Friday's Feast... Zucchini!

What to do with all that zucchini in the garden??  Well,  I have a few recipes for you and some ideas as well!!  We have been eating zucchini ALOT lately... but my family actually likes it, so it's been fun coming up with different uses!

Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.

2.     In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.

3.     Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

Zucchini Casserole 

·                     4 cups grated zucchini

·                     1 cup bisquick

·                     1 small onion, grated

·                     3 egg whites, 1 whole egg

·                     1/4 cup olive oil

·                     1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

·                     1 tsp salt

·                     1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix everything together in a bowl. Spray a pie dish or a casserole with Pam and pour mixture. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until golden brown. Put a toothpick in the center to test if it is done. If it comes out clean, it is ready.Divide into 12 equal parts.

Stuffed Zucchini

1 zucchini, about 12 inches long (or 2 6-inch)
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 lb. turkey sausage or ground turkey
2 tbsp. dry white wine
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick.  Reserve about half of the insides.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides to the skillet and sauté another 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Crumble in the sausage or ground turkey and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cooked onion and mushroom mixture.  Add the wine to the pan along with the tomatoes, basil and rosemary.  Cook for 1 more minute.  Drain off any excess fat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Once the turkey mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.  Fill the zucchini shells with the mixture.  Fill a baking dish with ¼-inch of water.  Place the filled zucchini shells in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove the zucchini from the pan and serve immediately.

Other Ideas...

Grilled Zucchini, Zucchini Pickles, Zucchini Pizza, Fried Zucchini, Zucchini Relish, Curried Zucchini Soup... I could go on and on.  Let me know if you would like any of the recipes mentioned here that I haven't posted! 

What's your favorite recipe for Zucchini?