What’s green and full of nutrients, antioxidants, fibre and hydrating water, and allows you to feel full when added to your meals or snacks?  Also, it can used in numerous (see below) different ways?  Did I mention it is delicious as well?  

 

Hint.  It’s a veggie and it is one that helps make the most incredible moist cakes……

 

ZUCCHINI!  

 

 

ZUCCHINI BENEFITS

 

As part of the squash family, Zucchini is one of the summer squash varieties.  There are also hard shelled winter variety squash like butternut, acorn, pumpkin, etc.

 

Watching your sugars?  Zucchini is low on the glycemic index, loaded with fibre, so add it to whatever you like, to help buffer foods, like cake, that may have a sugars in the ingredients, as that can help to balance blood sugars.

 

High in water, as well as essential nutrients like potassium, manganese, and vitamin C and vitamin A, it has a lot to offer.  As an example, the importance of potassium can seen in its natural way to help lower blood pressure.   

 

Zucchini is also high in a type of fibre called pectin, which is shown to improve arterial health and reduce disease causing inflammation, and it supports digestion.

 

 

 

HOW CAN YOU ENJOY ZUCCHINI?

 

So, how can you make use of this green item?  The ways are many!  See if you can find a recipe when it is part of the ingredients, as high rated recipes will have taken the extra water into account to make sure the result comes out nicely.  

 

Or, you can just look at the ways that extra moisture can affect your existing meals, where some make be too watery of an addition and needs to be adjusted.  For soups, sauces and chilli, smoothies, or raw, not a big issue.  However, for items like chips, you can press the slices between towels to remove extra moisture so the chips can become crunchy when baking.  A dehydrator can be helpful, but not necessary.  

 

Try one of these options today!

 

 

Chop it and add it to soups and chilli or sauces like spaghetti.

 

Spiralize and bake in the oven to remove some of the moisture and use in place of noodles, like spaghetti or in a pho type of soup, or in place of rice in a veggie/protein bowl.  

 

Slice and grill on the BBQ.

 

Grate it to add moisture and nutrients to cakes and breads!  It really does not add much for flavour.  Google cake//bread recipes that use zucchini for inspiration!

 

Thinly slice and bake at a low temp in the oven to make zucchini chips.  Add spices, parmesan cheese, etc.  Many options here!

 

Chop and stir fry it with a swig of soy sauce for a tasty side dish.

 

Make long strips and use as lasagna noodles.  Decrease other water/moist ingredients, as the zucchini will add lots of water to your cooking.

 

Thinly slice and fry in a pan with oil and salt and pepper and add to your salad.

 

Toss a chunk into your smoothie.

 

Simply slice and eat raw with a dip or hummus.

 

There are more, but this is a good start!  

 

Quality Greens has everything you need for your zucchini needs, plus it's on sale March 20-26, 2019!

 

Enjoy your week!

 

Thank you,

Lisa.