Long Overdue Garden Post

My garden didn't yield much, but I was able to reap the benefits of my Mom's garden--especially the zucchini!

We found many good zucchini recipes. Here are two fun side dishes we discovered.

Zucchini with Corn and Cilantro

Use this vegetable medley as a fresh substitute for salsa or guacamole salad on a Tex-Mex fiesta plate.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups cubed zucchini (about 1 pound)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender.

Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and remaining ingredients. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Nutrition information: 62 calories, 1.6 g fat, 2.6 g protein, 12 g carb, 2.4 g fiber, 0 mg chol, 0.7 mg iron, 152 mg sodium, 19 mg calc.

Source: Cooking Light Superfast Suppers cookbook, ISBN: 0-8487-2628-6.

Notes: This was soooo good. I added a little more lime juice, to my taste. What a great and easy side dish find!

Oven-Braised Zucchini in Olive Oil

Ingredients:

2 lbs. zucchini
4 to 5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (we used fresh tomatoes)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

Trim the ends from the zucchini, quarter them lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch chunks. Place in a large bowl, then add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and a few generous grinds of black pepper.

Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl, then add to the zucchini mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, stir, and return to the oven uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and serve family style. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: My Gourmet Connection, recipe found here.

Notes: Holy cow, this stuff is so good. I was surprised at how much I loved it. I just kept going back for more. The fresh tomatoes (garden tomatoes, in this case) worked beautifully. It's nice to know that you can still make this even if you don't have sun-dried tomatoes on hand.