Vegetable Fried Rice
1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson
​
​2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
3 green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric, optional
3 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice, cold
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin or dry white wine
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1. In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini and stir fry until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and stir fry until softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the turmeric, if using.  Add the rice, peas, soy sauce and mirin and stir fry until hot, about 5 minutes.  Drizzle with sesame oil, toss to combine and taste, adjusting seasoning and adding more soy sauce if necessary.  

3. Serve immediately.

Sunflower Zucchini Bread
Robin Robertson

​1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed dry
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

​1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9" loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, zucchini, soy milk and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until well blended.  Quickly fold in the sunflower seeds, mixing well.

4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.  Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of baking time, cover the loaf loosely with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark.  Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
​

Just Plain Nuts Burger
Wendy McMillian for naturalhealthmag.com
July/August 2011

This gluten free patty at Crazy Burger Café & Juice Bar in Narragansett, RI is loaded with heart-healthy cashews and walnuts - both good sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fast as well as omega-3 fatty acids.  Lentils add fiber, folate and iron.

1/2 cup dry mixed lentils - French, Green, Red, equal parts
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1/2 carrot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 zucchini, grated
1/4 pound cashews, roasted on a sheet pan for 3 minutes
1/4 pound walnuts, roasted on a sheet pan for 3 minutes
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Gulden's mustard
2 tablespoons Fry Salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 handful fresh basil, washed and minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. To prepare lentils, simmer in 1 1/2 cups water for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

2. Sauté onion, celery and carrots in 1/8 cup canola oil, until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Add zucchini toward the end.  Season vegetable mixture lightly with some of the salt and pepper and place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Drain the lentils.  Season lightly with some of the salt and pepper, and add to the vegetables.

4. Coarsely grind the roasted cashews and walnuts in a food processor and add to the mixing bowl.

5. Mix in all remaining ingredients until everything is incorporated evenly.

6. Form mixture into burger patties and arrange on a lined sheet pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 500 F.  (Alternatively patties can be pan-fried in a small amount of canola oil.)  Serve open face on polenta with a side of sun-dried tomato-artichoke pesto.

Feta-Mint Zucchini Bites from Vegetarian Times 

This is a winner even without mint.  I've made when I didn't have mint on hand and still love this recipe.

Fresh mint takes on a very different flavor when it’s cooked—it tastes a bit like oregano, which is also a member of the mint family. These light appetizers can be assembled ahead of time, then broiled just before serving.

• 2 medium-size zucchini, cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
• 2 roasted red peppers from jar, drained, rinsed and chopped (about ⅓ cup)
• ⅓ cup crumbed feta cheese
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tbs. pine nuts

1. Scoop out centers of zucchini slices, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Steam 4 minutes, or until just tender. Set in baking pan.
2. Toss together red peppers, feta, mint and pine nuts in bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat broiler. Spoon filling into zucchini cups, mounding slightly. Broil 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. 

This Martha recipe is a fun use of that zucchini I love so much!  The ribbons are great along with the spaghetti noodles and one of my other favorite veggies, peas make a great addition.

Spaghetti with Peas & Zucchini Ribbons
Martha Stewart
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups shelled fresh English Peas (1 1/2 lbs unshelled) or thawed frozen petite peas
8 ounces baby zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/8" thick slices
1 1/2 cups loosely packed basil leaves, very thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti
freshly grated parmesan cheese


1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 teaspoon salt. Add peas, and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh peas and 1 minute for frozen. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peas to a medium bowl; set aside. Add zucchini to pot, and cook 30 seconds; using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with peas.
2. Put yogurt and basil into a large, heatproof bowl; season with salt and pepper. Set bowl over the boiling water, and whisk until mixture is warm, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add peas and zucchini to bowl; set aside.
3. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; drain. Add pasta to vegetables and sauce, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with cheese.

This is a great healthy use of zucchini.  Mixing with chickpeas and Greek yogurt makes for a filling meal.  I used much less mint then advised (I'm not a huge fan of mint in my savory dishes).  I just put a little shredded mint in each patty and it was a nice touch.  The leftover pitas held together well in plastic wrap and were still good the next day.

If I haven't said this enough times, here I go again...  zucchini is one of my favorite things to eat!  Especially fresh from my generous friend's garden!  So I'm always on the lookout for new things to do with my bounty.  This one was from an unexpected source.  I happened to pick up a copy of Consumer Report's SHOPSMART for I don't know what I was researching buying at the time but they happened to be doing an article on microwave cooking, which I generally am not a fan of.  But with zucchini coming out of my ears and getting a little burnt out on elaborate zucchini recipes I decided to give this a try.  And I was happy to finally be using some of those Tupperware containers built especially for microwaving that are in the back of our cabinets!...  and I am glad I did.  This is so easy and good!...  I love that you can throw in any types of squash and adding the toasted bread crumbs at the end is a great touch.

Summer Squash Baked with Parmesan & Breadcrumbs

Consumer Reports SHOPSMART,
"The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook" by Victoria Wise & Susanna Hoffman, 1996

1 pound summer squash, zucchini, pattypan, crookneck or a mixture
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces), grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup homemade bread crumbs, toasted

1. Wash squash, trim stem ends, and cut into 1/4" thick rounds or half rounds.
2. Place the squash, cheese, and salt in a large microwave safe dish or bowl and stir to mix. Cover the dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until the squash is barely soft. Add the bread crumbs to the squash, toss, and serve right away.

One of my favorite things about Wisconsin summers is enjoying fresh zucchini. 

A good friend is keeping us supplied since I didn't get any planted this year. 

For a party I was hosting I just knew there had to be some of this amazing veggie so I turned to my grill and some other local veggies available at Growing Power!

FOR THE GRILL:
4 ears corn, shucked and soaked in sugar water overnight or longer 
    (I fill a container with water and sprinkle some sugar in and cover and set in the fridge for a couple days)
1 large zucchini, ends cut off and sliced the long way into 4-8 pieces depending on the thickness
1 large bell pepper, any color
1 serrano chili pepper

Grill the above veggies on medium heat until you see grill marks or blistered skin on the peppers.  I go for low fat so I grilled all naked.  For a richer salad, you can coat all the veggies in olive oil.
Allow all veggies to cool.  Cut corn off cobs, chop zucchini into 1/4" wide triangles and dice peppers.  Toss with drssing below.

FOR THE DRESSING:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Whisk the above together.  Season with salt and pepper (I prefer celrey salt) here.

FINISH WITH:
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion (Red or whatever you have on hand, I used a nice local cippolini)
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Mix veggies with the dressing along with the feta, onions and cilantro.  Save a little cilantro to put on top for garnish.