Every gardener that grows zucchini tells the story of how it grows so quickly and that there is never enough recipes for the large harvest. If you’ve never had zucchini, the flavor is pretty mild compared to others in the squash family. Zucchini is a summertime squash and extremely versatile. You can enjoy it cooked or raw, it is simply about your choice of taste.
The fact that zucchini has so many health benefits is quite the secret. This isn’t a vegetable known to be a natural health aid. It is delicious raw or cooked in salads, casseroles, roasted as a side dish, or many vegans shred zucchini as a form of pasta and eat it with a tomato sauce.
But what health benefits are we receiving from this mildly flavored summertime squash?
Zucchini is packed with vitamin C
If you’re wondering, though fresh zucchini is delicious, zucchini does come in frozen packs at the market. Though it is related to the summer season, it is usually available all year-round to help ward off those Fall/Winter colds and viruses. You can eat it as a side dish, for a healthy light lunch or make a relish out of it with garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
Zucchini increases your intake of manganese
So what is manganese? It is one of the body’s needed essential minerals. Manganese behaves in a similar manner as vitamin C, it helps to remove the free radicals from the body, thereby supporting and strengthening the immune system. Zucchini supports healthy bone tissue, while helping the body to produce collagen, important to the process of healing wounds.
Below we offer a couple of simple recipes to help add zucchini to your diet:
Zucchini in Olive Oil
Ingredients:
2 whole zucchinis cut into circles
approximately 2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
chopped garlic (fresh or jarred) to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180c, 350f
Toss the cut zucchini into the olive oil in a glass dish for slower cooking
Allow zucchini to roast just until tender, about 7-10 minutes
Serve with lean chicken breasts, over wild rice, eat as a side dish, or as a small dinner alone.
Vegan Noodles and Sauce
Ingredients:
1 0r 2 whole zucchini, depending on how many people are dining
Your favorite marinara sauce
vegan cheese product of your choice
Instructions:
Use a shredder or cheese grater on the larger side of the grater, to grate the raw zucchini into strips
Serve with marinara sauce and shredded vegan cheese
Eat with baked or fried non-gmo tofu for some good healthy protein