Zucchini anyone?

8/3/16 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Healthy and delicious Stuffed Zucchini

The sun is shining and the zucchini are growing! Wow. One minute the weather is cool and overcast and the zuchs are just blossoms. The next week the sun is brightly shining, the thermometer hovers in the low nineties and there are a dozen 12-inch zuchs in the garden.

What to do?

We’ve tried palming them off on friends across town; our yard guy (he doesn’t cook) and visiting utility employees don’t accept gifts. I suggested putting them in neighbor’s mailboxes but my husband nixed that idea. It looks like Community Sharing is going to be on overload.

My first year as a Cook’s Corner columnist I solicited zucchini recipes from readers. Hands down, it was the most response that I have had from any column request that I have ever made. Recipes came in from all over the West Coast. People were desperate to share.

Every year at this time all of us gardeners have the same problem. This year the Kaisers have double trouble. Chuck’s pumpkin patch is also sprouting zucchini! Evidently one of the pumpkin seed packers slipped in some zucchini seeds and they are growing like weeds!

So last week Chuck when proudly presented me with another basket of the beautiful green orbs, I thought I was going to cry. It was especially depressing because I still have a couple of packages of frozen shredded zucchini in the freezer! I had to buckle down, make a plan and get serious about dealing with this bounty. 

I began, of course, with zucchini bread. It’s everyone’s favorite and it uses up a couple of our inventory. I moved on to stuffed zucchini for dinner. Over the years I have changed my recipe ever so slightly. I now precook the zucchini in the microwave (see directions) and use ground turkey instead of ground beef. The recipe is easily divided to serve 2-4.

Today’s last recipe is from my neighbor Nancy. Everything she makes is wonderful and you will love her Zucchini Pancakes as a side dish at dinner. And yes, I still have more zucchini. I also have more recipes. Maybe next month we’ll continue this saga. Enjoy!

OLD FASHIONED ZUCCHINI BREAD

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

2 cups zucchini, grated

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour sifted with…

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Optional to at the end: 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 324° F. and grease two 9” x5” x3” loaf pans. Set aside.

Combine the oil, eggs, sugar, zucchini and vanilla in a large bowl. Blend well. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.

Fold in the walnuts if using them. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 1-1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A crack down the middle of bread is normal. Cool on a rack. Makes 2 loaves. Eat one loaf and freeze the other. Good with cream cheese.

BETTY’S STUFFED ZUCCHINI

1 cup uncooked rice

2 12-inch long zucchini

1 pound ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce w/ basil

1/3 cup salsa

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning

Several dashes Tabasco Sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boil; add rice, salt lightly and cook about 25 minutes or until water is absorbed.

In the meantime, sauté onion in a pan with the ground turkey. Drain well and set aside. When rice is cooked, add tomato sauce and other seasonings. Stir in turkey and onions.

Using a table fork, pierce the length of the zucchinis on both sides. Place in the microwave on a paper plate layered with several paper towels. Cook 2 minutes. Turn the zucchini over and cook about another 1-1/2 minutes. If you hear them “screaming” turn off the microwave!

Remove the zucchini and slice them lengthwise on the paper towels. Liquid will ooze out. Scrape out the seeds and you will have 4 nice canoes to put your filling in. Distribute evenly. Put a piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet with sides. Spray with Pam. Put the zucchini on the cookie sheet; salt the shells and spoon in the filling.

Lay a sheet of foil over the top, place in oven and cook about 15 min. Remove from oven and set foil aside. Top with mozzarella cheese and cook until hot and cheese is melted. Serves 4-8 depending on appetites.

Note: Good served with brown sugared carrots, coleslaw and hard sour dough rolls.

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

Nancy Robinson

3 eggs

2 tablespoons oil

3 cups zucchini, grated

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt and Pepper

1 cup Bisquick (more if needed)

Beat eggs and oil in large bowl until well-blended. Add zucchini, onion and seasonings. Blend. Add Bisquick. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter. If too moist add a little more Bisquick; if too dry add a little milk.

Pour about 1/2 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, greased griddle. Spread to make a circle. Cook until edges appear dry and bubbles form and just start to pop on the surface. Turn pancakes with a wide spatula and lightly brown other side. Turn only once. Serve immediately. Good with sour cream. Serves 4 hungry people.

Note: I also make a sweet version of this recipe. I substitute cinnamon for the Italian seasoning and added a few pecans and 1/4 cup sugar.  It is good!

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.