ZUCCHINI!
Photo Credit: Shlangenhaut
Like the swiss army knife of veggies, zucchini can do pretty much anything! From cocktails to casseroles, muffins to fajitas and everything in between, zucchini can be a solid and shockingly healthy foundation to literally any dish. With more potassium than a banana and fewer calories than most things, these green fruits (YES! they are actually fruits) should be a staple in your summer eating. Oh, AND you can eat the flowers!
- To Pick: Look for shiny, firm skin with soft stems. Softness is a sign of deterioration.
- To Grow: You can plant seeds in the ground or deep raised beds with proper drainage. It only takes 4-8 days between seeing the flower and harvesting.
- To Store: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for four to five days and do not wash until you are ready to use. It will get slimy pretty quickly!
- To Prep: You can grill, braise, bake, fry, and our favorite, you can spiralize.
Zucchini+ Sea Salt Vodka Soda
Photo Credit: Set the Table
If you ever find yourself with leftover zucchini juice (from squeezing it out of shredded zucchini, etc.), this is the perfect use of it. Or, just go shred up some zucchini because this cocktail gives your juice cleanse a run for it’s money.
Ingredients: 2 oz zucchini juice; 1 1/2oz vodka; 3/4 oz lemon juice; flaky sea salt; club soda
Method: Combine the zucchini juice, vodka, and lemon juice in the bottom of a cocktail glass and stir. Fill the glass with ice and top with club soda. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve immediately.
Adapted from: Set the Table
Featured Zucchini Recipes from Foodstand Posts!
Wondering how to make that inspiring post you saw on Foodstand? Here are your fellow Foodstand friends with their recipes!
Homemade by JenniferEmilson
Two brilliant dishes collided in one bowl. Zucchini ribbons in almond pesto surrounded by fresh celery soup. Went to Smitten Kitchen and Food52 for the recipes.
Recipe
This recipe is just for the zucchini ribbons+ almond pesto part, but you can find the celery soup part from Food 52 here!
Ingredients: 2 pounds zucchini, trimmed (about 4 zucchinis); 1/2 cup almonds, toasted; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed; Pinch of red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1/4 tsp salt;1/3 cup olive oil
Method: Grind almonds, Parmesan, garlic and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, salt and olive oil and pulse a few times until incorporated. Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler or mandolin and toss the ribbons gently in dressing.
Full recipe here.
Adapted from: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Homemade by Mokalocks
Sweet potato, zucchini and feta burgers with chimichurri. Recipe on my blog.
Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Burgers: 1 kilo of sweet potatoes;2 zucchinis; 200gr feta cheese, crumbled; 2 eggs; ½ cup of pre-cooked cornmeal; ¼ cup of all-purpose flour; 3 shallots, finely chopped; Olive Oil; Salt and Pepper to taste; Panko breadcrumbs, enough to coat each burger
For the chimichurri: 2 cups of flat leaf parsley; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped; 1 bird’s eye chili, chopped; 1 tbsp of dried oregano; ½ cup of olive oil; 1 tbsp of white vinegar; Juice of 2 limes; 1 tsp of salt; Pepper
Method: For the chimichurri, put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse. Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven, peel and mash. Grate the zucchinis. Sauté the shallots in olive oil and add to potatoes and zucchinis, and crumble the feta in. Add the eggs, cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper to make a burger mixture. Make burgers by coating in Panko breadcrumbs, and cooking in olive oil in a pan.
Full recipe here.
Adapted from: Cravings in Amsterdam