Teach Your Kids How To Cook Easy Zucchini Muffins

Kid friendly recipes have to be delicious, nutritious and very flavorful. To get kids to munch down on veggies would sometimes need major negotiating on your part because kids normally don’t voluntarily eat veggies. Looking for a great way to sneak in veggies to your kids would be really easy if your kids themselves would be a part of preparing that fun & nutritious meal. It always helps.

Making creative ways to have your kids take part in the process of the meal preparation is a good step towards getting your kids to happily eat veggies and also it gives them 2 benefits: 1) the means to have them eat healthy and 2) having fun quality time with your kids.

ZUCCHINI MINI MUFFINS
(my 5-year old and I made these together)

This is a recipe that little chefs will have fun making. Food processor shredding is usually a big event. When you try this recipe with your little chef, measurements may end up a bit vague or off (just watch for soda/powder quantity as too much will ruin the muffins). Don’t fret.

Part of baking is having fun, part is learning to measure well. If the batter looks too dry at the end of mixing, add a bit more sour cream or a little milk. If it’s too wet, add a bit more flour to “fix it”.

The sugar is minimal here and you could reduce it more if you want to serve these as an accompaniment to dinner. As the recipe is, they’re not sweet muffins. An alternative to making the muffins sweeter would be serve them with honey butter or a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

Have your kid, do the mixing with his/her clean hands. Don’t be afraid to get messy with your child. Kids love to make a mess in the kitchen.

2c Shredded Zucchini skin left on*
2c all-purpose Flour
2 large eggs
4oz cold unsalted butter
1/3c caster sugar (baker’s sugar) **
1/2c cr�me fraiche (or sour cream) ***
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp cake spice

Pre-heat oven to 350�F.

Using a food processor fitted with its shredding blade (or you could do it by hand), shred a few small or one large zucchini until you get about 2 cups packed. In a large mixing bowl rub the cold butter into flour until it resembles coarse sand. A little chef may love to do this. Add sugar, salt, soda, spices and baking powder and mix well.

Break and beat the eggs (discarding the shells) and then add the cr�me fraiche beating again until cr�me fraiche is broken up in the egg mixture (it will look like a mess of white chunks in the yellow – that’s okay).

Using a wide spatula, wooden spoon or your hand, pour the egg mixture into your flour mixture and dump in the shredded zucchini then combine to produce a wetish batter. Don’t over mix: The mixture should have flour well incorporated.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups or tins. We used mini muffin pans, and allot a cooking time of about 12-15 mins. Bigger muffins may take a bit longer. They’re done when they read about 190�F on an instant read thermometer stuck into its middle.

* If you want the zucchini to blend in, peel it first.

** These are not sweet muffins. If you want them sweeter I would suggest adding up to 1/4c of honey to the recipe.

*** Out of sour cream or Cr�me Fr�iche? Full fat regular or vanilla yogurt would work – but vanilla yogurt will make the recipe sweeter

2 Healthy and Easy-To-Prepare Stir Fried Zucchini

Before when I was still a kid, squash & zucchinis were mushy and stewed dishes that had not much flavor in them. As a result I never did like squash & zucchinis and I’m sure I missed a lot of great dishes.

Now, my hubby has introduced me again to the wonders of the squash variety in particular the zucchini and when it’s stir fried, it retains all of of its good nutrition, great texture and nice flavor. Now, its become 1 of my most favorite veggies of all time.

Here are 2 stir fry recipes with zucchini as its main centerpiece. Hope you’ll love them as we do. Enjoy!

ZESTY STIR FRIED ZUCCHINIS

2 large zucchini
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

Cut the ends off your zucchini, and cut diagonally into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Pre-heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat right until it’s nearly smoking. Add in oil, swirling it around the pan. When the oil is hot, add in ginger and stir-fry until it’s aromatic. Add zucchini. Sprinkle the salt & sugar over. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then stir in rice wine or dry sherry.

Stir-fry zucchini until it turns dark green and is tender-crisp (about 3 minutes total). Serve hot.

BEEF & ZUCCHINI STIR FRY

1 pound flank steak, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsps peanut oil
2 medium zucchini cut in 3/4 inch chunks
1/2 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
3 scallions with green tops, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Prepare marinade by whisking together all ingredients. Marinate sliced meat for 15 minutes, separating the slices so they are evenly coated. After 15 minutes, remove meat from marinade, blot off excess liquid, and toss meat lightly with 1 tbsp cornstarch. Reserve leftover marinade, removing the crushed ginger.

Heat dry wok for two minutes. Swirl in 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Put in zucchini and stir fry for two minutes. Remove with slotted spoon or Chinese strainer, letting oil drain. Set aside. Stir fry mushrooms and scallions for two minutes. Remove, and add to reserved zucchini.

Heat wok again. Swirl in another 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. When oil settles, put in half the meat, stirring vigorously until brown. Remove meat. Set aside. Let wok heat again. Put in remaining tablespoon of oil then cook second batch of meat until it browns.

