|
06-14-2006, 07:43 AM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 150
|
Zucchini Revelation!
Back when zucchini bread was all the rage, I tried it and liked it. OF COURSE I did -- all that butterfat and sugar and cinnamon and cream cheese!
Then I tried zucchini as just a vegetable and didn't really like it. I could get it down, but yuck.
Well, I made a discovery last night: I like it just fine without the skin. It's that green covering that I don't like! Peel that away, and there's no real taste to it. I can put it in stirfries, and when I tried a zucchini-as-fake-pasta dish, it was good!
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 08:33 AM
|
#2
|
My reward...
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Inside the beltway
Posts: 118
S/C/G: 272/270/220
Height: 6'3"
|
Thanks for the suggestion! We're always looking for ways to use the homeless zucchini left on our doorstep in the summer!
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 08:33 AM
|
#3
|
No description available.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Bat Country
Posts: 6,915
|
That's a great idea to use it as "pasta"...I love it broiled too with salt and pepper and a smidge of olive oil. I'll have lots of chances to try your ideas cause the zukes are really thriving in my garden...
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 08:39 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Ontario's West Coast
Posts: 13,969
S/C/G: 165/147/128
Height: 5'3"
|
And grated raw into a salad. It's great filler. The whole darned thing only has a few calories and lots of vitamin A.
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 08:51 AM
|
#5
|
Let's do this!
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: 3rd cornfield on the left.
Posts: 3,757
S/C/G: 210/149/140
Height: 5'6.5
|
I had a zucchini revelation recently. I have always been a squash hater and zucchini was at the top of my list (it is squash, right?). I am not veggie challenged, but.... ew. I threw it in a marinara sauce with mushrooms and onion to thicken it up and it was wonderful! It added a lot of diversity and broadened the flavor.
And of course there is fried zucchini, but we won't go there...
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 09:39 AM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3,509
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by junebug41
I had a zucchini revelation recently. I have always been a squash hater and zucchini was at the top of my list (it is squash, right?).
|
Yep, zucchini is a summer squash. Butternut, acorn and squashes of that nature are considered winter squash.
I love squash of all types. Has anyone ever tried patty pan squash? Oh it's wonderful. Creamy, sweet texture and soooo yummy. Here's a picture of patty pans. Some are white, some are green and you can also find them in yellow.
My favorite way to fix summer squashes (zucchini, yellow squash, patty pan, etc.) has always been to slice it, dip it in bread crumbs and fry it. But for obvious reasons I don't eat it that way very often anymore. So if I REALLY have to have my fried squash (I also do eggplant this way) then I dip the slices in egg white, then into seasoned bread crumbs, and then fry them in nonstick cooking spray. Not quite as yummy as fried in oil (of course) but it's still good and the patty pan always comes out really good like this. I love getting patty pan from our local farm market.
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 02:16 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 330
|
I love this recipe:
1/4 cup chopped zuchini
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
Mix all and add salt and cayenne pepper
It tastes really good!
Another:
1/4 cup finely chopped/grated zuchini
1 tsp peanuts chopped/powdered
1/4 lemon squeezed
pinch of salt
pinch of splenda if needed
Thats my fav too!
|
|
|
06-14-2006, 03:57 PM
|
#8
|
ZenLizzie
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Posts: 616
S/C/G: 250/250/150
Height: 5'4
|
I never really gave zucchini a chance until I had it breaded and fried as an appetizer once.. and yes.. it was yummy as are most things breaded and fried. But, I figured since I didn't HATE the taste I would give it a chance in a lower-fat way. I live in an appartment and have limited grill accesss so we usually use the George Forman. I decided to give grilling sliced (long way) zucchini a try. With a little non-stick olive oil spray and some italian herbs it smelled and tasted delicious, especially with fat free ranch dressing.
|
|
|
06-15-2006, 11:53 AM
|
#9
|
Elizabeth
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Posts: 537
S/C/G: 233/158/145
Height: 5'6
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LLV
Yep, zucchini is a summer squash. Butternut, acorn and squashes of that nature are considered winter squash.
I love squash of all types. Has anyone ever tried patty pan squash? Oh it's wonderful. Creamy, sweet texture and soooo yummy. Here's a picture of patty pans. Some are white, some are green and you can also find them in yellow.
