zucchini recipes

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ZUCCHINI HUMMUS: Another Use For Zucchini!!!

It all started with a giant zucchini I found in my garden. One of the highlights of my summer days is to check what’s ready to be picked. Somehow I neglected to notice this huge zucchini skulking at the base of the plant. As a woman who hates waste, I put on my thinking cap to come up with something to do with this monster – preferably something that can be frozen – I AM self-proclaimed Queen Of Freeze, after all. Since I had just made hummus, it occurred to me I could make a zucchini based hummus. Success!

My Zucchini Hummus can be used as a dip or spread. (It makes a delicious sandwich in pita bread with Muenster cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and arugula.) Best of all, it freezes well!

NOTE: If you’re using this as a spread (which is thicker), decrease the amount of zucchini to about 840g (1/4 lb).

Zucchini Hummus:

  • 939g (2 lbs) zucchini, shredded
  • 150g (5 oz) onion, chopped
  • 1.5 T garlic, minced
  • 45g (1/2 cup) olive oil
  • 28g (2 T) tomato paste
  • 2 tsp table salt
  • 1 tsp dried Korean style red pepper (Gochugaru)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1.5 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 28g (2 T) tahini
  • 252g (1 cup) hummus ( either homemade – my recipe or purchased)
  • 1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C)

First thing to do is extract as much water from the zucchini as you can. Place a handful of shredded zucchini into the center of a tea towel. The amount of a handful is determined by the size of your hand. Don’t use more thinking you’ll get it done faster – it’s hard work for your hand. Wrap the towel around the zucchini ball, twist, and squeeze. Discard liquid. Repeat until all shredded zucchini is squeezed.

Place squeezed zucchini in a Dutch oven.

Into the Dutch oven add the onion, garlic olive oil, tomato paste, table salt, ground Korean style red pepper spice, smoked paprika, regular paprika, turmeric, coriander, cumin, tahini, and hummus.

Saute 5-7 minutes on stove top over medium-high heat.

Add in bay leaf and bury it. You don’t want to stir mixture with the bay leaf in it – some bay leafs are brittle and you don’t want shards of bay leaf in your mixture. Make sure you note where you put it – you’ll need to remove it later. Cover pot and bake in preheated 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, move bay leaf out of the way and stir zucchini mixture. Bury bay leaf again, cover pot, and continue to bake at 400°F (104°C) for another 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, remove and discard bay leaf.

Add in soy sauce.

Cool mixture about 20 minutes, then mix in a blender, food processor, or use an immersion blender (my preference). Adjust seasoning, if needed.

Excellent as a dip or filling in pita bread.

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LAYERED CHILE RELLANO: Surprisingly Easy!

Give a recipe to 100 different cooks and you’ll get 100 different variations of that recipe. We substitute ingredients, we add ingredients, we leave out ingredients, we change the methodology. Sometimes the finished product bears no resemblance to the original recipe.

Such is the case with my Chile Rellano recipe. It’s zucchini season in my garden which means I’m always looking for ways to use these fast growing beauties. The plan was to make Chile Rellano for dinner when I spied a 13″ zucchini lurking at the base of the plant. Yikes! One can only serve zucchini stir-fry or zucchini bread so often. Hmmm! I wondered aloud (yes, I talk to myself). How about layering zucchini slices in the Chile Rellano I was making. I like to live on the edge (or, at least, nearby), so I gave it a try. It turned out great!

NOTE: Recipe can be doubled or more – just use a larger casserole dish.

LAYERED CHILE RELLANO – made in a casserole dish about 10″ x 8″ (25cm x 20cm)

  • 3 poblano chili peppers
  • 286g (10 oz) pepper jack cheese, grated
  • 3 eggs
  • about 400g (15 oz) zucchini
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 21g (2.5 T) flour
  • 22g (2 T) milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

SALSA for Chile Rellano – makes about 350ml (1.5 cups)

  • 192g (1.33 cups) salsa roja – homemade or purchased
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 12g (2T) masa harina
  • 1/4 tsp salt

NOTE: Zucchini is really optional. You can layer something else (such as eggplant) or, just leave that layer out entirely. It will be delicious either way!

First thing to do is roast the poblanos. This is so you can remove the skin. Lay washed chili peppers on a baking sheet and place them under the broiler. Set a timer for a few minutes so you don’t forget them.

Once they begin to shrivel and blacken (after about 5 minutes) flip them and broil the other side. Remove them from the broiler and let cool a bit.

Lower oven to 350°F (180°C) to keep oven hot while you prepare the Layered Chile Rellano.

Peel away and discard the skin.

Cut peeled poblanos in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the stem end and seeds.

Tear the halves into smaller pieces so they can be fitted into the casserole dish.

