Zucchini: 30 days/30 ways

Yeah, well, I sort of took a break from Veggie Tales--like a year- or two-long break :) But you know what? I still use the recipes posted here all the time--which means, this is the best place for me to keep track of what I cook and what we like to eat. Sooooo, I should probably get back at it.

In that it's the end of August, and my garden runneth over, let's start with zucchini, shall we? I told my girls mid-July that we were going to do a super-fun experiment--zucchini: 30 days/30 ways. Me: yay! Girls: groan! But I promised them plenty of zucchini goodness. I don't know if we made it to 30 recipes, but I do know that we had some sort of zucchini every day, whether main dish, side dish or dessert. And we are all the better for it, gosh darn it! So here are some of our favs:

Banana Zucchini Bread--I've made a good number of loaves this summer, and it still always gets gobbled up.
Zucchini/Cucumber Salad--I do all sorts of variations of this. It's basically thinly sliced zucchini and cucumbers with vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. A little dijon mustard? sure. No balsamic, no problem. Fresh garden tomatoes? Yes please.
Couscous w/ Zucchini --a great side dish for grilled chicken or other meat (or in a pinch, chicken nuggets--don't laugh, it's true. With sweet chili sauce, of course.)
Zucchini-Feta Casserole--I love this for some reason. So good--but you must use feta. It's mandatory.
Turkey Burgers--see post edit
Harvest Bread Pudding--This is my kind of dinner, with a fresh tomato and cottage cheese.
Zucchini Cheese Squares--This is my kind of dinner (or breakfast), with a fresh tomato and cottage cheese :) Did I just say that?
Grilled Zucchini and Sausage--Served over minute brown rice and you have the fastest dinner ever.
Ratatouille--I just made a batch of summer vegetable ratatouille with everything straight from the garden, served on crepes with swiss cheese. Now that was rewarding--and delish!

My new favorite recipe to add to my zucchini collection comes from the same cookbook as the Zucchini Cheese Squares. This was our favorite pizza of the year. Like, our absolute favorite. It's the fresh basil that puts it over the top. Now, don't make a gagging-face--you really should try it :)
Summer Squash Pizza
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough
2 medium yellow squash or zucchini (or one of each), quartered and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt (less if using smaller zucchinis)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cups well-seasoned tomato sauce
3 cups grated mozzarella

1. While dough is rising, combine the squash and salt in a colander and set aside to drain for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the squash to a large clean cloth towel and pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and saute until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. With the dough spread over the pizza pans or baking sheets, spread 1 cup of sauce over each one. Top each pizza with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and half the squash.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden.
6. I like to top each with a little more fresh basil before serving.

One more recipe...this one is adapted from Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut. I decided to try it since I had everything for it in my garden--rosemary included! I served it with grilled chicken marinated in the same dressing. Even the kids ate it up--yes, the kids gobbled up eggplant and squash. See, I am doing something right...
Grilled Veggie Salad
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp raspberry-flavored vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced (or a little garlic powder)
2 ears fresh corn, husked (I didn't have, but it would be yummy)
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large red bell pepper, cut into quarters

1. Combine rosemary, black pepper, olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a bowl; whisk until blended. Brush ears of corn and the cut surfaces of the vegetables with half the olive oil mixture, and set aside.
2. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place over medium-hot heat. Place vegetables on rack. Cook 3 minutes. Turn vegetables over and cook an additional 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from grill; cut corn off cob and other vegetables into large bite-size pieces. Top with a little more dressing to taste.