Week 12: My List of Fabulous Finds (Focusing on Zucchini!)

About ten days ago I mentioned the abundance of zucchini in my garden.  Instead of covering a variety of topics in my “list of fabulous finds” this week, today's focus is on the research I have done regarding ways to use this prolific vegetable.

My daughter observed that the two huge zucchini I brought in from our garden were the size of twin babies! She named, rocked, and burped them - - and had me almost feeling guilty when I said “Enough! We have to eat them!”

One of my favorite ways to serve zucchini is to slice it into thin rounds, saute these in olive oil with garlic,
and then add shredded Parmesan cheese just before removing from the stove top. 

I've used my mini food processor to grate some of the bigger squash. It freezes well, and there are many ways to use the grated zucchini, such as adding it to spaghetti sauce or using it for baking.

Here's a whole collection of uses for zucchini that I like ... 

This Week's Fabulous Finds:

~ Zucchini Bread

This recipe for zucchini-banana bread from the blog Healthy Eating for Ordinary People doesn't call for any oil, and we thought it was really delicious.  It would probably be even more healthy if the chocolate chips were omitted - but personally I don't think that would be as tasty!

Zucchini Banana Bread

~Stuffed Zucchini

I had planned to make this recipe last week, and then realized I didn't have any ground beef!

Mexican Stuffed Zucchini from Rockin' Robin. (Note: in addition to watching the video, if you click where it says "show more" there is a printed version of the recipe as well).

I did have some cooked, chopped chicken though, so I modified the recipe a bit and made an Italian version of it instead.

Italian Stuffed Zucchini
Following the recipe in the link above, I substituted 2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken for the ground beef, added about 1/3 cup pesto instead of taco seasoning, and topped it off with grated mozzarella cheese.   

Yet another variation of stuffed zucchini was recommended in a comment on my post last week by Rena, who writes the blog The Diary of an Alzheimer's Caregiver. She said she loves to fill large zucchini with spaghetti sauce, and she recommended this recipe:

Zucchini Boats

~ A Vegetarian Curry Stir fry

My daughter made dinner several nights when she was home, and one night she made a vegetarian curry. It was a fairly quick to prepare, delicious, and used up some of the zucchini! She didn't follow a recipe, but she told me how she prepared it:

Curry Tofu Vegetable Stir fry


1. Cut a container of extra-firm tofu into cubes.
2. Chop approximately equal amounts of carrots, zucchini and asparagus into about the same size of pieces as the tofu.
3. Saute the tofu in olive oil until it begins to brown.
4. Add vegetables and cook until just tender.
5. Stir in a prepared curry sauce, heat through and serve.

The curry sauce my daughter used to make this recipe

Suggested side dishes: naan bread or jasmine rice

~ Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes 

Last year my garden only produced two zucchini!  I sautéed one of them with tomatoes, following a recipe published by Lana on Two Teens and Their Mama. It was excellent - and I really had been looking forward to having plenty of zucchini to make it often again this year! Here is Lana's recipe:

Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes.

~ I haven't tried these recipes yet, but I think they look really good!

Parmesan Crusted Zucchini Sticks
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and Zucchini Pie
Zucchini Brownies (and two other zucchini-dessert recipes)

~ Zucchini Slice

I had never heard of this, until it was recommended by Suzi T from Australia, who writes the blog Chronicles of a Lumpy Person. A little research turned up this recipe, and it certainly does look like one to try!

Zucchini Slice

~ And a few more zucchini suggestions I've received:

Add grated zucchini to meatloaf (River from Drifting through Life) 

Stuff the blossoms with feta or goat cheese (E.C. from Elephant's Child)

Make a lasagna using zucchini strips instead of pasta ( Carlee from Carlee Cooks)

Cut into strips, roll in cornmeal and deep fry (Susan from The contemplative cat)

Just a reminder of the reason for this series: 
There is a lot of really helpful, captivating and entertaining information available on the Internet. It can take a lot of time however, to sift through and find the articles that interest you. 

If you read this blog, I suspect we have similar passions. If I find something to be fascinating or useful, I thin you might as well.

In this series, I share the links to some of the “fabulous finds” I have discovered on the Internet throughout the week. I hope you enjoy and benefit from these links.

~~*~~ 

If you have a favorite zucchini recipe, feel free to share it in the comments. 

Which of these ways of serving zucchini appeals the most to you?

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!