My favorite way to fix summer squashes (zucchini, yellow squash, patty pan, etc.) has always been to slice it, dip it in bread crumbs and fry it. But for obvious reasons I don't eat it that way very often anymore. So if I REALLY have to have my fried squash (I also do eggplant this way) then I dip the slices in egg white, then into seasoned bread crumbs, and then fry them in nonstick cooking spray. Not quite as yummy as fried in oil (of course) but it's still good and the patty pan always comes out really good like this. I love getting patty pan from our local farm market.
|
Thanks LLV for introducing me to patty pan squash! Now, I just need to find them and make them mine!
|
|
|
06-15-2006, 06:29 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3,509
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by telemetrynurse
Thanks LLV for introducing me to patty pan squash! Now, I just need to find them and make them mine!
|
It's wonderful. To me, anyway. It may be an acquired taste for someone else, but I love it. Can't wait to pick some up at the local farm market once all that stuff comes into season.
|
|
|
06-15-2006, 06:56 PM
|
#11
|
Working My Way Back Down
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Alaska
Posts: 4,982
|
I love all types of squashes. We grow zucchini in our garden so I'm always looking for ways to use it - the stuff seems to grow while you watch. In the summer I've been known to serve it for every meal for days (well, not breakfast )
I like it grilled on the George Foreman Grill as WastedThermos mentioned. Another thing I really like is saute some chopped onions and zucchini (diced really small) and then when they're soft, add a can of seasoned tomatoes (Petite cut ones are great for this) and cook until most of the liquid is gone. The resulting "sauce" is low cal, esp if you use PAM instead of oil. I eat it over a measured portion of pasta. You can add more seasoning if the can of tomatoes is not enough for you. You could also add peppers and/or mushrooms. You could also eat this as a veggie.
|
|
|
06-15-2006, 07:21 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3,509
|
Zucchini fritters!
|
|
|
06-16-2006, 01:04 AM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Lancashire, England
Posts: 3,171
|
I love zucchini (courgettes as they're known in England) and they are great on the Foreman.
I used to grow them in Australia, and one of my gardening friends who lived in a slightly cooler climate came to visit and said mine were too big I should pick them whilst they're small. "Just you wait" I said.
And soon enough she discovered that the leaves on the zucchini plants are so huge, that it's easy to miss the ones growing close to the ground, and turn around twice, they're enormous!!!
I like the big ones hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of couscous or quinoa, and chopped mixed veggies, and a wee bit of parmesan, baked in the oven then served with a tomato sauce. DH likes this too.
|
|
|
06-24-2006, 05:58 PM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 150
|
Linda, I've seen the pattypan squashes in the stores, but what are some recipes (obviously besides breading and frying them) for them? I'd love to try them -- they're just so cute!
TryinAgain and Midwife, to use it as fake pasta, you use the vegetable peeler on it lengthwise to make kind of ribbonlike slices. The recipe I had used a "low-cal" pesto sauce, and the zucchini just soaked up the sauce.
For stirfries, I peel it and julienne it -- again, lengthwise.
|
|
|
07-11-2006, 10:57 PM
|
#15
|
Constant Vigilance
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Fremont, CA
Posts: 2,818
S/C/G: 150/132/<130
Height: just under 5'4"
|
Here is a recipe for turkey meatloaf that is great way to disguise zucchini (honestly, you'd never know that there is a cup of grated zucchini in it).
Turkey and Zucchini Meatloaf
- 1.25 lbs ground turkey (93%-95% lean, not the completely fat-free ground turkey)
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Combine all ingredients and shape into a loaf. Bake on rimmed baking sheet for about an hour, until center of loaf registers 165 degrees on a meat thermometer (or until it is no longer pink).
4 Servings. Nutritional Info Per Serving: 273 calories, 12g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 14g carbs, 25g protein.
Optional Topping
- 1/4 cup peach preserves
- 4 teaspoons dijon mustard
Mix preserves and mustard together. 20 minutes before meatloaf is done cooking, spread the topping over the loaf and return it to the oven.
The optional topping adds about 50 calories per serving.
- Barbara
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:19 AM.
|