Tag: zucchini

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How to Eat Your BOX! (Week of 7/2/17)

Rainier Cherries:

Although you’ll quite likely find yourself eating them straight from the bag that they traveled to your home from, you should also try serving cherries with dinner over ice. The ice slowly melts into the bottom of the bowl, dragging some of the buoyed little fruits with them. Those ones are the best – completely cold and crisp throughout, melting away the summer heat from the inside.

Fun Fact: The light skin and delicate nature of Rainiers occasionally leaves light brown spots on the skin. This is not a flaw, but actually an extra-sweet sugar spot.

Beets:

Beets are great boiled or baked, sautéed or stewed. Usually, I cut them into bite size pieces to bake in the oven because I love roasted beets! Simply coat in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 375° for about 35 minutes (try adding some parsley when they’re done).  But they can just as easily be cooked in a frying pan along with other veggies. The beet greens are great sautéed or steamed as well so don’t throw them out! Don’t let cook them too long though or they’ll get slimy.

Zucchini:

Zucchini is more often used as a cooking vegetable but can easily be enjoyed raw. It makes a great salad when sent through the spiralizer and tossed with carrots, cucumber, and snow peas. Like cucumbers, zucchini is good when marinated for a couple hours in the fridge. Simply toss in lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, cover and let sit in the fridge for a time. Add freshly chopped basil or parsley right before serving.

 

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast cookies are the number one thing I bake for my kids during summer and when I saw zucchini on the menu this week, I knew I needed to share this recipe with you all! These Zucchini Breakfast Cookies are ideal for active, hungry kids.

If you can keep some old-fashioned oats, coconut oil, honey, salt and cinnamon on hand—-you’re well on your way. Often, we add in smashed bananas (also on the menu this week!), peanut butter, apple sauce (or diced fresh apples), dried fruit, nuts and chocolate chips.

My kids aren’t huge zucchini lovers so when I discovered that they’d gobble these, my day was made. I hope you try them out and that your people love them, too!

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

dash of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Photo: © 2017 Northwest Healthy Mama. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Directions:

Grate the zucchini and put it in a bowl.

Sprinkle in a dash of salt and add in the cinnamon.

Measure in the honey.

Melt the coconut oil and then pour it in, stirring everything together well.

Add in the oats and flour. Stir well.

Lastly, gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are set and starting to lightly brown around the edges.

Notes: Feel free to add in raisins, peanut butter, nuts or dried fruit!

By Angela Strand

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Fresh This Week Tips – July 26, 2011

KIWIS

STORE: Place unripe kiwis in a paper bag with an apple, pear or banana at room temperature for a few days. These fruits give off ethylene gas, which helps accelerate ripening.

USE: Packed with more vitamin C than an equivalent amount of orange, the bright green flesh of the kiwifruit speckled with tiny black seeds adds a tropical flair to any fruit salad. Of course, kiwis are also delicious eaten straight out of their skin.

PREP: Wash the kiwi and dry lightly with a paper towel. Cut the kiwi in half so that you have two oval kiwi halves. Hold one kiwi half in your hand and slip the tip of a metal serving spoon just under the kiwi skin. Slide the spoon along the curve of the kiwi to separate the kiwi fruit from the skin. Slice the kiwi half into 1/4-inch slices.

PEACHES

STORE: Even firm, unripe peaches are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid bruising. Ripen hard fruits at room temperature, stem-side down, until the flesh feels soft when pressed and they begin to emit a subtle fragrance. Refrigerate peaches only after they’ve ripened, which can prolong freshness for up to 5 days.

USE: Try grilling or roasting peaches for an excellent accompaniment to pork, fish, and chicken.

PREP: If baking, look for freestone peaches, whose pits are easier to remove. To slice, cut through to the pit all the way around the seam, twisting each half to dislodge the stone. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice can prevent sliced fruit from browning. To remove the fuzzy skins before baking, submerge whole fruits in boiling water for 10 seconds, then slip off the skins.

ZUCCHINI:

STORE: Refrigerate, unwashed, in a plastic bag for up to 5 days.

USE: A component of ratatouille, zucchini is also good grilled, roasted, steamed, pan-fried, or raw. It also adds a boost to sweet breads and muffins.

PREP: Wash zucchini by gently rubbing them under cool water. Slice off both ends of the zucchini. Cut them into rounds, spears or half moons.

Start your morning off right with this interesting recipe, courtesy of Gojee.com, for Zucchini Pancakes.

RECIPE: ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

PROCEDURE:

  • Shred the zucchini and onion on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor with the shredding disk. Place the shredded vegetables in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with the salt. Toss to combine. Let drain for 30 minutes, then pick up by the handful and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place on a kitchen towel or double layer of paper towels.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, garlic, cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the drained zucchini mixture and mix together. Sprinkle the flour and baking powder on top and mix with a fork just until well combined.
  • Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy pan. When the oil is hot, drop the batter into the pan by heaping tablespoonful. Cook for about three minutes on the first side, until nicely browned. Flip and cook for about two minutes more. Place the cooked pancakes on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining oil and batter. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, tzatziki or applesauce.

Enjoy!

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Fresh This Week Tips – June 21, 2011

GINGER:

STORE: Fresh ginger will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer. Since freezing makes it easier to peel, slice and crush, you might as well freeze it as soon as you get it.

