Late summer brings boatloads of zucchini to those of us who are home gardeners (or friends/neighbors of home gardeners).
If you’ve got zucchini coming out of your ears right now, the healthy recipes I have for you here may be something you can use right about now! I mean, there’s only so much steamed zucchini you can eat, right?
The first recipe here is one I adapted from a recipe in Prevention magazine. It’s on my menu plan tonight. I’ll serve this crispy baked zucchini with barbequed salmon and some roasted asparagus. I have the good fortune of having clients who fish for salmon near their Canadian vacation home (thanks KT and Brooks!), so this is going to be one fresh, wholesome dinner! Can’t wait :-D.
Oven-Baked Zucchini
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 c shredded parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Three medium sized zucchini
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1). Line a baking sheet with foil. Place egg whites in a shallow dish and stir slightly to blend. In another shallow dish, add panko, parmesan cheese and seasonings to taste and stir.
2). Slice zucchini into approximately 3” lengths. Then cut the 3” segments in half lengthwise. Slice the zucchini halves one more time lengthwise into quarters. Dip zucchini strips in egg white mixture and then roll in panko mixture to coat.
3). Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining zucchini strips. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until zucchini are lightly browned.
Fun taste treat: Dip baked zucchini strips in low fat ranch dip, marinara sauce or salsa.
The second zucchini recipe I have for you I borrowed (with permission) from the blog of my friend and fitness colleague, Justin Yule. Justin runs a top notch fitness program in Chanhassen, Minnesota. If you want to read about a goofy holiday revolving around the dreaded onslaught of waaaaay too many zucchinis growing in your garden all at once, check out his funny blog post about what do do with all that zucchini at the end of the summer.
This recipe is terrific if you find a HUGE foot-long zucchini in your garden (I swear, some of these things grow 5 inches overnight!).
Grilled Zucchini Pizza with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Directions
1. Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
2. Brush one side of each zucchini round with olive oil; brush the opposite side with pizza sauce. Evenly divide red onion, roasted red pepper, mushrooms, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning over each zucchini round.
3. Grill zucchini pizzas over preheated grill until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
In our boot camp and personal training programs in San Jose, we’re always trying to show you new ways to eat fresher and healthier. These two recipes plus our fresh tomato sauce recipe from last week should help.
Here’s to eating and enjoying all that our home gardens have to offer!
If you’ve got a favorite zucchini recipe, feel free to share it here in the comments section.