Real Food with Steph: For the Love of Zucchini
Is anyone else finding themselves with an abundance of zucchini? I came home after a month in France to a garden bursting with zucchini babies. What to do with all of them? Fear not. There are recipes upon recipes for using up that zucchini.
Plus, it packs a great nutrition punch — it’s full of vitamins and minerals and easy to add to any dish. Two of my favorite ways to eat zucchini are below. Enjoy!
Zucchini Bread
Delicious, nutrient dense snack. I like to eat this for breakfast topped with nut butter & yogurt or as a post run snack with some dark chocolate chips. It pairs well with coffee or tea.
Ingredients:
2 c zucchini, shredded
2 c rolled oats, processed into fine flour
1/3 c coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
½ c honey
½ c milk
½ t turmeric
½ t cinnamon
½ t sea salt
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
1/3 c walnuts, chopped
Pre-heat oven to 350. Process oats in a blender until they resemble a flour texture. Add oat flour to a large mixing bowl along with the rest of the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the zucchini, coconut oil, honey, eggs, and milk. Whisk together and gradually stir into the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Post-Run Fried Zucchini + Eggs with Avocado Basil Sauce
This is one of my favorite second breakfasts. Normally I get up and eat breakfast and go for a run. Then need second breakfast. I love the fried zucchini and eggs because it's chock full of nutrients and a good mixture of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Plus, I don't like to eat many greens before I run, so the post-run second breakfast is a great time to eat this meal. It only takes about 5 min to prepare (at most) so it's an easy fix for a busy life.
Pro Tip: don't skimp on the olive oil in this recipe. The unsaturated fat helps to absorb all those goodies!
Ingredients:
1/3 c shredded zucchini or spiralized zucchini noodles
2 T olive oil
2 eggs
1 T nutritional yeast
pinch sea salt
Add olive oil to cast iron skillet and heat over medium high heat. Fry zucchini for about 5 minutes. Add nutritional yeast and salt. Slowing crack eggs into zucchini noodles. Cook an additional 2–3 minutes until eggs are set. Transfer to a plate and top with avocado basil sauce.
Avocado Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
1 avocado, mashed
1 bunch basil, chopped
¼ c water
½ t sea salt
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Store in an air tight container in the refridgerator.
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