USE: Ginger can be used in Indian curries, and in Chinese, Japanese, and European spice blends, or in the always-popular ginger snap cookie! You can also add ginger flavor without any texture by juicing the root. Extract juice from a small piece of ginger by putting it through a garlic press. A juicer can handle much bigger chunks and extra juice can be frozen in ice cube trays.

PREP: To properly prep ginger, start by taking a “hand” and separate it into “fingers” Cut off any protruding “nubs” with your knife and then peel with the edge of a soup spoon using a downward scraping motion. Using the edge of a spoon is not only quicker, but it will result in a better yield since all that’s being removed is the ginger’s paper-thin skin. Next, cut the peeled ginger “finger” into round chunks about a quarter to a half inch thick. Using a traditional mincing motion, mince ginger to desired size.

ZUCCHINI:

STORE: Keep the zucchini in a cool place and store, if needed, in a perforated plastic bag. That will allow this vegetable to last approximately a week without perishing. Don’t store a zucchini in the refrigerator if at all possible. The cold inside the unit is not the best environment for a zucchini and can prematurely age it. Fresh zucchini doesn’t freeze very well. So if you want to freeze it, cook it in a recipe and then freeze the dish.

USE: Zucchini’s make a great and colorful addition to almost any dish. Whether you chop them up and roast them in a hot oven with olive oil and salt. They go well with tomatoes and onions, and add some herbs like oregano or thyme if you like. Or consider cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and making zucchini boats to cook in the oven. The beauty is they can be stuffed with almost anything.

PREP: When it comes to preparing zucchini’s, the beautiful thing about this vegetable is that it’s hard to go wrong. Dicing, slicing, or mincing, this vegetable tastes great with the outer layer on or off. Simply rinse it off with water and enjoy them raw, cooked, boiled, or roasted.

KIWI:

STORE: Kiwis are a very simple fruit to please. You can keep a ripe kiwi for several days in your fruit bowl at room temperature. If you’re looking to keep it for an extended period of time, putting it in the refrigerator will make it last up to four weeks. When you’re ready for it, bring it out and allow it to ripen.

USE: Kiwis are a beautiful fruit and their sweet, green insides look fantastic when combined with raspberries, blueberries, oranges, and other fruits. They’re terrific pureed! You can use the puree to sweeten strawberries or raspberries, drizzle it over ice cream, or put it in ice cube trays, freeze, and eat like sorbet (there’s no need to add sugar).

PREP: While some believe you need to peel a kiwi in order to eat it, let us be the first to tell you, you don’t! Simply washing a kiwi will suffice. The thin brown skin does not taste bitter, and it holds the fruit together for eating out of hand.

KIWI ICE POPS:

Ingredients:

–  1 3/4 cup(s) water

–  1 cup(s) sugar

–  4  kiwis

–  1/2 cup(s) (about 4 limes) fresh lime juice

Directions:

    1. Make the syrup: Combine 1 cup of water with the sugar in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Set aside to cool.
    2. Make the ice pops: Using a paring knife, cut kiwis into quarters, peel, and remove the white core and seeds from each piece. Place the seeded kiwi pieces in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and purée to a liquid — about 1 minute.
    3. Combine the puréed kiwi, 3/4 cup syrup, lime juice, and remaining 3/4 cup water in a large bowl.
    4. Pour the mixture into molds and freeze until solid, for about 6 hours.

      *Recipe courtesy of Countryliving.com

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      Fresh This Week Tips 1.18.11

      Broccolini

      Actually a cross between a broccoli and a Chinese broccoli (gai-lan/kai-lan).

      STORE: Treat Broccolini much like you would broccoli, storing unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

      PREP: Wash just before us, trim just the ends off if using stems, or trim stems off completely if using raw.

      USE: Like most vegetables, they are best when cooked to just to al dente. They will be bright green and still retain a nice snap, especially in the stems. It’s always better in terms of retaining the nutrients anyway. You can use Broccolini in almost any recipe you’d use broccoli in or gai-lan in, but we feel like it’s a shame to cut them up. They’re long and elegant, making a beautiful presentation whole. Simply roast them with a little olive oil, sliced garlic, and sea salt. They are a fantastic side on any plate.

      Photos & Tips from: http://www.foodmayhem.com/2010/06/broccolini.html

      Zucchini

      STORE: Store zucchini in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer four to five days and do not wash until just before you are ready to use it.

      USE: A component of ratatouille, zucchini is also good grilled, roasted, steamed, pan-fried, or raw. It also adds a boost to sweet breads and muffins. Zucchini is so versatile! If you haven’t “tried it all” with zucchini, do something different this week and try a new way of preparing them, just for fun!

      Image from flickr.com

      Kale

      STORE: Keep kale unwashed (moisture speeds decay) in a plastic bag in the coldest section of the refrigerator, usually at the back. Because kale contains a lot of water, it doesn’t last long. Use it within 3 days of purchase for the tastiest results. Kale that has been sitting around can develop a strong bitter flavor.

      PREP: If the center stalks are thicker than a pencil, remove and discard them before cooking.

      USE: Kale is delicious sautéed, in soups, or prepared any way you’d cook spinach.

      Image from flickr.com