Cooking With This Week's Box
Zucchini and/or Sunburst Scallop Squash:
Zucchini, Fennel, Mint & Basil Soup (See Below)
Zucchini Breakfast Pancakes (See Below)
Green Scallions:
Strawberries:
Broccoli:
Green or Silver Slicer Cucumbers:
Cilantro:
Lacinato Kale:
Sugar Snap Peas:
Fennel:
Green Top Chioggia Beets:
Tiara Cabbage:
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| Photo of Orecchiette with Snap Peas, Fennel & Mint from Barilla |
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| Beet Salad photo from food52.com |
I hope you enjoy more tasty meals over the next week and hopefully you’ll find some inspiration from some of these suggestions. Perhaps you’ll also be using some of your vegetables in dishes to take to 4th of July celebrations! If you do, share your recipes and creations in our private Facebook Group. As always, I love to see what’s happening in your kitchens! Have a great week and I’ll see you back here next week! ---Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Zucchini
by Andrea Yoder
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| Mexicana and Sunburst Scallopini Squash |
So lets talk a little bit about why zucchini is good for us. First of all, while the flesh of zucchini seems kind of dry, it actually has a high moisture content which is more evident when you grate, salt or cook it. As you do any of these things to zucchini, you’ll see the flesh start to release moisture. Well, during the heat of the summer hydration is exactly what our bodies need! Proper hydration is important for many health reasons, including healthy skin and properly functioning kidneys. Zucchini is also rich in vitamins A, B and C along with potassium, magnesium, folate, and a host of other antioxidants. A lot of these valuable nutrients are in the skin. Since zucchini has a thin, tender skin I seldom ever peel it and incorporate it whenever possible. We know these nutrients contribute in many ways in our bodies including maintaining electrolyte balance, calming the nervous system, and dealing with free radicals that may otherwise negatively affect our tissues and cells. Without going into every potential health benefit, the bottom line is that zucchini really can impact our overall health when incorporated into our diets throughout the summer! No one food will save or protect us from disease alone, but rather it is the sum total of all the food we eat that contributes to our overall picture of health. This is why it’s important to eat a variety of vegetables every day as well as over the course of the year!
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| Zucchini in the field |
Zucchini is a very mild-flavored vegetable which lends to its versatility. It pairs well with so many different flavors and is easily adaptable to combinations with other vegetables throughout the entire summer. Zucchini is most often cooked, but it can be eaten raw as well. I have seen recipes for raw zucchini salads and of course, there’s always smoothies! I never considered putting zucchini in my morning smoothie, but now I’m going to have to give it a try!
The other nice thing about zucchini is there are ways to preserve it so you can enjoy it throughout the year. One of the easiest things to do is grate or shred raw zucchini, squeeze out the excess moisture and then put the zucchini in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. In this way, you can use zucchini at a later time in soups and stews, casseroles and baked goods. When I freeze zucchini, I try to portion it into a quantity that is appropriate for making some of my favorite recipes, or just 1 cup portions so I don’t have to measure it again when I thaw it. Of course, you can also use zucchini to make pickles, relish, and other preserves.
Zucchini can be sautéed, roasted, grilled and stir-fried. It may be used to make snack foods, casseroles, and gratins, incorporated into lasagna and meatballs, dips, enchiladas, tacos, egg dishes, smoothies, soups & stews, desserts, baked goods and more. I mentioned earlier that zucchini does not need to be peeled. Depending on how you will be using the zucchini, you may choose to remove the fleshy portion in the center where the seeds are. If you do remove this part, consider saving it to add to vegetable or meat broth or stocks.
Zucchini is a warm weather vegetable and is best stored at temperatures between 45-55°F. We have a dedicated cooler for that temperature range but realize you may not have the perfect storage temperature situation in your home. So, my recommendation is to keep your zucchini at room temperature and use them within a few days of receiving them, or store them in teh refrigerator for no more than 3 - 4 days at most.
Zucchini Breakfast Pancakes
Yield: 6 servings
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| Photo from twopeasandtheirpod.com |
2 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
Maple syrup and butter, for serving
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in the zucchini.
- Heat a griddle or pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter onto heated skillet. Cook until the pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, about 3 minutes. Flip carefully with a spatula and cook until browned on the underside.
- Continue making pancakes until the batter is gone. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup if desired.
Recipe borrowed from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com.
Zucchini, Fennel, Mint & Basil Soup
Yield: 4 Servings
“This flavorsome anti-inflammatory soup is a quick and easy one-pot dish full of nourishing vegetables and broth. Fennel boasts calming and anti-spasmodic properties and is wonderful for digestive health. And the herbs aren’t just there to brighten the dish—basil contains powerful plant compound including eugenol, citronellol and linalool that have been shown to help reduce gut inflammation.”
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| Photo from us.thebeautychef.com |
1 small or medium fennel bulb with fronds
Zest of one lemon
1-2 pinches dried chili flakes
1 medium onion, finely sliced (may substitute green onions)
1 clove garlic or 1 Tbsp garlic scapes, finely chopped
2- 3 medium zucchini, thickly sliced
1-2 handfuls basil (about 1 cup loosely packed)
1 handful mint (about 20 leaves)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 ½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- First, prepare the fennel by stripping the fronds off the stalks. Cut the stalks from the bulb and reserve stalks for another use. Cut the fennel bulb into ¼-½ inch slices. Finely chop the fronds.
- In a small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp olive oil, 2-3 Tbsp of the finely chopped fennel fronds, the zest of one lemon and 1-2 pinches of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your food). Stir to combine and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the fennel bulb, onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, broth, 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the basil, mint and the remaining fennel fronds. Stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes or just until the vegetables are tender. For the best overall flavor, do not overcook the vegetables!
- Once the vegetables are tender, remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice. Using a high-speed or hand-held blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you have to transfer the soup to a stand blender, do so carefully and blend it in batches if the blender jar is not large enough to safely blend it in one batch.
- Once the soup is blended, taste it and add additional salt, black pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.
- At the time of service, portion the hot soup into bowls and add a small spoonful of the fennel frond and oil mixture to each bowl. As each person stirs their bowl of soup to incorporate the fennel fronds & oil mixture, the flavor of the soup will transform!
