In The Zucchini Zone

One of our first garden hauls, on the best tea towel ever.

Three zucchini plants.

Three!

Were we mad with garden fever, or just not paying attention when we planted two green and one golden/yellow zucchini in our community garden plot in June?

It's now August, and at one point last week, I couldn't tuck anything else in our crisper drawers because the zucchini crowded everything else out.

I can't complain, though, because it's turning out to be a versatile item in our kitchen this summer.

Here's a brief rundown of ways we're using these summer squashes, which are fruits, botanically, but we won't tell them that:

• Raw zucchini salad with tomato vinaigrette, from Sheri Castle's The New Southern Garden Cookbook. Taking a vegetable peeler to a cold zucchini turns out to be a very good idea when you top the ribbons with a flavorful tomato dressing. Easy, fast, delicious. 
• Creamy zucchini lime dressing, from Cooking Light July 2018. The secret ingredient: tahini. Give hummus the week off & try this instead. We've enjoyed it with spiced meat patties, as a dip with carrots, sliced squash and cucumbers, and on top of quinoa/grain of choice bowls. 
• Squashos! I've blogged about these before, but using rounds of squash or zucchini as a conduit for broiled cheese? Genius. Also a Cooking Light recipe.

I'm just here for the cheese.

I'd planned to try a zucchini tortellini soup tonight for dinner, but these 95+ degree days in Oregon make me reconsider that plan. Maybe a cold pasta dish instead? I roasted some of our cherry tomatoes to make a basil tomato compound butter - that on hot pasta with some sautéed zucchini and portobello mushrooms could make a pretty fine meal.

Have a zucchini dish you love? Know of savvy ways to make use of this prolific beast of the garden? Share in the comments below, and happy cooking and eating!