Zucchini Stirfry

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite parts of summer is walking out to the garden, picking produce, taking it inside and serving it up.
Very satisfying for the soul and taste buds.

My family could eat stir-fry type dishes every meal. Plus, they are quick, easy and delicious. Your children can help by picking the produce and cutting it into slices. Uniform slices will cook the best, but when little ones are helping anything goes :)

You will need:
zucchini
yellow squash
onions or chives
olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

approx 1/2 - 1 tsp of all or some of the following:
(vary to your families taste buds, I starred the combination we like to use the best)
*basil, *oregano, *thyme, *rosemary, *sage, savory, parsley and marjoram. If you choose to use fresh herbs, increase the amount to 1 T.

Place sliced vegetables in a skillet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle herbs over top. Mix. Stir-fry on high heat until tender crisp. Make it a main dish by adding pieces of thinly sliced chicken breast, shrimp or pork loin, stir-fry protein first, then add veggies. Don't over cook your meat, the thin strips will cook fast.

Zucchini Muffins and Bread

Yum, this stuff is good!!Zucchini Muffins
12 XL muffins or 12 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins
You will need: 2 cups fresh ground white wheat or unbleached white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp lemon oil
2 lg eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup shredded zucchini packed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Grind walnuts. I love this nut grinder. Find it at King Arthur Flour.

Grate one Zucchini.

Mix oil, eggs, milk and lemon oil.

Mix your dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and add your liquid ingredients.
Don't over stir. Lumps are good.

Gently fold in zucchini and nuts.

Scoop into muffin tins.


Bake at 400* for 10- 24 minutes depending on the size of your muffins. Don't over bake!
Mine are a little brown, I was distracted by my cute little helper :)
Serve with honey butter if desired.
Honey Butter
1/2 cup soft butter
2-4 T honey
*Whip honey and butter for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy and honey is incorporated.

Zucchini Bread
2 loaves
You will need:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda- scant
1 tsp baking powder- aluminum free
pinch salt
3 cups fresh ground white wheat or unbleached white flour
1 shredded zucchini
Cream sugar, oil and butter. Add eggs. Mix well. Add vanilla, soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Gently stir in flour. Fold in Zucchini.
Bake at 350* for 45-65 minutes. Cover with a 'foil tent' if the bread starts to get to brown.

Stir Fry Zucchini

If you have ever planted zucchini, you know one plant can mass produce! What does a family do with all that zucchini? Muffins, chocolate cake (recipe in previous post), fried, and stir fry a a few ways to use them. Last night we had stir fry zucchini, it was delicious.

Slice a young zucchini into thin stripes.
I left mine slightly larger so little fingers could pick them up better.

Dice 1/2 - 1 medium onion.

Dice one large tomato.

In a skillet put several tablespoons of fresh, minced garlic and your onion.

Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, 1tsp sea salt, pepper to taste, and 1/2 - 1 tsp thyme. Saute until the onion is clear.
Scoot the onion over, add diced tomatoes. Cook on medium heat until heated through. Mix tomatoes and onions. Let simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend.

Add zucchini, cook on high heat for 1-2 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn heat down, cover tightly and let steam for 2-4 minutes.
Remove from stove and keep covered until you are ready to eat.

Garden Fresh... Yum!

Last night we had fresh picked green beans for dinner. Well, green, purple and yellow, with our dinner. They were delicious! We like to have fun with our garden. I love to plant a few 'odd variety' of things. Purple beans are an 'odd variety' that always end up in my garden. Their color is so vibrant against the green leaves of the bean plant, and when you cook them, they change green! How cool is that, chameleon beans :)
Green Beans
Cut and clean beans, put in sauce pan, add 1 or so inches of water. Cook covered until tender. Add olive oil, salt and dill. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Green Beans

Yellow Beans

Bean row and lettuce row

Zucchini~ yummy recipe follows...

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
2 cups sugar (I use about 1 1/2 cups)
2 lg eggs
1/2 cup sour milk (splash lemon juice and milk to make 1/2 cup)
4 T cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour
3-4 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips
extra sugar to sprinkle on top
*Cream butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs. Beat well. Add vanilla and sour milk. Beat well. Add cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cloves and cinnamon. Mix well. Add flour and then stir in zucchini. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Then sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake at 325* for 40-50 minutes.