What should I do with zuchini tonight?!

defygravity531

My boyfriend's mom gave us two big zuchinis from their garden. I want to use them with dinner (italian sausage and sweet potatoes) tonight, but I've never cooked zuchini before. We don't have a grill, how should I prepare them?

Thanks!!

megz4987

Last week we had a HUGE zuchini, this is what we did with it:
Cut it in half, long way, wash it all out.
cook up either ground beef or sausage with spices you like, (garlic, basil, etc), throw in diced up red/green peppers, onion and cook it all up. Basically, it's like a stuffed pepper recipe if you have a favorite of that.
Put the zuchini halves on a baking sheet, fill it up with the groundbeef mixture, cover with foil and bake @350 until the zuchini is soft and cooked.
Slice it up and serve.
I think it's good with rice

carrie1128

My favorite is to cut them up and toss with chopped tomatos, peppers and onions. I stir in a little oil and garlic powder. Cook them for around 15 minutes at 350.
Zuchinni chips are good too. I slice them up and marinate them in balsamic dressing and cook them on the grill.

rybo

Last week we had a HUGE zuchini, this is what we did with it:
Cut it in half, long way, wash it all out.
cook up either ground beef or sausage with spices you like, (garlic, basil, etc), throw in diced up red/green peppers, onion and cook it all up. Basically, it's like a stuffed pepper recipe if you have a favorite of that.
Put the zuchini halves on a baking sheet, fill it up with the groundbeef mixture, cover with foil and bake @350 until the zuchini is soft and cooked.
Slice it up and serve.
I think it's good with rice

This was basically going to be my suggestion, using the italian sausage you said you had. I recently made stuffed zucchini w/ground meat & it was so good

roxyjo1

We eat zuchini all the time. I slice it and sautee in margarine & olive oil with onion, fresh mushrooms & sometimes baby carrots, season with garlic, pepper, season salt, & dillweed. We usually have with chicken breast or tilapia. I will definatly have to try the stuffed version mentioned above. It sounds yummy.

gingerb85

I adore zucchini! I love to simply quickly saute' it with some herbs and other veggies (whatever is in the fridge, but red bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms would be my favorite combo with the zucchini) for a quick meal. I will also roast it in the oven along with onions, garlic, bell pepper, egglant, and mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil and some herbs - rosemary is good, as is basil and/or oregano. I also have a recipe for zucchini "un-crab" cakes. The shredded zucchini takes the place of the crab and is oh, so yummy! I have cut the zucchini into long julienne strips and used it as "pasta" with a raw tomato sauce when I was on my 3-week raw diet. It was delicious!

Here's the "crab" cake recipe:

I Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Crab Crab Cakes

Adapted from John Shields, chef/owner of Gertrude's, Baltimore, Md.; recipe
appears in "Cooking Fresh From the Mid-Atlantic" edited by Fran McManus &
Wendy Rickard



Ingredients

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
salt
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten (I use the equivalent of Ener-G egg replacer)
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt (I use a vegan mayo)
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
vegetable oil, for frying

Method
Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt. Let
zucchini sit for about 30 minutes, allowing it to drain. Squeeze to remove
additional liquid - zucchini should be fairly dry.

Place zucchini and bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix together.

Place egg, Old Bay, Dijon, mayo, lemon juice and parsley in a small bowl.
Mix well.

Pour egg mixture into zucchini-bread crumb mixture, and mix gently and
thoroughly. Form into 8 patties the size of crab cakes. Heat a small amount
of oil in a saute pan, and cook patties on both sides, browning well.

TDGee

How can you not have a grill? That's just not right! Go get one, NOW! You can get one of those little gas powered ones for less than $30 at Target, Walmart, etc. Are you still reading this? GO! NOW! Then grill those zooks!







Seriously, GO!!

odusgolp

OK, just sharing a cute story (IMO).

