Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ode to Summer Squash
Zucchini, perhaps the most well-known of the summer squashes, is in prime season May through September and today I'll share some zucchini recipes I enjoy. When cooking, I tend to use the "some o' this, little bit o' that" method for seasoning, and the "looks about done" method for cooking times; however, I have tried to give exact quantities where possible. With the exception of the bread, these are all pretty loose recipes, so adjust according to your tastes.
Grilled Zucchini (1 zucchini makes 2 small servings)
Cut both ends off zucchini and cut lengthwise into four pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Marinate zucchini in light Italian salad dressing for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to around 400 degrees and cook for 4-5 minutes on each of the three sides, over indirect heat. Optional: Sprinkle 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Zucchini Gratin* (4 servings)
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Garlic powder (3 or 4 tbsp., depending on your tastes)
1 cup Greyere cheese (delicious, but expensive - I often use skim mozzarella instead), shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium casserole dish, place a layer of slightly overlapping zucchini slices and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Next, place a layer of onion on top of zucchini. Top with about a quarter of the cheeses. Continue to layer zucchini, seasonings, onion, cheese (you should have 3 or 4 layers of each when you are done). Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
Zucchini Quiche (6 servings)
Here is the original recipe. I made some substitutions to reduce fat and chose to make my version with a crust. This recipe is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
2 large zucchini, grated and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp. flour
Salt & Pepper
Refrigerated pie crust (try Pillsbury)
Place pie crust in 9-inch pie plate and bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Zucchini Bread (1 loaf)
Here is the original recipe from Paula Dean. Again, I made some substitutions to make this bread a bit healthier, and I split the recipe in half, because who really needs 2 loaves of zucchini bread?
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/6 cup water
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and apple sauce. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 1 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.
*For an excellent variation on this dish, substitute yellow summer squash for zucchini and substitute Greek seasoning for garlic powder.
Grilled Zucchini (1 zucchini makes 2 small servings)
Cut both ends off zucchini and cut lengthwise into four pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Marinate zucchini in light Italian salad dressing for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to around 400 degrees and cook for 4-5 minutes on each of the three sides, over indirect heat. Optional: Sprinkle 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Zucchini Gratin* (4 servings)
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Garlic powder (3 or 4 tbsp., depending on your tastes)
1 cup Greyere cheese (delicious, but expensive - I often use skim mozzarella instead), shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium casserole dish, place a layer of slightly overlapping zucchini slices and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Next, place a layer of onion on top of zucchini. Top with about a quarter of the cheeses. Continue to layer zucchini, seasonings, onion, cheese (you should have 3 or 4 layers of each when you are done). Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
Zucchini Quiche (6 servings)
Here is the original recipe. I made some substitutions to reduce fat and chose to make my version with a crust. This recipe is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
2 large zucchini, grated and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp. flour
Salt & Pepper
Refrigerated pie crust (try Pillsbury)
Place pie crust in 9-inch pie plate and bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Zucchini Bread (1 loaf)
Here is the original recipe from Paula Dean. Again, I made some substitutions to make this bread a bit healthier, and I split the recipe in half, because who really needs 2 loaves of zucchini bread?
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Dash salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/6 cup water
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and apple sauce. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 1 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.
*For an excellent variation on this dish, substitute yellow summer squash for zucchini and substitute Greek seasoning for garlic powder.
Labels: Recipe
// posted by niltiac @ 4:53 PM 
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