Zucchini!

For a quick snack...I have been washing, slicing adding a stripped mozzarella cheese stick on top, micro waving for a few then topping with 2 TBS of grated parmesan cheese.


With the cheese stick and parmesan cheese adds 10 grams of protein for 100 calories and the zucchini is next to nothing.

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2010/06/vegetable-pie-with-zucchini-crust.html

A really common and delicious dish eaten in Chile is "zapallo italiano," (italian zucchini), if you want to google recipes for that.

I don't have measurements, but you basically need:

-big zucchinis
-ground beef or pork
-chopped onion
-your favorite marinara sauce
-mozzarella cheese
-if you want to keep it really authentic: olives (preferably black) and a couple hard-boiled eggs, chopped in large chunks.

Preheat oven. Cook the meat and onion with salt in a pot. Stir in olives and eggs. Meanwhile, cut zucchinis lengthwise and scoop out some flesh (you can throw the flesh in with the meat mixture as well). Put zucchinis in greased baking dish, fill with meat mixture, and top with marinara. Bake until zucchini reaches desired softness, throwing on shredded cheese for the last few minutes. Goes well with rice or a finely-chopped Chilean salad.

I like to make it vegetarian using textured vegetable protein, and serve extra marinara on the side! On that note, I also like to just chop the zucchini and grill it, then layer the "meat" and sauce and cheese on top... just because it's easier to skip the middleman and puddle more marinara on that way :P

We get HUGE zucchini's out of the garden. I don't care for zucchini that much so I'll either grate it or put it in food processor and then freeze bags in 2 cup portions. In the winter I'll make zucchini bread with it or just add a bag to a box of chocolate cake mix (no eggs, oil or anything) with just a small amount of water. Makes a great chocolate cake!

Oops, Frugal, I didn't read the rest of your post carefully. Wow, what a great cake idea! thank you! I don't have freezer space but I'm soon going to have zucchini, so I'm definitely going to make the cake this way. Very cool!

I use small zucchini for this, but have used large ones, but remove the seeds. It is low cal, simple to do and very refreshing!

Slice zucchini very thin (I usually slice about 3 or 4 cups)
Slice carrots very thin (about 2 cups)
Slice onions very thin (about 2 cups)

Pour on any vinegar dressing you might like, ie Italian dressing, Balsamic Vinegarette (I prefer this), use your imagingation.
I don't really measure, just pour until it is 1/2 to 3/4 of the way way to the top of the veggies. The zucchini will make some juice, too. Let set for an hour before serving. Gets better the longer it is in the liquid.

Typically, I am a simplest...quarter those babies lengthwise, forming spears, spray lightly with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and throw on the grill until they have the pretty char marks that scientists now say will give us cancer.

A recent (and only slightly more complicated) alteration...since we can only get to our garden about once a week and the zukes grow enormously in that time...is to slice them into 1/4 inch thick (or thinner) rounds and put them on a lined cookie sheet (I use Reynolds Release...that probably causes cancer too, but haven't seen anything saying so yet). Spray them lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (tried Italian seasoning last night and that was ok too). Pop in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or so, depending on how thick you cut them and how done you like them. For the last 10 minutes or so (for me this would be an additional 10 minutes) sprinkle on real parmesan cheese (last night I used Panko breadcrumbs since I was out of parmesan...it was still good, but not as good as the cheese).

Will be trying some of the stuffed zuke recipes I just read...and that zuke chocolate cake sounds interesting...any idea if it would work on a white cake? Obviously, it would look more festive, but I can probably spin that with my 6 year old.

Keep these recipes coming! I planted WAY too many this year! BTW, they seem to dehydrate very nicely, the key to long-term storage (we learned the hard way) is to blanch them before freezing or dehydrating. Otherwise they taste pretty funky by December.

If you've got a good sized zucchini, slice it in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh, leaving the skins intact. Fry the flesh with some onion and bacon. When it's cooked put it back in the skin and sprinkle with some bread crumbs mixed with grated cheese. Put it in the oven till cheese melts and breadcrumbs are golden brown

I deliberately haven't listed quantities as it's very easily adjustable to suit your personal taste and calorie goals.

^THIS^^ is what I'm making tonight, along with some baked chicken. Thanks for the awesome idea!!

I love grilled zucchini! Slice them up thin the long way (1/4" or smaller thickness), brush or spray with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss them on the grill. They only take a few minutes per side and taste fabulous! Oh, and if you make a whole bunch at a time they freeze well, too.