Zany Zucchini

I had a love affair this summer...with a vegetable. No you perverts, not like that. I am not the gardener of the group, nor do I pretend to be. Every time I plant something, I have to call Heather and her gardening boyfriend to make sure I'm doing it right, how to prune it, is it edible etc. I think mostly to stop or at least slow the flow of my stupid questions, they finally suggested I plant an (almost) idiot-proof plant, zucchini.

 

Fast forward a few weeks when my first zucchini sprouted and I called anyone who cared, and even those who didn't care. I put it on Facebook and Instagram, I even considered paying to put up a billboard to proclaim my awesomeness.

 

But what no one told me is that approximately every 45 seconds, a new zucchini grows. I had zucchinis coming out the wazoo...seriously. I took them to work, forced them on unsuspecting family members, left them on strangers doorsteps, and even cooked with them every.single.night.(sorry husband Jon).

 

 

Zucchini really is the best and easiest Summer vegetable to grow. I made so many things I felt like a culinary artist. Here is a quick breakdown of some of my favorite recipes.

 

Zucchini Boats:

 

 1) Pre heat oven to 350
2)Cut medium size zucchinis in half lengthwise
3) Scoop out the seedy innards
4) Make a mixture of what you would like for the filling. I used 1 lb. ground beef, a dash of Italian seasoning as well as garlic salt and onion powder. Simmer together until brown then drain.
5)  Mix beef with 1 c. Parmesan cheese, 1 c. cheddar cheese (we like cheese), bread crumbs and home made tomato sauce then fill the boats with mixture.
4) Line baking dish with foil and cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
 

Zucchini Lasagna:

 

 I followed this recipe exactly, and this dish came out amazing! No one could believe that I didn't use any pasta in this "lasagna"!

 

Italian Zucchini Chicken:

 

 

This recipe is obviously the easiest of them all. I simply baked 6 chicken tenders in Italian dressing for 25 minutes at 350 then I threw in sliced Zucchinis with the chicken for 15 more minutes. Make sure the zucchinis are covered with dressing or they will dry out!

 

There are tons more dishes that you can make with zucchini, all you have to do is look or be the slightest bit inventive in your kitchen! My favorite recipe was "Zucchini fries". They were actually so good that the two times I made them, I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of them before they were all gone. If you can think of any yummy or unique zucchini recipes feel free to post them on here or our FB page!