Mountain Top Quilting Studio

GOOD COOKIN' 6

Posted by mountaintopquilting on Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Andrea and I had a good chuckle last night about zucchini. Yes, we all have plenty growing in our gardens faster than we can even begin to pick and beg the neighbors to enjoy.

For me, zucchini is like the be-all-end-all kind of vegetable. Zucchini is like the chameleon of the cook's pantry. It takes on the flavor of what other fruit or vegetable with which it might be paired. I swear, you could make an apple pie filled with slices of apple and zucchini and not be able to tell the difference.

Our discussion was sparked by a recipe from the current issue of Diabetic Living in which a suggested quick breakfast idea was very similar to a mealtime favorite for Andrea and the twins - bagles and cream cheese with salmon (lox-style). Simple changes in the new recipe involved the addition of flavorful lemon peel and juice, using wraps rather than bagles, and zucchini!

Since I tend to add zucchini to most everything I fix ... especially stews and my spaghetti sauce ... I decided to do some checking into the actual nutitional value of this all-purpose vegetable. My favorite go-to site for such information is Self Nutritional Data - Know What You Eat. According to their information zucchinis have a 5 star rating in supporting optimum weigh loss and health.

The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Zucchini Bread is probably one of our most favorite and well-known uses of this veg-etable to add nutritional value to a morning quick bread or afternoon snack with many personal variations in the instructions and ingredient amounts. One of my biggest con-cerns with the recipe I've used for years is the amount of vegetable oil and sugar it calls for. Recently I found this recipe which provides healthier options for this delicious treat. And the bonus - it freezes well, so I can make good use of the bumper crop this season for enjoying later during the long cold winter months. But for now, I'm off to try a Smoked Salmon Wrap for lunch.

To make 4 wraps you will need:

1/3 c light ceam cheese spread
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 tblsp lemon juice
4 6-7" while wheat flour tortillas
3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon (lox-style) cut into strips
1 small zucchini sliced very thinly (use a vegetabl peeler to make ribbons)

In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, chives, lemon peel and juice until smooth. Spread evenly over tortillas. Divide salmon among tortillas placing it on the bottom half of each. Place zucchini ribbons on top of salmon and roll tortillas into wraps. Cut in half and serve up with a cup of tomato soup, gazpacho or a glass of your favorite vegetable juice drink.

I wonder what is your favorite way to make good use of this prolific garden bounty. Feel free to share via email or in the comments.

GARDEN GOODNESS

Category: Recipes

Comments

Squirrel food, huh ... glad my squirrels haven't invaded the garden yet. Funny thing happened - went to make more zucchini bread this afternoon and remembered I ate the zucchini last night. Must wait for the baby in the post photo to grow up.

by Kay on 22 August 2010 at 12:18 p.m.
My zucchini are more Squirrel food than human..to date have about 3 or 4 no more than 3" long. Your recipe sounds great will have to wait for the Zucchinis to grow. Have a good day. Ann

by Ann Beeman on 21 August 2010 at 3:07 p.m.

GOOD COOKIN' 6

Posted by mountaintopquilting on Saturday, August 21st, 2010

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GOOD COOKIN' 6 Posted by mountaintopquilting on Saturday, August 21st, 2010 Andrea and I had a good chuckle last night about zucchini. Yes, we all have plenty growing in our gardens faster than we can even begin to pick and beg the neighbors to enjoy. For me, zucchini is like the be-all-end-all kind of vegetable. Zucchini is like the chameleon of the cook's pantry. It takes on the flavor of what other fruit or vegetable with which it might be paired. I swear, you could make an apple pie filled with slices of apple and zucchini and not be able to tell the difference. Our discussion was sparked by a recipe from the current issue of Diabetic Living in which a suggested quick breakfast idea was very similar to a mealtime favorite for Andrea and the twins - bagles and cream cheese with salmon (lox-style). Simple changes in the new recipe involved the addition of flavorful lemon peel and juice, using wraps rather than bagles, and zucchini! Since I tend to add zucchini to most everything I fix ... especially stews and my spaghetti sauce ... I decided to do some checking into the actual nutitional value of this all-purpose vegetable. My favorite go-to site for such information is Self Nutritional Data - Know What You Eat. According to their information zucchinis have a 5 star rating in supporting optimum weigh loss and health. The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese. The bad: A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars. Zucchini Bread is probably one of our most favorite and well-known uses of this veg-etable to add nutritional value to a morning quick bread or afternoon snack with many personal variations in the instructions and ingredient amounts. One of my biggest con-cerns with the recipe I've used for years is the amount of vegetable oil and sugar it calls for. Recently I found this recipe which provides healthier options for this delicious treat. And the bonus - it freezes well, so I can make good use of the bumper crop this season for enjoying later during the long cold winter months. But for now, I'm off to try a Smoked Salmon Wrap for lunch. To make 4 wraps you will need: 1/3 c light ceam cheese spread 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives 1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel 1 tblsp lemon juice 4 6-7" while wheat flour tortillas 3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon (lox-style) cut into strips 1 small zucchini sliced very thinly (use a vegetabl peeler to make ribbons) In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, chives, lemon peel and juice until smooth. Spread evenly over tortillas. Divide salmon among tortillas placing it on the bottom half of each. Place zucchini ribbons on top of salmon and roll tortillas into wraps. Cut in half and serve up with a cup of tomato soup, gazpacho or a glass of your favorite vegetable juice drink. I wonder what is your favorite way to make good use of this prolific garden bounty. Feel free to share via email or in the comments. RELATED POSTS: GARDEN GOODNESS Category: Recipes Comments Squirrel food, huh ... glad my squirrels haven't invaded the garden yet. Funny thing happened - went to make more zucchini bread this afternoon and remembered I ate the zucchini last night. Must wait for the baby in the post photo to grow up. by Kay on 22 August 2010 at 12:18 p.m. My zucchini are more Squirrel food than human..to date have about 3 or 4 no more than 3" long. Your recipe sounds great will have to wait for the Zucchinis to grow. Have a good day. Ann by Ann Beeman on 21 August 2010 at 3:07 p.m.		Blog Archive Look for: FREE STUFF AUTOSKETCH TUTORIALS GENERAL TUTORIALS BLOGS I READ: FAIRFIELD MANOR Right Click/copy on the image to get the button code. Then paste into your sidebar.