Zucchini bliss!

I am so excited about the zucchini harvest this year! I have been quite busy finding ways to store this perfect veggie for winter. I’m also enjoying them fresh with nearly everything I eat.

Did you know that zucchini is a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese? And it only contains 20 calories per 1 cup serving! 

Lots of people are giving them away this year because they did so remarkably well. I was greedy with mine, as I love them so much and can think of so much to do with them!

I’ve already made countless zucchini burgers and frozen them for winter eating. I also made the best zucchini bread known to man. I got the recipe from:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moms-zucchini-bread/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=zucchini%20bread&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

I followed the recipe as written except I used slightly less sugar and substituted brown sugar for some of the white. Also, don’t drain the shredded zucchini because you will lose the moisture.

I also made a healthier version using apple sauce in place of most of the oil and whole wheat and rice flour. I used agave syrup and honey in place of the sugar. It came out just as good, although much denser of a loaf.

I’m looking forward to making a savory zucchini bread next time using garlic, onion, and rosemary.

The veggie burgers are the best that I have ever made. My husband told me not to share the recipe because he wanted to take a 2^nd mortgage on our house to patent the recipe and sell these things! That’s quite a compliment coming from a die-hard meat eater!

Despite his enthusiasm, I can’t keep this recipe to myself!

Zucchini Burgers

3 cups chopped zukes

½ small onion

½ cup sun dried tomatoes

½ jalapeno

½ bell pepper

½ cup black olives

½ cup chick peas

3 eggs

1 cup oatmeal

¼ cup brown rice flour

2 cloves chopped garlic

Salt, pepper, cumin

Throw everything in the food processor and process until you have a slightly wet burger-dough. Pre-heat non-stick or cast iron skillet with a small amount of olive oil. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto hot pan and spread the burger out a bit with the back of the spoon. Cook about 2 minutes and flip. If the burger is too wet it will fall apart. Just add a bit more oatmeal and re-blend.

I can’t even begin to express how perfect and delicious these turned out! This will yield about nine bun-sized burgers.

Tonight I will be making and freezing large batches of zucchini rounds for frying. They are a perfect substitute for French fries. Just cut into strips or rounds, dip in egg whites and coat in corn-meal, flour, and seasonings. Freeze flat on a greased baking sheet or parchment until solid. Then just bag them up and fry as needed.

These will be perfect with all of the marinara sauce that I canned!

I never imagined I could get so excited over a vegetable. My life must be fairly mundane because I am the only one I know that thinks “Isn’t life grand?” when picking and cooking this baseball-bat sized vegetable!