast hash, or cheesy casseroles.
For the perfect breakfast casserole, shred zucchini with a large-holed grater, dab off extra moisture, mix it with eggs, sausage, bell pepper, cheese, salt, and black pepper.
Cook it all up in the oven. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Zucchini is a great summer plant that has a lot of flexibility.
You can make healthy and exciting dishes all season long when you incorporate zucchini.
Get creative with it, and see what kind of culinary creation you can come up with.
