Best Bites: Zucchini

Versatile, Delicious Squash

By Joan Leotta

Farmers markets overflow with zucchini in September. But this most versatile member of the squash family is available year-round, so you can always count on this squash, along with its summer squash yellow sister and orange-fleshed winter squash cousins: pumpkin, butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash, and others.

All squashes are power-packed with vitamins A, C, K, B6, folate, and fiber, to varying degrees. Learn more about their health properties at www.webmd.com/diet/healthbenefits-squash.

Zucchini (or Summer Squash)

The more delicate, soft-fleshed zucchini is a treasure trove of eating possibilities. Select firm but not-too-hard zucchini and summer squash. They are good even raw and can be enjoyed unpeeled, making it one of the easiest veggies to use in recipes both sweet and savory, both main and side.

Most squashes are great in both sweet and savory concoctions. My go-to sweet for zucchini is zucchini bread, with cinnamon added, but I’ve recently discovered it works well in oatmeal cookies.

Orange-Fleshed Squashes

Were you hoping for a new use for pumpkin or butternut squash? My favorite savory is this Three Sisters recipe. Native Americans grew squash in the fields with beans and corn (they are quite compatible growing together), calling the trio the three sisters. These sisters are also often cooked together, a triple health boost.

I use butternut squash chunks, but you can use pumpkin. We serve it at Thanksgiving and any other time we have enough guests to gobble it up without leftovers.

Pasta with Zucchini

i like to use zucchini as a main dish by mixing spiralized zucchini strands with real spaghetti in a one-to-one ratio. Cook the zucchini strands separately, steaming them in the microwave, then stir them together with the cooked pasta and season with a bit of olive oil (or butter). While pasta and zucchini are still warm, stir in butter and grated Romano cheese to taste. if you don’t have a spiralizer you can simply cut the zucchini into matchstick-size pieces. if you do that, combine the steamed zucchini with a short pasta like penne, to keep the sizes a better match for your fork.

(Adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com)

Note: For this you cannot substitute summer squash. 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (or sub part for whole wheat flour) ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. baking powder 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground cloves 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened 2/3 cup brown sugar—not packed 1 egg—two if small 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup quick-cooking oats 1 cup shredded/grated zucchini, well drained, pressed dry ½ cup chopped dates (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease baking sheets.

Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. In another, larger bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. To this, add the egg(s) and vanilla extract. Then mix in the flour mixture and oats until blended—do not overmix.

Once you have removed excess moisture from the zucchini, stir it and the dates into the dough, mixing just enough to evenly combine.

Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased sheets. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the bottom edges turn golden brown.

Three Sisters Casserole

8 ounces cubed squash (I use butternut) 15-ounce can whole kernel corn 15-ounce can of red or black beans—low sodium 8 ounces crushed tomato Salt and pepper to taste Cheese (optional) One box cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish.

Mix 8 ounces of cubed squash with one can of drained corn kernels and one can of drained red or black beans. If you like, you can add some cheese to the mixture.

Mix well and transfer to casserole dish.

Mix the cornbread according to package instructions and dot the top of the casserole with cornbread mix.

Bake for thirty minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown.

The “Three Sisters” are a garden combination of squash, beans, and corn traditionally grown together by Native Americans and often cooked together as well. This casserole combines all three.