Return vegetables and reserved meat to wok. Add soy sauce and reserved marinade. A delicate sauce should have formed through cooking. If necessary, add 1 – 2 tablespoons water to thin sauce. Adjust for seasoning, adding 2 teaspoons more soy sauce if necessary.

Serves: 4 to 6

2 Fuss-Free & Superbly Delish Zucchini Pasta Dishes

The very best way to make a very fast and easy meal would be to make use of pasta. These 2 recipes are going to be ready within a few minutes and you wouldn’t be bothered with much cleaning up in your kitchen. Feeding your friends & family with these dishes would be cost-effective and this is a very delicious dish for everyone. I’m sure everybody will love them.

Bow-Tie Pasta & Zucchini

6 small zucchini
2 tsps salt
2 c packed fresh basil leaves
1 pound farfalle
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsps unsalted butter
1/2 c finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional for serving

Cut zucchini crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and into a colander toss with some salt. Let zucchini stand to drain 45 minutes. Pat zucchini dry. While zucchini is draining, cut basil into thin strips and bring a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water to a boil for farfalle.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in colander. While pasta is cooking, in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saut� zucchini, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and stir in half of basil. Stir in pasta and butter and gently toss until butter is melted. Stir in 1/2 c reserved pasta water then gently toss (adding more pasta water as needed if mixture becomes too dry). Stir in 1/2 c Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining basil, and salt & pepper. Serve pasta together with additional cheese.

Spaghetti with Zucchini & Mint

Be sure to cook zucchini enough to brown it a bit, which will enhance its flavor. The eggs will cook fully from the heat of cooked pasta. But if this makes you at all nervous, do the final tossing of eggs, cheese and pasta in your cooking pot, over the lowest heat. And use top-quality hard cheese, since its flavor will dominate.

Salt
3 tbsps olive oil
3 or 4 small zucchini, about a pound, washed, trimmed and sliced into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
Black pepper; freshly ground
2 eggs
1 c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound spaghetti, linguine or other long pasta
1/2 c roughly chopped mint, parsley or basil

Salt a large pot of water, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put olive oil into a 10- or 12-inch skillet on medium high heat. 1 minute later, add zucchini, & cook, stirring only occasionally, until very tender and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Season dish with a bit of salt & a lot of pepper.

Beat the eggs and 1/2 c of cheese together. Add pasta to your boiling water, then cook just until it is tender but firm. When it is done, drain it, and combine it immediately with your egg-and-cheese mixture, tossing until the egg is cooked.

Add zucchini, then toss again. Taste, and add in more salt & pepper if necessary. Toss in herb, and serve immediately, passing the remaining cheese at the table

Discover One Of A Kind Zucchini Marmalades

Zucchinis are actually of the exact same family as pumpkins and are thereby classified as a squash. When you plant these in your own garden, they’ll be sure to produce lots of produce. So you don’t need to plant many, just a few will do.

As zucchinis are classified as squash, so like any squash it also has a soft skin and these veggies have shorter shelf life and a very fast rate of growth (55 full days).

Growing zucchinis are really easy & hassle free. You’d just need to plant them in neat rows & seeds should be placed 1 inch down below your soil’s surface. Place 4-5 seeds on each plot and when they germinate choose the 2 best ones to continue nourishing.

Water the seeds on its first day then for every 3 days until they start to germinate. Zucchinis grow anywhere in almost any kind of home soil but it will prefer that well-drained garden soil. Fertilizer can also be added but not really necessary.

When harvesting time comes, choose the younger zucchinis which are not more than 6-inches because these are the very tender ones. When you let the zucchinis grow bigger they might be tougher so choose the younger ones.

The recipes that I will introduce here aren’t common ones easily found in cookbooks. It’s a recipe for delicious zucchini citrusy marmalades. Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI & ORANGE MARMALADE

2 lemons
2 oranges
8 c [2 L] shredded zucchini
7 c [1.4 kg] sugar
1 [3-ounce / 85-g] package orange or lemon-flavored gelatin
6 [16-ounce / 500-mL each] hot sterilized jars

Grate rind of both lemons being careful not to grate the white.
Rinse, wipe dry then thinly slice oranges. Cook together grated lemon rind, orange slices and shredded zucchini for 30 minutes.

Stir in sugar. Leave to rest overnight. On the next day, cook them again for approximately 30 minutes more, until clear. Sell stir in fruit-flavored gelatin. Pour into hot sterilized jars, and seal.

ZUCCHINI & LIME MARMALADE

7 c grated zucchini
2 c water
Zest of 4 limes
1/2 c fresh squeezed lime juice
1 box of fruit pectin crystals
5 c sugar
4 drops green food coloring *optional
Jars and seals (I managed to get 4-500 ml Jars)

Inside a large pot, combine zucchini, water, lime juice, zest & optional food coloring. Bring to a rolling boil then simmer gently for 8-10 minutes until zucchinis are tender. Stir in Pectin & return mixture to boiling. Then, add sugar in all at once then stir. Return mixture to a hard boil that cannot be stirred down and boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.

