Veggie of the Month- Zucchini

SEASONALITY: Zucchini, sometimes called courgette, peaks in harvest from June to August but comes out of our local gardens most in August. Zucchini ranges from appearing as solid green skin to striped varieties, typically dark green. It can be told apart from it’s similar looking cucumber friend by Zucchini’s wider and rigged stem at the tip.  Zucchini is easily found in grocery stores as well as farm stands throughout our region.

STORAGE: Refrigerate in a plastic bag with air holes, expected to keep for up to a week.

PREPARATION: Rinse in cold water, with light scrubbing to remove any dirt. Trim tops and bottoms.

COOKING METHODS: Zucchini vegetable can be prepared by steaming, microwave, or boiling until tender, baking, roasting, sautéing, or stir-fry.

TIPS FOR USE: Add to pasta and rice dishes, soups, stews, and casseroles. Zucchini easily blends to be added into soups and sauces, adding some extra vegetables to any meal.Shred zucchini to make muffins or bread. Substitute zucchini for apples in a crisp.

One cup of Zucchini contains about 21 calories. Zucchini is an excellent source of Vitamin C, containing about 1/3 of our daily needs per serving. They also contain B Vitamins, fiber, magnesium, iron, and calcium

Ratatouille

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 zucchini squash, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1/2″ squares
• 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1/2″ squares
• 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ squares
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes including juices
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp salt or to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add onion.  Sauté onion until is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes.
3. Add zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, diced tomatoes, herbs and salt. Cover and stir every couple of minutes. You want the vegetables to reach a boil, about 12 minutes on medium to medium-high heat.
4. Continue cooking and stirring until the vegetables reach desired level of tenderness, about 5 – 10 minutes.

Nutrition per serving: 183 Calories,  6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 8 g fat, 195 mg sodium

Recipe adapted from:   www.theroastedroot.net

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