This year we had a “mini” garden that my father in law planted for us of Italian cucumbers, basil and parsley. So, really not much in the way of having way too much of anything. We ended up with a nice amount of cucumbers. We had plenty to enjoy and even enough to share the love with family. We did get a ton of basil and it is amazing basil; Large leaves, beautiful color, smell and flavor. I brought a few bags to work and we were able to utilize a lot of it there and everyone loved it! Yet, we will need to use some up for the end of the year here and that bring me to this article.
It is so great to be able to grow your own fruits and veggies to enjoy throughout summer and share with friends and family. But what do you do when you have an abundance of something from your garden and how to do enjoy these items throughout the fall and winter months as well. So many people have been asking me and it is actually the number one search in August, about what to do with all of the extra zucchini they have. Zucchini are a great veggie to grow and so versatile, but often we just have way too much. I have a few recipes that can help with that issue.
There are a million different recipes out there for zucchini. Hopefully these are three new ones that you haven’t had or seen before. The best part about all of these is that they are kid and family friendly and you can make any of them to enjoy now or you can freeze them and enjoy all winter.
We are going to start with a super kid-friendly recipe that you can make for dinner and even give the kiddos the next day in their school lunches, (as I know all you mamas out there are now dreading having to think of new exciting ways to spice up those meals each day!). The kids can even help you make this one as it is really easy and the whole family will love it.
Zucchini Tots
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini grated
- 2/3 c. panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 c. finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder with parsley
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously spray/oil a standard size cookie sheet with nonstick spray
- Place grated zucchini in a colander with small holes over the sink and press as much water out as possible. You can also ring out in towel
- Transfer zucchini to a large mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, cornstarch, salt, garlic, onion, pepper and paprika. Using a large rubber spatula, mix the ingredient together until combined.
- Using a tablespoon for uniform measurement, scoop zucchini and form into tots. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray tops with cooking spray;;Place into the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 18-22 minutes. Serve immediately alongside your favorite dip (ketchup, bbq or ranch).
The next zucchini recipe I want to share with you is a play on an old classic. I feel like everyone has a zucchini bread recipe that they default to when they have too much zucchini laying around. And I mean, why not, zucchini bread is delicious. Here is a zucchini recipe for today’s family. This is one that even the kids will love and they will even love helping you make it. In our house we believe everything is better with Nutella on it… so why should zucchini bread be any different.
Nutella Swirled Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
- 1/3 cups chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional)
- 6 tsp Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees;;Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, mix well in between additions. Then add the honey, vanilla. Mix well, Fold the yogurt into the mixture with a rubber spatula. Then combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon in a separate bowl. Stir it into the wet ingredients just until combined.Fold in the zucchini and if you are using the chocolate chips and hazelnuts.Divide the batter between 2 greased loaf pans. Place 3 tsp of Nutella on top of each pan of batter. Swirl with a fork. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before slicing.
The final recipe I have for you for zucchini is so fun and a great way to sneak in healthy foods and make it fun for the kids. We have all by now had or at least heard of cauliflower pizza crust. Well, this is a zucchini pizza crust and it is awesome. You can freeze this after the crust is baked and then just pull out, top and bake off or you can freeze the shredded zucchini you need to make it in portion bags and just pull out, thaw and make whenever you want throughout the year. Everyone will love this unique twist on your crust
Zucchini Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 8 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or white cheddar cheese
- 2/3 cup flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 550F with a pizza stone pre baking in it. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and set aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the squash by wrapping it up in a clean towel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing it out, discarding the water. Once all of the excess moisture has been wrung out and discarded, place the shredded zucchini back into the bowl and add the cheese, flour, garlic, oregano, basil, eggs, and salt. With your hands, incorporate all of the ingredients together. Place the zucchini mixture onto a piece of parchment paper at least 15” in diameter, set on something solid that will make it easy to transfer into the oven. I use the back of a sheet pan. Using your fingers, spread the zucchini crust mixture to form a circle about 14” in diameter, 1/2" thick. Pinch the edges up so that it forms a nice crust. Once the pizza crust has been shaped, transfer the crust on the parchment paper onto the heated pizza stone in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Once the zucchini crust has baked for 8 minutes, transfer the pizza on the parchment paper out of the oven, onto the solid surface you used before. Top the pizza with sauce and any additional toppings that you'd like. Once the toppings are on, transfer the pizza on the parchment paper back onto the heated pizza stone in the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes;
Let me know what you think of these zucchini recipes and share some more with us too!