Take out off heat then continue stirring for 2-3 minutes so that fruit will not rise to the top. Ladle marmalade into hot sterilized jars and seal.

2 Tasting Zucchini Appetizers For A Fun Party

When you get invited to a friend’s party or hosting one for yourself then chances are you’d be asked to bring a plate of appetizers or when the party is at your house then you’d be really compelled to provide these tasty nibbles to get your guests occupied before starting the formal dinner.

Appetizers are great ways to get your guests to feel at home and give them a chance to mingle with some other guests. You might have some vegetarian friends so it would be important that you prepare vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers to tide your guests over.

You could always make tiny cheese sandwiches, a vegetable platter with some dips, or chicken lollipops for the non-vegetarian guest. There should be something for everybody. Below are great zucchini appetizer dishes that you can bring or prepare for your next party. They’d be good for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Best of all, they taste delicious.

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN CHIPS
(for vegetarians)

Cooking spray
2 medium zucchini
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 450. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Slice the zucchini into 1/4″ rounds (I use a mandolin, which makes it super easy!). Into a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and some pepper in a bowl.

Dip each piece of zucchini into your Parmesan mixture, coating evenly. Place each piece in a single layer onto the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes and serve immediately.

Servings: 4

FRIED ZUCCHINI APPETIZERS
(for non-vegetarians)

3 medium zucchini or 3 small sweet potatoes
1 slightly beaten egg
1 pound ground raw chicken or ground raw turkey (2 cups)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seed
Dash salt
Dash pepper
Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
1 slightly beaten egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ice water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ice cubes
Soy sauce (optional)

Slice the zucchini into 1/2-inch-thick slices or slice the sweet potato into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine 1 egg, chicken or turkey, onion, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seed, the dash of salt, & the pepper. Sprinkle each side of the zucchini or sweet potato slices with additional salt and pepper. Spread one side of each zucchini or sweet potato slice with about 2 teaspoons of the chicken or turkey mixture.

In a wok or 3-quart saucepan heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 degree F. Meanwhile, for batter, in a mixing bowl combine 1 egg, flour, ice water, the 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, & the 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix just until moistened (a few lumps should remain). Stir in ice cubes. Use the batter at once. Dip the zucchini slices in batter, swirling to coat. Allow excess batter to drip off. Fry, a few at a time, in hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until light brown, turning slices once.

Using a wire strainer or slotted spoon, remove food from the oil. Drain on a wok rack or on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying the remaining slices. Serve warm. If desired, pass soy sauce. Makes 8 appetizer servings.

3 Delish Zucchini Recipes For A Wonderful Family Dinner

During the summer months we’ve always enjoyed tending to our garden and 1 of those plants that we love to plant are zucchinis. They’re fairly easy to tend to and require only a bit of work. When harvesting time comes, I always love to cook with zucchinis because I think they’re a very versatile vegetable. If we have lots of zucchinis, I always store them inside the freezer for use later on.

Just peel them then take out seeds, bad spots and strings. Slice them into chunks then shred them before measuring them out in 2 to 3 cup portions then freezing them inside ziploc bags.

Below are 3 really easy and most-loved zucchini family meal recipes that I’d love to share with you.

ZUCCHINI FRITTATAS

2 cups zucchini; shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons grated cheese (Parmesan)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cherry tomatoes or yellow pear tomatoes, halved

Oil a 6-inch cast iron skillet well and preheat the skillet over medium heat. While the skillet is warming up, squeeze excess liquid from the shredded zucchini then combine zucchini & carrots. Add in eggs & garlic and toss to coat.

Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into your prepared skillet. Spread into an even layer, but do not stir once the egg begins to set. Arrange the tomato halves skin-side down atop of frittata, pressing the halves to the egg mix.. Cook over medium 10 mins. or until egg is mostly set.

Preheat the broiler. When the egg mix is about 3/4 set, sprinkle with parmesan and transfer from the stovetop to the broiler to finish cooking. The frittata is done when the eggs are set and the top is slightly browned. Cut into wedges and serve warm or cold.

ZUCCHINI HERB CASSEROLE

1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 pounds zucchini, cubed
1 cup sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1.5 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Combine the rice and water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 mins., until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Heat the oil in your skillet over medium heat, and cook zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender.

Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

ZUCCHINI CRAB CAKES
(Actually no crabmeat is involved here)

1 egg
1.5 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon onion flakes
2 tablespoons melted butter
2.5 cup zucchini; peeled & grated
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
Oil for frying

Combine egg, seasoning, onion flakes, butter, and zucchini. Add in breadcrumbs. Shape into cakes and roll in flour. Fry in oil until golden brown on both sides. Serve with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce if you like.