Here a Zucchini, There a Zucchini, Zucchini is Everywhere - 5 Ways to Use Zucchini

It is that time in summer. The zucchini is overflowing from the back yard gardens and farm baskets. Zucchini (summer squash) is called a vegetable, but is really a fruit. Zucchini can be bright green, light green, or yellow and look like a cucumber or be round like a globe. It is an interesting vegetable with a delicate flavor and its blossom is also edible. It is low in calories (on its own) and does contain nutrients important to our bodies.

The zucchini has a delicate flavor so pan frying with a light olive oil and a bit of seasoning is a wonderful way to prepare it. This is fairly traditional. I also like to steam the yellow variety when I cook broccoli and carrots. It is a colorful addition to the dish. But that is only one way to cook zucchini, Let's consider some other ideas.

Egg Rolls: Mix shredded zucchini with the traditional cabbage, carrots, and green onions to your egg roll filling.

Pancakes: Make a savory pancake with shredded zucchini and potatoes (sweet or regular) to serve with a meal. You can top them with a bit of seasoned sour cream or applesauce.

Frittata: Frequently, this is a clean out the refrig dinner (or breakfast) and if I have zucchini, I will dice it and include with the sauteed potatoes, onions, and peppers. A little fresh spinach in there with some diced ham (or diced cooked Italian sausage) and cheese makes a meal in a pan.

Lasagna: Great way to get those veggies in the kids. I shred zucchini and mix it with the meat sauce as a layer in the lasagna.

Muffins: You can't complete the list without a zucchini bread or muffins. I like the idea of the muffins because you can add wonderful spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, a bit of lemon peel, as well as healthy ingredients like bran or chopped nuts.

Of course, there are many other ways to cook zucchini, such as adding zucchini to soup, baking it with a stuffing, or in an oven vegetable casserole, adding shredded zucchini to your carrot cake mix, or sliced and grilled. I add zucchini slices to my kebabs too. If you run out of ways to use your zucchini now, you can also freeze it, either in a dish you make in advance or whole. Check your local farm extension or garden guide. It is simple to do.