So what are you guys all doing with all these AWESOME zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, etc.....you're getting from your gardens?
I am looking at the HUMONGOUS zucchs, squash and 50 tomatoes wondering WHAT to do with them all! Any good low cal/low fat zucchini bread recipes? A good tomato salsa recipe?
I really didn't know these things got so BIG! I always thought (grocery store) zucchini was long and thin and short. Even the squash were small, took like three to make a dish. WOW These are the size of PUMPKINS ! LOL slight exaggeration but you get it.
Thanks in advance! I'm sure this thread will just fill UP with great ideas!
Stuffed - hollow out an 8-ball or large zucchini (cut in half) with a spoon. Chop the innards and put those in a bowl with some chopped fresh basil, a little prepared whole wheat couscous, a chopped tomato or two, salt, pepper, and a minced garlic clove. Toss that, then re-stuff into the hollowed out halves and sprinkle each half with a tbsp or so of shredded part-skim mozzarella. Bake at 375 until squash shell is tender and cheese is browned, maybe 25 min.
Or chop summer squash, tomatoes, garlic, and basil up, and toss in a large casserole. Add in 4 tbsp of parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste and toss. Top with additional cheese if desired and bake...yummy squash casserole!
My favorite at the moment is the simplist zucchini salad - just grate a medium-sized zucchini, add in about an ounce of grated parmesan, and sprinkle with a little olive. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and it's ready! This is one of those recipes that I was skeptical of at first, but it actually tastes good, very nutty and light. If you're starting with a humungous garden zucchini, you might add more parmesan, or possibly just grate half of it (it doesn't seem to keep very well).
I grow zucchini, and those guys will double in size when you turn your back. Seriously, we once had one get as big as a fireplace log! And at our state fair there is a giant vegetable competition - let me tell you some of them get looking pretty strange as they get bigger. Check out the zucchini here
You can add grated zucchini to almost anything. I like to cut it into little tiny pieces (but not grated) and saute it with onions, then add a can of seasoned diced tomatoes and cook til most of the liquid is absorbed and serve it over pasta. Yum! You can add any spices you like.
I also have a mock apple pie recipe that uses zucchini, but it's not low-cal!
I don't grow it, but I pretty much put zucchini in everything. I love it. I almost always throw sauteed zucchini in with my egg whites, and if I make any kind of tomato sauce, be it salsa or sauce for eggplant parm, I put zucchini in it. It has no calories, adds nutrients and bulk and is scarcely detectable most of the time. It's a fabulously versatile veggie.
I also have a great recipe for low-fat chocolate zucchini bread. It's yum. I think I posted it in the Food forum a couple of months ago.
We have a garden and we grow zucc, squash, peas, tomatoes....you name it. But my favorite way is roasted with other veggies or just by itself. Or cut it up and cook it down with a little olive oil, add italian seasoning and parmesan cheese and onion if you want...Yummy!
I love to just slap 'em on the George Foreman, sprinkled with salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Yum!
Or, toss 'em in a pan with some tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, or whatever veggies I have at the time, season, and eat! More liquid for "soup", less liquid for the "goop" version.
This recipe was in my CSA box this week and it was great!
1 large purple bell pepper, seeded and cut in strips
2 large red onions, each cut in 8 wedges
3 medium-sized yellow crookneck patty pan squash, cut in 1/2" slices
3 medium-sized zucchini, cut into matchsticks
5 ounces fresh green or purple beans
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or savory
salt and pepper
2 yellow tomatoes
3 red tomatoes
(2-3 T olive oil--I didn't add this)
Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours, until veggies are just tender and hold their shape.
Sprinkle with 3 T minced flat-leaf parsley and 2-4 T balsamic vinegar and eat!
I love zucchini soooooo much!! My favorite thing to do is to roast my veggies. I just chop up everything I love and drizzle with olive oil and my favorite spices. I use these veggies to top whole wheat rice, pita pizzas, and as a side dish to any meat.
Does anyone know if I was to roast a whole pan of veggies how well they would keep in the fridge and warmed up in the microwave. I think I read somewhere about this but don't remember the exact details. I would love to roast a bunch and eat it as a side dish for lunch to get in more veggies.
I love zuchinni!!! I also like to shred it, as said above already, but I usually don't eat it raw though (just not my preference most of the time).
I will often eat a whole (not a huge one) grated/shredded zuchinni - lightly sauteed in a pan (with pam or a dab of olive oil) -- add what you like -- I usually throw in chopped basil from garden (and/or other herbs), a bit of low fat feta (give great flavor for few calories), salt pepper, drizzle of lemon juice. It's delicous! Like eating a bowl of pasta!
Last night hubby and I made zuchinni lasagna - I followed a recipe from Cooking Light online (how do you put a link???). Slice zuchinni and squash thin fairly thin, lengthwise like lasagna noodles. Layer with cheese mixture (the recipe calls for 2 c. lo fat cottage cheese and 2 eggs -- I used low fat ricotta with one egg and one egg white), sauce, little mozzarella - make 2 layers. Bake at 350 for 40 min. The recipe calls for zuchinni to be blanched first (boiled for 2-3 min) - I did this, but I had to drain it forever and blot it to get water off.
It was delicious - very easy. We are having the leftovers tonight!
With the HUGE zuchinnis, I usually make bread or muffins - I give this away by the ton in the summer, so I don't eat too much myself.
I love 8-ball zucchini, I used to grow it. Perfect for stuffing and baking.
I wish you could buy it in the store. I don't grow it anymore, just don't have the room and it's not easy stuffing those little teenie weenie things the grocers carry.
All the Fab garden veggies right now!
Seriously, we once had one get as big as a fireplace log! And at our state fair there is a giant vegetable competition - let me tell you some of them get looking pretty strange as they get bigger. Check out the zucchini 
I like to cut it into little tiny pieces (but not grated) and saute it with onions, then add a can of seasoned diced tomatoes and cook til most of the liquid is absorbed and serve it over pasta. Yum! You can add any spices you like. 
