Great Ways to Enjoy Summer Zucchini

Happy National Zucchini Day! Yup – National Zucchini Day is a thing. And yes, I’m celebrating. Celebrating with lots of yummy and healthy recipes. You probably think I’m crazy because I’m getting excited about Zucchini Day (which you’re right), but I just love how versatile this vegetable is! When cooked the right way, it can completely quench your pasta craving. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a big ole’ bowl of pasta, but I like to use Zucchini as a replacement whenever I can. It’s so fresh right now, too!

Sweet Corn and Zucchini Casserole

If you hate Zucchini (like my husband does) then these two amazingly good dishes will change your mind! Just ask James. Or don’t – haha. In all seriousness, these dishes did get a thumbs up from him. Especially the Zucchini and Sweet Corn casserole. This casserole is DELICIOUS! It has great crunch and a bit of sweetness from the corn. A kick from the jalapeno and creaminess from the goat cheese.

The star of the dish, the ribbon zucchini, adds great texture and flavor. The key to this dish is squeezing out the excess water from the zucchini. Do so, by simply placing it in a paper towel and squeeze out the water.

Fresh herbs help kick this casserole up a notch. You can use whatever herbs you have on hand. I had chives, basil, and cilantro. However, I think thyme and rosemary would also go well with this. The last time I made this I had a summer squash to use up, so I threw in some of that as well. You can easily make this dish with zucchini and squash. This is a great side dish for your summer cookout! I love it so much that I can make a meal out of this alone. This will definitely be a hit with whomever you share it with.

Ingredients:

• 3 zucchini
• 2-3 ears of sweet corn
• 1 jalapeno
• ½ of a large onion, chopped
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup of greek yogurt
• ¼ cup of panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup freshly chopped herbs
• Salt and pepper
• 4oz goat cheese
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 3tbsp butter

Directions:

Sauté the chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat. As the onion is cooking, cut the corn off the cobs and set aside. Also ribbon the zucchini to make pasta. I used the Pampered Chef Spiral and Slice to create ribbons. If you don’t have one, use a vegetable peelers or just chop the zucchini. Put the zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for about 20-30 minutes.

Meantime cook the onion until translucent, add the garlic, jalapeno, and corn. Mix everything together and heat for about 2 minutes longer, until the corn is just slightly cooked. Turn the stove off and set the pan aside. In a baking dish whisk the Greek yogurt, cheese, half the chopped herbs, salt, and pepper together. Add the corn mixture and mix well. Before adding the zucchini make sure you have removed all of the moisture. You can do so by placing in a paper towel and squeezing hard to get all of the moisture out. I would do this in batches.

Once the excess water is removed from the zucchini, add it to the baking dish and mix well with the corn, herbs and wet ingredients. Now add the cheese and mix everything together before topping with bread crumbs and the remaining herbs. Dot the top of the breadcrumbs with pieces of butter to help get a golden brown crust. Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is slightly bubbling and the top is golden brown. [/Recipe]

Lemony Summer Soup With Zucchini Noodles

This next recipe is not as sexy as the first one but one of my favorites (yes, food can be sexy). I love to make soup – even on a hot day! Again – call me crazy. I especially love soup with pasta in it. This summer zucchini and lemon soup is one of the best ones I have ever made! The zucchini and lemon together create an awesome flavor profile. The parmesan cheese rind is a must in this soup! We go through a good amount of parmesan cheese, I never throw the rind away. If you don’t use a lot of cheese, you can buy just the rinds at specialty food stores.

I made this twice last week! It’s a great soup for summer with the refreshing taste of lemon and freshly chopped herbs. We had leftover grilled chicken, so I added that to the soup. However, you can easily just use rotisserie chicken, too. Add the zucchini at the very last minute so it doesn’t get too soft. I like it to have some crunch – and adding too soon will over soften the zucchini and take the color away.

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 zucchini
• 1 cup of diced chicken
• 5 cups of low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup farro (I buy mine from Trader Joe’s via Amazon)
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 parmesan rind
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
• ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium stockpot saute the onion in 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Add the all the chopped herbs but leave half the parsley to the side for garnish. Stir well and add the zest of one lemon and the juice. Do not discard the lemon after it has been juiced. Throw it in the stockpot and it will still flavor the soup as it cook. Add the parmesan rind, the farro, and stock. If you don’t have faro you can use barley or rice.

Once the stock is added, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the chicken, chickpeas, and edamame. Do not drain the chickpeas, I like to add the entire can as it thickens the soup slightly. However, you can drain them if you’d like. Cover and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes or until the faro and edamame or fully cooked. You may need to adjust your cooking time depending on the type of grain you use. Add salt and pepper as needed.

As the soup is simmering, spiral the zucchini and set aside. I use the veggetti I bought on amazon. Divide the zucchini noddles among each bowl and top with a large ladle of soup. Top each bowl of soup with parsley and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan. [/Recipe]

I hope you enjoy these recipes! And don’t forget to check out my other recipes using zucchini!