Kids Dish

The yellow zucchini in my garden didn’t make it. Powdery mildew and end rot forced me to rip the plant out by the roots and plant a new crop of haricot verts beans in its place. But zucchinis and other summer squashes the size of baseball bats are still lurking under leaves in other people’s gardens everywhere. So far this summer I’ve eaten small, tender zucchini, yellow zucchini, crookneck squash, and pattypan squash in a variety of different dishes. I’ve eaten it hot, cold, sliced, shredded, sauteed, baked, fried and steamed.

Here are a few of the squash recipes we’ve tried this summer and my thoughts.

We all loved these Zucchini Patties with Feta. I made them for lunch one afternoon and we had almost none left over. Even Sam who doesn’t ordinarily like Feta gobbled them up. If you try the recipe make sure to read the reader reviews because they have a ton of useful advice. The patties require more flour than the recipe calls for.

Bob and I enjoyed the Stuffed Pattypan Squash more than Sam, but Sam did eat some of the filling the next day for lunch. I added fresh herbs and a bit of cayenne pepper to the filling, but otherwise made the recipe as is.

Back in the spring, way before zucchini season, when we learned Sam’s iron was low I made these vegan Full Meal Muffins because they’re supposed to be full of iron. I didn’t have spelt or barley flour so I used white and wheat flour instead and I used golden raisins because I had them on hand. They don’t sound like they’d be that good, but they were surprisingly tasty. Sam ate most of one or two, picking out the nuts and raisins, but then refused to touch them. I froze them and forgot about them for a few months. Now that he’s bigger Sam really enjoys them. Oddly, he enjoys them frozen. I pull them out of the freezer, help him pull off the paper, and he gnaws on them until they defrost and get all sticky on his grubby little hands.

If your kid won’t eat vegetables you can try this Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I don’t know how much nutrition the zucchini adds, but the zucchini sure does make the cake moist. Read the reviews for healthier substitutions. Ladybug’s Picnic posted a similar recipe not too long ago that doesn’t require buttermilk (an ingredient I almost never have on hand and have to substitute). She also posts some of the alterations that she makes to the cake to make it a bit healthier.

It’s probably a bit late in the season for this recipe, and I can’t vouch for the deliciousness since I haven’t made it, but Straight From the Farm has a recipe for goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms with accompanying photos. I wish my zucchini had been healthy enough for me to be brave enough to try it. Next year.

summer squash, zucchini

What are your favorite summer squash recipes?