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!

xoxoxo Michelle

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.

I'm sitting here eating zukes right now!

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!

Brush with a little olive oil and grill.

Good Housekeeping diet soup

Tourlu - Armenian veggie cassarole - google for the recipe.

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.

Yum... great thread!

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.