Well, it’s that time again: Attack of the killer zucchinis!
Every year I say the same thing, “THIS year I’m going to pick all the squash while it’s new and small!” And, every year, this happens:
(And, that’s just one day’s picking!)
If you’re a home gardener (or a Farmer’s Market shopper) you may, like me, suffer from zucchini overload. I happen to love zucchini and summer squash, but there’s only so many times you can feed it to your family for dinner before they revolt. Unless, you hide it!
Here are some of the blogs we’ve done that include ways to get your family to eat zucchini (often without knowing it!):
Attack of the Zucchini – This one includes a zucchini cake recipe that is so yummy I kind of want to make it right now (except it’s almost midnight and I probably shouldn’t).
Savory Zucchini Recipe Round-Up – Kristina’s round-up of zucchini recipes includes: quiche, soup, turkey burgers and tots. It’s a wonderful resource to have if you have a surplus of zucchini.
Morning Glory Muffins – This is Stephanie’s morning glory muffin recipe that can be made with carrots or zucchini. Yum.
Zucchini Pizza Slices – How about making mini pizzas with zucchini slices? Angela shows you how.
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins – And, more yummy muffins!
Now, here are a few new recipes to add to your zucchini repertoire:
Crust-less Zucchini Quiche
- 4 heaping cups of diced zucchini
- 1 onion chopped (I used a Walla Walla)
- Olive oil
- Dash of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 oz container ricotta cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese (whatever kind you have on hand, I used pepper jack)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie plate (I used a 10 inch because I went a bit crazy with the zucchini, but a 9 inch works well too). Sauté the zucchini and onions on medium low heat until soft and tender. Add the pepper and spices. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl whisk the three eggs. Add the carton of ricotta and whisk until smooth. Add in one cup of whatever cheese you’re using. Fold in the zucchini mixture (avoiding any moisture at the bottom of the pan). Pour it into your greased pie plate and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with extra cheese if desired and bake for 10 more minutes (or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean). Let cool for ten minutes and serve with fruit and/or salad.
I may or may not have had two helpings of this.
Zucchini Oat Cookies
- 1 ½ cups flour (I used gluten-free)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Dash of salt
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup of oats
- ½ cup of nuts
- 1 cup of chocolate chips (or raisins)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the shredded zucchini on low, followed by the dry ingredients. Lastly, stir in the oats, nuts and chocolate chips.
If you want neat cookies, chill the dough for 30 minutes and roll them into balls before baking. If you can’t wait, glob the dough into a circle-like shape with spoons (who cares what they look like when they taste so delicious?).
As you can see, I used the “glob” method!
Bake 11-14 minutes.
These are soft and yummy cookies and since they contain oats and zucchini, I can pretend they’re healthy!
So, if you have an overabundance of baseball-bat-sized squash, give these recipes a try and let us know what you think!
