Tag Archives: zucchini

Zucchini Ramen “Noodle” Soup

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It has been insanely hot in NYC the past week. Like fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. And for some reason my weird self was craving hot and spicy ramen noodles like total freak. You’d think cold fruit would be on my mind, but no. Anyway, I had some zucchini on hand and thought I’d try some ramen “zoodles” for a change! It was quick and easy, and totally satisfied my ramen craving. I will definitely be making this again!

Ingredients (serves 1-2)

Broth:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground galangal
1/2 tablespoon Sriracha (or to taste depending on how much spice you like)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Other:
1 zucchini, spiraled into noodles
3 oz enoki mushrooms
Scallions, chopped
Nori sheets
2 eggs

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously so it doesn’t burn. Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken broth, water, soy sauce, Sriracha, galangal, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. During the last minute or so, add the spiraled zucchini to warm through.

In the meantime, make your soft boiled eggs. Bring some water to a boil, then gently submerge the eggs into the water with a ladle. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for exactly 7 minutes, no longer! Remove immediately from water and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Use the same hot water to quickly blanch your mushrooms by simply tossing them in for a minute or so.

To assemble, pour the zucchini and broth into your bowls. Add the chopped scallions, mushrooms, and nori sheets. Add an egg to each bowl, then slice down the center with a sharp knife to reveal the runny yolk!

Zucchini “Pasta” With Garlic & Tomatoes

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I finally bought a spiralizer and have been making “pasta” out of any vegetable that enters my home. Well those that can be spiralized anyway. My favorite is the zucchini “zoodle” though. It’s amazing how it totally satisfies your pasta craving without eating the real thing. I also like how the vegetables soak up a lot of the sauce, making them very flavorful. If you don’t have a spiralizer yet, I would definitely recommend getting one!

Ingredients: (serves 1)
1 large zucchini, spiraled (with spiralizer, or julianned by hand)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped leeks
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
10 cherry tomatoes
good pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a good amount of olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic, onion, and leeks. Cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, about 5 minutes. Toss in the zucchini and mix well. Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Serve in a large bowl with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Summer Vegetables With Burrata

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My sister and I had made a snap pea and burrata salad from Bon Appetit for our other sisters baby shower a few years ago, and to this day we still dream about it. It was so simple and fresh. This is a take on that recipe, but with much more vegetables and a scallion dressing!

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and strings removed
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 small head of broccoli
1 medium burrata cheese
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the zucchini and broccoli in some olive oil and roast on a baking sheet until cooked through and slightly browned. While that cooks, get a pot of boiling water going, and boil the sugar snap peas for about 2-3 minutes. Remove and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool enough to handle, cut about half of the pea pods in half the long way, and removing a few of the peas of each.

For the dressing, blend the olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh scallions in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the peas to the baking sheet with the roasted zucchini and broccoli, and toss it all together. Plate and add chunks of fresh burrata cheese, then drizzle with the dressing. I also added a pinch of Malden salt as well!

 

 

Summer Squash & Zucchini Lasagna With Sausage

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The weather was getting a little cooler this week and I was craving something warm and comforting to help cope with the fact that summer is on its way out. I had some lasagna noodles on hand and decided I’d experiment with that. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a veggies or meat, so I added both! The asparagus was a last minute thing I threw in and it ended up being my favorite part of it. This was a very easy meal to make, perfect for lazy weeknights when you want something good, but not complicated!

Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles, cooked per instructions (a little al dente is better)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 summer squash, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1/2 white onion, minced
Handful asparagus, chopped small
3 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 15oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup marinara sauce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil some water and cook the lasagna noodles per the box instructions. I like to add a little olive oil to the water so the noodles don’t stick together. Do not cook them all the way though, leave them a little al dente as they will continue cooking in the oven.

Add some olive oil to a large skillet and cook the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Next, add the sausage and cook thoroughly, making sure to break it up into small crumbles. In a large mixing bowl, add the ricotta, squash, zucchini, asparagus, Parmesan cheese, and egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish, pour a little marinara sauce on the bottom. Add some lasagna noodles to create a layer. Next scoop some of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Next add a layer of sausage and onion, followed by a light sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers two more times- noodles, ricotta, sausage, cheese. Top with one more noodle layer and pour the marinara sauce over the top evenly. Sprinkle with a good handful of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes. Let cook for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

Zucchini & Squash Spaghetti With Creamy Pesto

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It’s been pretty hot outside lately, and cooking with the stove or oven can only make is worse at times. I was craving something light and refreshing, so I went with a summery vegetable “pasta” – mimicking the spaghetti with squash and zucchini ribbons instead. It was really good! I loved the veggie pasta, it was satisfying without having all the extra carbs. This is a gluten free meal, and can also be a raw meal if you don’t blanch the vegetables at all!

Ingredients:
1 yellow squash, cut into small strips
1 zucchini, cut into small strips
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil
Small handful of cress
1 garlic scape
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons walnuts
2 tablespoons hemp nuts
1/3 cup water (or less as needed)
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese (optional)
Radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
Salt and pepper

Start by slicing the squash and zucchini into thin long strips so they almost resemble spaghetti. Set aside. Next make the pesto. Add the basil, cress, lemon, garlic scape, Parmesan cheese, nuts, olive oil and some pepper to a food processor. Blend well, adding bits of water as needed to get a smooth consistency. Set aside. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini and squash for about 1 minute until soft. Strain the water and add the squash/zucchini back to the pot along with the pesto. I like to add a few scoops at a time until I have the amount of sauce that I like. Plate the “pasta” and top with a small dollop of ricotta cheese and fresh radishes!

 

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread & Muffins

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Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite food blogs- everything looks incredible. When I got some zucchini this week I decided to make her zucchini bread. It was absolutely delicious and extremely easy to make! I added the chocolate chips, but this would be great without them as well, depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have. Even with the chocolate chips added, I didn’t think it was too sweet at all. The recipe was enough to make 2 loaves or 24 muffins, but when I filled the one loaf pan it didn’t look like I would have enough for another full loaf, so I threw the leftovers in the muffin tin. Both came out great- I ate mine warm with butter, of course.

Ingredients: (from Smitten Kitchen)
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or walnuts if you want a less sweet with a little crunch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your loaf pans or muffin tins. In a large bowl whisk the eggs then add the oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients- flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a few cups at a time and mix well. Divide the batter into your pans and cook for 50-60 minutes (test with a toothpick until it comes out clean.) If you go the muffin route instead, these will cook much faster in about 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then immediately hide in your room and eat the whole thing.