My son was about 2 1/2 years old. We have a farm stand near the house, so stop regularly. He wants a zucchini - has no idea what it actually is, so this will be a fun introduction. Get a couple zucchini, etc. strap him in the car seat and go home. He wants to hold a zucchini, so I let him. He takes a bite. Ew. I tell him we have too cook it, whilst giggling

We get home and at 8pm, he starts begging for the zucchini. So, I set him on the counter and we chop half of one together, throw it in a pan with a little basil pesto grapeseed oil and seasoning.

I put it in a bowl with toothpicks. He ate it ALL, and then we had to make the other half

My two year old and his late night zucchini So sweet.

odusgolp

How can you not have a grill? That's just not right! Go get one, NOW! You can get one of those little gas powered ones for less than $30 at Target, Walmart, etc. Are you still reading this? GO! NOW! Then grill those zooks!







Seriously, GO!!

I lost my grill in the divorce. True story.

sinclare

shred it and make a salad/slaw with grated garlic and lemon juice. Yum!

TenLaws

Last week we had a HUGE zuchini, this is what we did with it:
Cut it in half, long way, wash it all out.
cook up either ground beef or sausage with spices you like, (garlic, basil, etc), throw in diced up red/green peppers, onion and cook it all up. Basically, it's like a stuffed pepper recipe if you have a favorite of that.
Put the zuchini halves on a baking sheet, fill it up with the groundbeef mixture, cover with foil and bake @350 until the zuchini is soft and cooked.
Slice it up and serve.
I think it's good with rice

Darn! You beat me to it! I was gonna suggest that :-)

teri1956

Brownies!!!!

anubis609

Sandwich condoments?

Reneda

I love love love zuchinni... Here are two different ways to fix it, one savory and one sweet...

Savory - Japanese Fried Rice...

Rice & Veggies Steam Bag - Green Giant (??)
1 cup of zuchinni cut into strips..
1/4 cup of onion diced
1-2 garlic cloves
1 egg
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
EVOO


Cut the zuchinni into strips. Saute with some EVOO, onions, garlic. I add carrots and or yellow squash sometimes too.. Take the veggies out of the pan. Crack one egg in the skillet and scramble. Add rice to the egg. Add veggies back and then add teriyaki sauce. This is yummy and contains all of your nutritional categories, protein, carbs & veggies.

SWEET
Slice the zuchinni lengthwise. Remove seeds if you want or leave them in. Place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and butter. Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. The butter and brown sugar makes a caramelly sauce that makes the zuchinni taste like a sweet treat! I love them this way! :-)

bethvandenberg

I shred my zuc and then saute it up with fresh herbs and garlic etc. It is kind of like french cut green beans. Super easy if you have a food processor.

oceanlvr9495

i love slicing it long ways coat it with a little olive oil (on both sides), small amount of salt and some pepper and grilling it!!! YUMMY!!! that would work also!!! you could even try and cooking it in a pan the same way (can't hurt to try). you can also bake it the same way.

good luck!!!

JoLeeFA

I like to slice, eat raw, dipped in hummus - - -

JennsLosing

I shred my zuc and then saute it up with fresh herbs and garlic etc. It is kind of like french cut green beans. Super easy if you have a food processor.

that sounds good. im going to have to try that

Random_Name

Well, I still say '*kitten*.'

BeeElMarvin

Well, I still say '*kitten*.'

you stole my idea!

Cornpuff32

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/04/gnocchi-with-zucchini-ribbons-and.html


Zucchini ribbons...if you cook them just right you can get a pasta like texture. This recipe inspired me to create something similar. I used a normal vegetable peeler (you don't need anything fancy) to create a bunch or ribbons (I had two or three medium zucs, I cut them in halfs before ribboning, quarter would probably work for the larger ones). I heated my pan, threw in some olive oil, allowed to come to temp (water drops sizzle), threw in some onions and garlic (amount varies depending on number of servings), when the onions start to sweat add any other veggies that will take longer then 5 minutes to cook, when all other veggies are close to being done add your ribbons and cook until desired done-ness (I usually over cook this kind of stuff...so maybe about 5 minutes). I topped with turkey marinara sauce. I also enjoyed left overs for a few days for lunch.

If you go light on the oil it makes a filling meal for under 500 cals.

Love this time of year