food of the week: zucchini

have you gone to the farmers market lately? is yours bursting with zucchini like ours is?! i am in love! zucchini is of my favorite veggies. but i only like it in the summer so when it is in season i load up. i went to the farmers market the other day and bought 5 zucchinis for $2.50, only $2.50! so i have been trying to come up with all of the things i can make with zucchini. so far i have made 12 loaves of zucchini bread (stop on over if you want some ;) ), zucchini salad, zucchini noodles (great gf dish!), and zucchini chips. so i thought because of all of the zucchini-ness that has been going on at my house i have to share some of the great benefits of zucchini and some lovely recipes to go along with it!

health benefits of zucchini:

helps prevent heart attack/stroke prevention. if you aren't aware, heart disease and stroke are on the raise every year here in the US. something that i think as americans we are taking all too light heartedly, anyways the point is one cup of zucchini contains over 10% of RDA of magnesium, which is a mineral proven to reduce risk of heart attack.

lowers blood pressure

high in manganese which is a nutrient that helps build healthy skin and ensures wounds heal properly.

high levels of fiber which is simply good for you, and also helps lower cholesterol. fiber encourages health and regular bowel movements, which in return helps prevents colon cancer.

one cup = 36 calories you can eat a whole lot of zucchini, get the amazing heath benefits, and savor the delicious flavors.

favorite zucchini recipes:

zucchini bread

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

2 1/4 c. white sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

2 c. grated zucchini

1 c. chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 325  grease two pans, i used 8x4.

2. sift flour, salt, powder, soda, and cinnamon together, set aside.

3. beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. gradually start mixing in flour mixture. do not over mix. stir in zucchini and chips. divided into pans.

4. bake for 40-60 minutes

zucchini "pasta" salad

1 cup shredded zucchini, i used a vegetable peeler to get my slices
grape tomatos
sunflower seeds
diced peppers of any sort
a sprinkle of sunflower seeds
juice from 1/2 lemon
drizzle of olive oil
dash a salt

put it all together and eat the summery goodness!

how do you like your zucchini? do you have any recipes to share, i'd love to hear!