June has arrived and North Carolina is bursting at the seams with fresh, off the vine zucchini. Let me just say, I am one happy chick right about now (insert Carlton dance)!
My love for zucchini wasn’t always this strong. Growing up I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. My grandmother’s garden overflowed with the stuff every summer and I refused to even touch them. They were green and the name alone just sounded way too healthy and gross, “Zucchini” ick!
It wasn’t until I had my first slice of warm, fluffy zucchini bread that I realized what an incredible vegetable this was.
Besides the fact that it’s been known to curb the appetite (heyyyy now we’re talking!), lower cholesterol and packed with tons of fiber, it’s ridiculously versatile! Zucchini’s mild flavor allows it to go from sweet ( ever tried zucchini cobbler? Uh-May-Zing) to savory with ease.
I’ve had a few zucchini haters tell me that they can’t stand the thing because it’s mushy. What I have to say to that is, “Honey, you didn’t have it made right!”.
Mushy zucchini is overcooked zucchini. It’s a very tender vegetable and doesn’t take much time to cook. Perfectly cooked zucchini is tender to the bite with a slight crunch and mild, fresh flavor.
Ready to give zucchini a try? Here’s one of my favorite recipes for zesty Italian zucchini fries to get your started. Need more motivation? A whole plate of these crunchy, baked “fries” are under 130 calories! Winning!
Monique Kilgore is the woman behind divascancook.com. A sassy, award-winning cooking blog dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking to the busy, modern day woman.
Monique has been featured in many media outlets including Forbes.com, The Nate Berkus Show, Black Enterprise Magazine, Kraft, Walmart, CNN, The Huffington Post, numerous radio stations and is also a youtube Next Chef, to name a few.
When Monique isn’t hosting her own youtube cooking show, she can be found preparing for her upcoming bakery, playing trains on the floor with her son, praying for a device that folds laundry by itself or restaurant-hopping with her foodie spouse.
