Great Food Friday - Zucchini

I love zucchini! I plan to make baby food out of it in the next few weeks for George - but that's another post. We'll see how he likes it!

I have two recipes this week: the first one is very basic but a super quick and easy way to work zucchini into your dinner as a side dish.

Sauteed Zucchini

Zucchini (as much as you like), about 1 centimeter slices
Onion (as much or as little as you like), thinly sliced - I like Walla Walla Sweets
Olive oil, a few times around the pan
1 T butter
Sea Salt
Pepper

Heat the olive oil and add the butter to melt. When sizzling, add the onion and zucchini. Saute to desired consistency (I like mine a little firm). Sprinkle to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. You can also add other veg into this, like peppers, yellow squash, mushrooms. Also, instead of sauteing, you can pack it all up in foil and throw it on the grill.

The second recipe is a little more (but not much more) complicated. It's a healthy recipe, but also has CHEESE. Cheese is GOOD! These are great as is or dipped in marinara (this one is from Ellie Krieger):

Zucchini Crisps

Cooking spray
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

Per Serving:
(serving size, 1/2 cup) Calories 105; Total Fat 6g (Sat Fat 2g, Mono Fat 2g, Poly Fat 0g); Protein 5g; Carb 8.5g; Fiber 1.5g; Cholesterol 1mg; Sodium 222mg Excellent Source of: Molybdenum, Vitamin C Good Source of: Calcium, Manganese, Vitamin B6, Protein