Farmer’s Market Finds: It’s Zucchini Time!
Talk about abundance! Zucchini is one vegetable no one seems to struggle with growing. One plant can take over the garden and easily yield 4-5 zucchini per week in mid to late summer. If you don’t grow your own, you can easily find zucchini at your local market or farm stand. Zucchini is inexpensive and low in calories (a medium one only has about 24 calories) yet it offers a lot of nutrients including Vitamins A, C and B complex, foliate, potassium, manganese, and calcium.
Seems the only challenge I hear about zucchini is how to cook it once you’ve had your fill of zucchini bread, grilled zucchini and ratatouille. So here are a couple of my new favorite zucchini recipes. The first I created last week, when I was low on groceries and in a pinch to put a quick meal on the table. It is surprisingly good. The second was passed on to me by a friend who brought it to a potluck. It was by far my favorite dish of the night. She made it by ‘feel’ and, since vegetable sizes can vary, you may need to experiment a bit with my quantities.
Enjoy!
Brown Rice with Zucchini
- 1 c. brown rice
- 2 c. chicken stock (you can use low-salt if you prefer)
- 1 medium zucchini coarsely grated on a box grater
- 2 t. grated lemon zest
- 2 t. thinly sliced (“chiffonade”) or chopped basil leaves
- ½ c. grated parmesan or asiago cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bring chicken stock to boil in a pot with a tight fitting lid. Add rice and reduce heat to low / simmer. Cover. Cook rice for 40 – 50 minutes until most or all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat. While rice is hot, add zucchini to pot. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes to gently steam zucchini. Stir in remaining ingredients and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Zucchini and Tomato Bake
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced in rounds approx. ¼ inch thick
- 6 plum tomatoes, sliced in rounds approx. ¼ inch thick
- 1 ½ c. panko bread crumbs (you can substitute regular bread crumbs but the panko gives this a nice crunchy texture)
- 1 ½ c. shredded Asiago cheese (you can substitute parmesan if you prefer)
- 2 T. chopped basil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 ½ – 2 T. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9 inch pan. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Moisten mixture with olive oil. Create a layer of alternating zucchini and tomatoes slices in overlapping rows. Top with half of the bread crumb mixture. Repeat layers. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until top is golden brown.
What’s your favorite zucchini recipe?