Are you a fan of zucchini? Or do you find yourself having way too many of them in the fridge? Perhaps your organic gardening skills have graced you with an abundant harvest. Whether it’s a matter of savoring or getting rid of them (perhaps both), this long, green squash is a delicious and extremely versatile food to prepare meals with, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In this article, we offer you some of our best recipes to use them up! Let’s get cooking!
Baked Panko Zucchini Fries (courtesy of babble.com)
Ingredients
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoning salt (or to taste)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 medium zucchini for your organic garden, cut into french fry strips
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Stir together the panko with the Lawry’s salt and place the mixture on a shallow plate. Place the flour on a separate shallow plate. Pour the beaten eggs into a bowl.
3. Dip the zucchini sticks in the flour, followed by the egg mixture and, finally, the panko bread crumb mixture. The bread crumbs should completely coat the zucchini.
3. Place the coated zucchini on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Zucchini Cornbread (courtesy of bonappetit.com)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter plus more for pan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large zucchini from your organic garden (about 10 ounces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal
Directions
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 355 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3″ loaf pan.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until butter solids at the bottom of pan turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape butter into a medium bowl. Set aside and let cool. Whisk in eggs and buttermilk.
3. Trim zucchini ends. Thinly slice five 1/8″ rounds from 1 end of zucchini and reserve for garnish. Coarsely grate remaining zucchini. Add to bowl with butter mixture and stir until well blended.
4. Sift both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in cornmeal. Add zucchini mixture; fold just to blend (mixture will be very thick). Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Place reserved zucchini slices atop batter down the center in a single layer.
5. Bake bread until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely on a wire rack. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cream Sauce (courtesy of runningtothekitchen.com)
Ingredients
4 small (or 2 large) zucchini from your organic garden, ends trimmed and spiralized with a julienne peeler
1 avocado
1/2 a cucumber, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons almond or coconut milk
about 8 leaves of basil
salt & pepper
halved cherry tomatoes & basil leaves for garnish
Directions
1. Place zucchini spirals in a large bowl.
2. In a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
3. Toss the zucchini with the avocado sauce until fully coated.
4. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves, season with more salt & pepper to taste.
