Our friends just gifted us with some gorgeous zucchini from their abundant garden. For those who are blessed with a home garden, you may notice that zucchini are often one of the most cooperative vegetables when it comes to growing. They are sneaky too. One day you think you’ve harvested all the perfectly sized zucchini and the next day you discover one the size of a caveman club. While those are fun to look at, those huge zucchini don’t actually have the best flavor – they get a little mealy, for lack of a better description. We prefer the more dense, smaller zucchini.
We often look to broccoli and kale when we think of nutritional powerhouses, but zucchini holds its own when it comes to health benefits. In addition to tasting good, there are plenty of reasons to grow and go for zucchini, especially now when it is in great abundance. Here are just a few of the nutrition perks:
• A cup of zucchini has just 36 calories and 6 grams of fiber, which as we know, helps with digestion, elimination, and overall satiety (meaning it helps keep us from overeating). The fiber in zucchini is also beneficial for the liver and for cholesterol levels.
• Zucchini is high in vitamins A and C, folate, and magnesium; all of which are important in helping prevent certain forms of cancer. These powerful antioxidants also offer anti-inflammatory action, helping prevent certain pre-inflammatory disorders like arthritis.
• Phytonutrients in zucchini may help reduce symptoms of BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy)
• Zucchini contains folate and magnesium, which are important for heart health and may help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Zucchini also contains potassium, an important mineral (and electrolyte) that (in addition to magnesium) may assist with lowering blood pressure.
• Zucchini contains manganese, a trace mineral and essential nutrient that helps with bone strength, blood sugar, nerve health, and protecting the body from free-radicals.
Zucchini Revival
Grilled Zucchini, Onion, and Pepper
It’s hot outside and the vegetables are wonderfully abundant. We love the simplicity of grilled veggies – they make an awesome side-dish to any meal or can become the star of a breakfast omelet or frittata. We also like to grill the veggies and chop them up into a salad, adding fresh herbs plus a little drizzle of olive oil and a bit of feta or chevre cheese.
If you’re cooking for one or two it’s real simple (if you’re cooking for more simple increase the amounts by the number of people):
1/2 red onion, cut in two slices
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 6 segments
1 teaspoon olive oil
dash of sea salt
Preheat grill to medium high. Combine sliced veggies in a medium size bowl and toss gently with olive oil and sea salt. Place veggies directly on grill grates and turn down heat to medium. Using metal tongs (and an oven mitt to prevent your hands from getting too hot or worse, burned), flip the veggies often to prevent charring. They should have mild to moderate grill marks and will begin to sweat (taking on a more moist appearance). Cook to desired doneness and remove promptly from grill.
You can season these with more herbs before and/or after. Veggies will keep for at least a few days in the refrigerated sealed in a preferably non-plastic container.
Note: you can also make these veggies in the oven. Preheat to 425 degrees F. Proceed as above but place veggies on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until slightly browned and tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Today we used the veggies in our morning omelet and added some fresh broccoli and avocado! Delicious.