Grate the cheese and separate into 3 fairly equal piles.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4″ (1/2cm) rounds.

Separate eggs by placing the yolks in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Place the whites in the bowl of your electric mixer – NOT the small bowl of yolks! Beat whites on high to reach stiff peaks – about 1.5 minutes. (I you don’t have an electric mixer, beat by hand – it will take longer.)

In the small bowl of yolks, add the baking powder, flour, milk, salt, and pepper. Combine and pour into the beaten whites. On low speed (or by hand) add the yolk mixture and briefly combine. You don’t want to deflate the whites!

Pour approximately half of the egg mixture into the casserole dish, spreading it to evenly cover bottom.

Layer on half of the poblanos.

Layer half of the zucchini.

Layer 1/3 of cheese.

Layer on remaining poblano pieces.

Layer remaining zucchini.

Layer half of remaining cheese (one third of total cheese).

Pour on remaining egg mixture and spread to cover.

Sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake UNCOVERED at 350°F (180°C) until browned on top – about 30 minutes.

Let set about 10 minutes or so before serving.

While Chile Rellano is setting, prepare the Rellano Salsa. It just take minutes. This can be done ahead of time, also.

Into a food processor, immersion blender, or regular pitcher blender, add the salsa, oregano, masa harina, and salt.

Blend – I’m using my immersion blender.

Done! As self proclaimed Queen Of Freeze I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t let you know this salsa freezes well. If you like it (try it first), double, triple, etc the recipe and freeze in portion sized containers for future use!

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ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD: Fast & Easy!

I’m always looking for zucchini recipes ever since I’ve begun to grow them in my garden. Not only is this recipe delicious, it has the added bonus of being easy to prepare. It’s great to serve at holiday dinners, picnics, and pot-lucks.

ZUCCHINI PASTA SALAD – makes about 650g (5 cups)

  • 12g (2 T) diced shallots
  • 2 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 10g (1 T) red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt 
  • 1/4 tsp black ground pepper
  • 114g (1/4 lb) small pasta
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 15g (1 T) ketchup
  • 170g (1-2) zucchini, chopped into half-moons
  • 46g (1/2 cup) red pepper, chopped
  • 27g (1/4 cup) small carrot, sliced thin
  • 130g (1 cup) Feta cheese, crumbled into chunks
  • 63g (1/2 cup) Kalamata olives, chopped

In a small bowl, blend together 1 T olive, the shallots, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Bring about a quart of water to a full boil and add in the uncooked pasta. Cook for about 9 minutes, stirring now and then. Drain without shaking out the excess water in the sieve. Pour the cooked pasta into a large bowl.

Into the now empty pot, put the remaining 1 T olive oil, garlic, ketchup, zucchini, red pepper, and carrot. Over medium flame cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. You only want to par-cook the veggies so there’s still a slight bite to them, not make them soggy.

Pour the cooked veggies to the bowl of cooked pasta. Mix in the Feta, Kalamata olives, and vinegrette.

Serve at room temperature (or chilled, if you prefer).

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ZUCCHINI-DATE-APRICOT MUFFINS: No Added Sugar!

They say necessity is the mother of invention. With my bounty of zucchini from 2 plants, I needed to come up with ideas to use these growing beauties (one can eat only so much stir-fried zucchini!). I thought it would be nice to make something that could be made in bulk and frozen for future use. (I AM the self-proclaimed Queen Of Freeze, after all!)

Putting on my thinking cap, I decided to make a zucchini muffin that was tasty but with no added sugar or egg yolks. It took MANY tries until I finally came up with my Zucchini-Date-Apricot Muffin recipe. For the record, in my early trials, I added a mixture of brans and wheat germ to the dry ingredients. While these may have made the muffins healthier, they yielded a cardboard texture. NOT an enticement for adults, let alone children. I eventually whittled these add-ins down to zero – if no one eats them, what’s the point.

NOTE: Again as self-proclaimed Queen Of Freeze, I discovered you can successfully freeze shredded zucchini for these muffins. I’ve only tried freezing the shreds AFTER lightly squeezing out some of the water. I’m not sure if it would be successful simply freezing the shreds prior to squeezing and then squeezing after thawing. Freeze in portion sizes and make sure you mark how much is in the container.

ZUCCHINI-DATE -APRICOT MUFFINS – (Makes 6-9 muffins, depending on size.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL INGREDIENTS SHOULD BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE!!!!

Wet ingredients

  • 115g (about 19) pitted dried dates
  • 32g (5 dried) apricots
  • 2 egg whites, room temperature
  • 68g (1/4 cup) honey
  • 16g (2 T) olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300g (2 cups) zucchini, shredded

Dry Ingredients

  • 102g (1/2 + 1/3 cups total) all-purpose (plain) flour
  • 29g (1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375°F (190°C)

You’ll need 2 bowls: a small cereal sized for the dry ingredients, and a medium mixing bowl for the wet.

