Please, No More Zucchini

Are you a gardener currently inundated with zucchini? A gardener’s neighbor who keeps finding a bag left homeless on your front porch? Are you taking bushels to work with you along with recipes for zucchini bread, zucchini casserole, grilled zucchini? If so, take a break from your zucchini dreams and check out our list of fun facts about one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden. Bet you’ll find out something you didn’t know before!

1. One zucchini has just 25 calories (compared to a baked potato, for example, which has 130 calories).

2. The flower of the zucchini plant is also edible. (If you dare.)

3. The world’s largest zucchini on record was 69 1/2 inches long, and weighed 65 lbs. Bernard Lavery of Plymouth Devon, UK, grew the humongous veggie.

4. According to World’s Healthiest Foods Nutrition info, nutrients and vitamins found in zucchini can help prevent cancer and heart disease.


5. A soap bar called Fresh Zucchini Flower Big Bar Goat’s Milk Soap (rolls off the tongue, no?) is made with real zucchini.

7. A zucchini has more potassium than a banana.

8. The word zucchini comes from “zucca” the Italian word for squash.

Kind of puts some perspective on your plethora of produce, doesn’t it?

Now get creative!!!

Ingredients:


•4 medium zucchini

•1/4 pound pork sausage

•1/4 cup chopped onion

•1 clove garlic minced

•1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

•1/2 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

  2 .fresh tomatoes, chopped

•1 egg, lightly beaten

•1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled

•1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

•dash pepper

Directions for stuffed zucchini


Cook whole zucchini in boiling salted water until just tender, about 6 to 9 minutes. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out squash, mash, and set aside. Place shells in a shallow baking dish; set aside. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook sausage with chopped onion; drain off excess fat; stir in mashed zucchini. Reserving 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese for topping, add remaining Parmesan cheese to the meat mixture along with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Spoon mixture into zucchini shells; sprinkle stuffed zucchini with the reserved 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake stuffed zucchini at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes.

Stuffed zucchini serves 4.

Crabby Cheesy Squash Casserole

OK, are you ready for another squash recipe?  This is one that I came up with after I looked and saw the mound of squash sitting on the counter and realized that if I did not do something with it very soon it would overtake my entire kitchen.

As we are preparing to move, in an effort to try to clean out my pantry I went through  and pulled things out that I thought just might go together and when added to the squash would make a great meal.  Wow, was I right!  This dinner was fabulous.  My husband asked for it a second night.  I knew then that the squash was beginning to make mush of his brain.  Just kidding honey.

Anyway, here it is.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Crabby Cheesy Squash Casserole

3 pounds yellow squash, sliced

1 onion, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pound crab meat, in chunks

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup French's Fried Onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, saute the onions in the  butter or margarine until done; add milk; stir constantly over a low heat.  Mix in cheese, cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Stir until sauce thickens.

 Place sliced squash in a large casserole dish; cover it with the crab.  Pour your sauce over the top; sprinkle with the bread crumbs and top with the fried onions.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until squash is done.

Zucchini, Zucchini

Is there anyone out there that planted a garden and now has a bumper crop of Zucchini? Are you feeling overwhelmed by what to do with all of it?  Do your friends no longer open their door when they see you coming with a bag full of zucchini in your hand?  Well I am going to show you just how many ways you can use that zucchini to serve up wonderful main dishes as well as desserts to your friends and family.

Abundant in late spring and summer, zucchini is just as versatile as it is delicious. You can saute or roast it for a simple side dish, toss it with pasta for a fresh main course, or serve it for breakfast in a zucchini bread.

Zucchini is a versatile food which can be used in casseroles, breads, or pies. It can be eaten raw as a dipping vegetable or it can be stir-fried, or steamed. The word Zucchini is from the Italian word for “gourd”.  Raw zucchini has around 20 calories per cup and less than 5 carbohydrates per cup. The total fat for one cup of raw zucchini is less than 1 gram.

Even though your Mom always said, "Don't eat your dessert first".  I thought we would start with one of my favorite dessert recipes.

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Caramel Apple Topping

Serves:  16

2 cups peeled and grated Zucchini

2 cups peeled and grated Apples

2 cups white Sugar

2 medium Eggs

½ cup Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

½ teaspoon Ground Cloves

1 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

Topping

¾ cup Raisins

1 Thinly sliced Apple

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

½ cup Nuts (optional)

½ cup Caramel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of pan with oil and flour lightly.

Peel core, and grate apples. Slice zucchini in half, remove seeds and grate. In a large bowl, beat eggs, vanilla extract and sugar. Add oil and continue to mix until well blended. Add remaining dry ingredients to mixture and blend. Stir in zucchini and apples.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with raisins. Place thinly sliced apples on top and sprinkle with the brown sugar and nuts. Drizzle with the caramel and bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cooled.