The most successful way to use seasonal vegetables is to prepare light, uncomplicated dishes that not only save the housewife's time, but also preserve the beneficial properties of the original products as much as possible. Simple zucchini dishes, due to their low calorie content and high concentration of vitamins and minerals, can be used in children's, dietetic, vegetarian or sports diets.
Zucchini, like most other vegetables of the pumpkin family, are high in fiber, ascorbic acid, potassium and other substances that have a positive effect on the functioning of the digestive tract and cardiovascular system. For this reason, simple zucchini dishes are recommended for people who lead a healthy lifestyle or need a low-calorie diet using hypoallergenic foods.
Zucchini soup
To prepare this easy first course, you need a minimum of products:
- 2 young zucchini;
- a small head of onion;
- 0.5 liters of low-fat chicken broth;
- 200 ml of 10% sour cream;
- 10-15 g butter;
- a clove of garlic;
- spices to taste.
Cooking creamy zucchini soup will not take more than half an hour: chop the onion and garlic into small slices, fry for about 5-7 minutes in melted butter, then add zucchini chopped into small cubes to the vegetables. If young zucchini are used for the soup, then it is enough just to rinse them thoroughly and dry them slightly with a paper towel; it is advisable to peel overripe zucchini from a thick peel, which can spoil the delicate taste of the dish.
For 5 minutes, the vegetable mass is fried over low heat, not forgetting to stir periodically, after which the chicken broth is poured in and brought to a boil. The soup is boiled for about 3-5 minutes, after which it is removed from the stove, spices and sour cream are added.
Using a blender, grind the contents of the pan until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, heat it again over low heat and serve, sprinkle the creamy zucchini soup with croutons, fresh or dried herbs. To add a spicy flavor to the soup, you can add 300-400 g of celery root to the vegetables during the frying stage.
Traditional vegetable zucchini stew
Zucchini stew is considered a classic summer kitchen dish: it is not only easy and quick to prepare, but also allows the use and combination of any products available in the house.
To prepare a simple stew, young zucchini, large carrots, a few potatoes, an onion and bell pepper are cut into medium-sized cubes and fried in vegetable oil for 15 minutes. At the end of this process, a tomato, cut into slices, is added to the vegetables (the dish is most delicious using sweet varieties of tomatoes), salt and, covered with a lid, stew for 15-20 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, spices and fresh herbs are added to the vegetable zucchini stew: the dish will be more aromatic if you use freshly ground black pepper.
Zucchini garnish
A simple, healthy and tasty alternative to cereals or pasta can be a zucchini side dish, perfect for all poultry, meat or fish dishes. This dish is especially tasty from young vegetables with a thin skin that does not need to be removed.
A pound of fresh zucchini is washed in warm water, excess moisture is removed with a paper towel and cut into thin wide slices. For this purpose, it is very convenient to use vegetable peelers, but with the help of a well-sharpened knife, you can get very convenient slices of vegetables for further culinary processing.
In a wide frying pan, heat a tablespoon of any vegetable oil and fry the zucchini plates in it until soft. It is very important not to salt vegetables at the very beginning of cooking, otherwise they will give a lot of juice and, because of this, they may lose their shape, turning into mashed potatoes.
Salted squash that has become soft, sprinkle with your favorite spices (to taste), add chopped garlic clove and keep on low heat for about 3-4 minutes. The finished zucchini garnish is generously sprinkled with fresh parsley, cilantro or dill, and served as an addition to the main course.
Zucchini with cottage cheese
As a filling for stuffed zucchini, it is traditionally customary to use cereals in combination with minced meat or poultry, but an equally nutritious and healthy dish can turn out if you fill the zucchini with spicy cottage cheese.
If necessary, small-sized zucchini are peeled from the skin, cut into two parts along the long side to form "boats" and grains are cleaned from them. A pack of low-fat cottage cheese is kneaded with a fork until smooth, salted, fresh herbs and 1 raw egg are added. The resulting curd mixture is thoroughly mixed and used as minced meat.
Each "boat" is filled to the top with cottage cheese, after which both halves of the vegetable marrow are combined, the vegetables are placed in a baking dish and about 100 ml of water is poured onto its bottom. The form is placed in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and zucchini with cottage cheese is baked until soft.
