Because you can only eat so much zucchini bread.
Want a great way to take advantage of all the great tasting summer zucchini?
Here are 5 delicious ways to enjoy the season’s first bumper crop of fresh veggies!
There are tons of creative and delicious ways to use zucchini, but what if you don’t have enough time to put together an elaborate culinary creation every night?
NO Problem! Zucchini is fast, its simple, and deliciously refreshing on these hot summer nights.
Eat it raw, grilled, sauteed, baked, spiralized, and in smoothies!
Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables and I like to treat them in ways that bring out their mild, nutty flavor and silky texture.
Try it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between snacking.
Healthy Crustless Zucchini Quiche
Melt in your mouth healthy zucchini quiche without the crust. Tastes so good cold!
Ingredients
7 cups (2–2.5 lbs) shredded zucchini (measured before squeezing)
8 large farm-fresh eggs
1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup any hard cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup chives or green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
Cooking spray
Instructions
Give shredded zucchini a good squeeze to extract as much water as possible. I do it by placing zucchini into a linen towel and wringing into a ball. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray pie baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, add eggs and whisk. Add flour and whisk well to combine (it will take a few minutes). Add both cheeses, salt and pepper, and whisk one more time. To the bowl with zucchini add chives and using spatula mix, then pour egg flour mixture on top and stir well to combine.
Transfer mixture to previously prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Broil for a few minutes for a golden crust. Cool off a bit, cut into 8 slices and enjoy warm or cold (I love cold quiche!).
WAFFLES Yep! Who Woulda Thought?
INGREDIENTS
2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed with paper towels
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp kosher salt
4 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the waffle iron
Directions
1. Preheat the waffle iron to the regular setting.
2. Toss together the zucchini and carrots in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl, then toss with the zucchini and carrots to coat them.
3. In a separate pitcher, mix the buttermilk, melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the zucchini mixture, stirring gently.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
Unbelievably easy to whip up. Simply grate your zucchini, drain them completely using a dish cloth, and throw them in a bowl with all of your other ingredients. From there, scoop them right out onto a hot skillet, flattening them up to resemble a pancake. Flip, cook, serve. Easy enough, right?
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large farm-fresh egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely.
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.
Serve immediately.
ZUCCHINI DIP
The list of ingredients is simple, but this dip has so many layers of flavor and a wonderful texture. It's a keeper!
INGREDIENTS:
4 or 5 small/medium zucchini/squash about 2 1/2 lbs
2 med/large tomatoes 1 lb
1 hand-full fresh basil about 2 Tbsp chopped
16 oz cream cheese = two 8 oz packages
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
Crackers chips, or fresh French bread to serve
DIRECTIONS:
Pulse tomatoes in a food processor several times or until coarsely chopped. You can also finely dice tomatoes by hand if you don't have a food processor.
Heat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped tomatoes, 2 pressed garlic cloves and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil. Simmer covered for 10 min, stirring occasionally and pressing on any larger tomato pieces to soften them. The mixture should look like a tomato sauce when done.
Cut off and discard ends of zucchini and shred zucchini on the large holes of a grater. I used the grater attachment on my food processor and it sure was quick! Add grated zucchini to the cooked tomatoes and stir to combine.
Increase heat to medium/high, cover with lid and cook for 20-23 minutes, stirring occasionally or until zucchini are fully softened.
Add 16 oz cream cheese pieces and stir until fully melted into the zucchini mixture. It will be creamy. If your dip seems too thick, you can thin it out a little with hot water. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste and serve hot or warm. This re-heats beautifully, just stir in a drizzle of water and heat it up on the stove-top.
* This makes a large batch-Great for entertaining- but I would halve the recipe for a simple night with family.
ZUCCHINI SHRIMP SCAMPI
So fast andThis traditional shrimp scampi is made into a low-carb dish with zucchini noodles. Can also use scallops or whitefish chunks.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
1/4 cup chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 pounds (4 medium-sized) zucchini, spiralized
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer; stir in zucchini noodles until well combined, and steam for about 3-4 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
My absolute FAV go-to method of cooking zucchini is ON THE GRILL!
Simply cut fruit in half, brush with oil and season with salt and pepper and grill until just softened but not mushy.
Or layer slices into your lasagna.
Spiralize zucchini (I’ve tried this and its amazing!)
Chop it into thin quarter-rounds for salad, or slice it paper-thin lengthwise and make a fancy, lemony carpaccio.
Cut it into little sticks and dip it in your favorite dip. Or dust with flour before frying it in generous olive oil. Marinate and grill it.
As you can well see there are THOUSANDS of ways to prepare zucchini,
And of course, there’s always zucchini bread.
Studded with walnuts and sweet spice, it’s perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up with tea and a friend.