Into the medium sized bowl, put the egg whites and beat with a fork to break them up and they become foamy.

Chop the dates and apricots into small pieces. Add them to the bowl with the egg whites.

Shred, then chop the zucchini. (I chop the shreds so the muffins don’t have long zucchini strings.)

Into a clean tea towel, place tennis ball sized bundles of the shredded-chopped zucchini, one at a time. Wrap the tea towel around the bundles and twist over a container to extrude the liquid. You don’t need to squeeze out every drop of liquid – just a firm twist. NOTE: If you want to be very precise, you will probably squeeze out about a total of 40g (3+ tablespoons). Discard this liquid. Place squeezed zucchini into the bowl with the egg whites.

Add in the honey, olive oil, and vanilla.

Into the smaller bowl, stir together the all-purpose (plain) flour, whole wheat flour, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently blend until the flour is just incorporated. Don’t over mix or you will produce a tougher muffin.

Into a very lightly oiled muffin tin, fill the cups. (If you have an ice cream scoop, use that – it makes the task much easier.)

The batter will make 6- 9 muffins, depending on size. I find making 9 produces shorter muffins which is more manageable for young children’s hands and mouths, or if you just want a small snack.

Bake in preheated 375°F (190°) for 18-21 minutes – until lightly browned and top springs back when pressed. Let set in tin for 15 minutes. Then run a rounded-tip knife around the sides, Go around again, gently lifting up the bottoms until muffin is freed. Remove to wire rack to completely cool.

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HEALTHIER ZUCCHINI BREAD!

zucchini bread textThey’re out there and they’re coming – those overzealous gardeners who plant way too much zucchini. You can hear the pleading in their voices – “You want some zucchini? We have lots!”

Or maybe you ARE the overzealous gardener. Either way, zucchini abounds and it needs to be dealt with. Yes, you can stir-fry, stuff, and spiralize it, but one can only eat so much zucchini.

My suggestion is to make a healthier ZUCCHINI BREAD and freeze the loaves so you can enjoy your bounty months from now.

This recipe is packed with zucchini, but let’s not get crazy – I said “healthier”, not “healthy”. Even though I swapped the vegetable oil for olive oil and the whole eggs for egg whites, there’s still sugar in the bread so bear that in mind when slicing out the portions.

Note:  This recipe makes 20 muffins.  While it’s a little more work to grease, fill, and remove the muffins from a muffin pan, the benefits are portion control, ease of grabbing however many you want from the freezer, and the whole muffin is basically an end piece (my favorite part of quick breads).zucchini bread3

2nd note:  I noted both weight and cup measurements. Weighing dry ingredients is a far more accurate way of measuring than using measuring cups, but I included cup measurements for those of you who don’t have a scale. (Put digital kitchen scale on your wish-list!)

HEALTHIER ZUCCHINI BREAD – make 1 loaf or 20 muffins

  • 188g (7½ oz) (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 63g (2¾ oz) (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour
  • 1 T ground cinnamon
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 680g (1½ pounds) zucchini
  • 4 egg whites
  • 220g (8¾ oz) (1 + 1/3 cup) dark brown sugar
  • 44g (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 14g (1 T) distilled vinegar
  • optional: 50g (1/2 cup) walnuts, chopped & lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. 

In a medium sized bowl, blend the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and walnuts, if using. Set aside. zucchini bread13Using the large holes of your grater, shred the zucchini. (You can use your food processor or do it by hand.) You’ll have about 5 cups of zucchini. Take a handful of the zucchini and place it in the center of a clean tea towel. Gather the edges together and twist the ball firmly to extract as much liquid as you can. Do this with all the zucchini. (It’s better not to put too much zucchini in the towel at one time.) Discard the liquid, unless you can think of a use for it.zucchini bread15 In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, sugar, oil, vanilla, and vinegar by hand.zucchini bread14 Stir in zucchini.zucchini bread4 Pour in the dry ingredients and gently blend until the flour is incorporated – there can be some flour showing. (Over mixing quick breads can lead to a tough loaf.) zucchini bread5Pour batter into an oiled metal (or glass, if you don’t have metal) loaf pan and smooth top. zucchini bread6Bake at preheated 375°F (190°C) for 60-70 minutes (mine took 65 minutes), until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE: If you’re making muffins, bake them for about 15 minutes at 375°F (190°C).

zucchini bread7 Let sit in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack. zucchini bread8The loaf needs to cool at least 1½ hours to firm up before slicing. Honestly, try and restrain yourself – you’ll get nicer slices if you wait.