Spiced Zucchini Muffins and Other Tasty Recipes are a Great Way to Use Some of Your Garden’s Zucchini Harvest

I always plant zucchini in my veggie garden – most times the heirloom variety Black Beauty. This year, instead of the usual one or two plants, I have six.  I want to have a lot of zucchini this year so I can make plenty of zucchini relish, bread and butter zucchini pickles, and some amazing zucchini muffins, which I can store in the freezer and thaw them out as needed. Zucchini bread is great, but with just two of us in the family, muffins seem to work out a little better.

My hopes for lots of zucchini is happening – seriously! I have been picking two or three every day or two. I have made some zucchini relish and the muffins. We have also had grilled zucchini, sautéed zucchini, curried chicken with zucchini noodles, pan-fried zucchini patties, zucchini crust pizza, and more – all delicious!

Most of the time I start with a recipe that I have found online, but I never follow them, rather I use them for inspiration and modify them to include ingredients I use regularly or have on hand. I also use organic ingredients whenever possible. Even my husband loves these recipes. Here are some of them:

Shredded Zucchini

Ingredients

Finished Muffins

 Spiced Zucchini Muffins

(inspired by Chow.com)

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

3 Cups shredded and packed organic zucchini

2 Cups organic all-purpose flour

1 Cup organic whole wheat flour

1 ½ Teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ Teaspoons organic ground cinnamon

1 Teaspoon baking soda

½ Teaspoon nutmeg

½ Teaspoon sea salt

4 Large eggs (my homegrown were not quite large, so I used 5)

1 Cup packed organic dark Muscovado sugar (dark brown if you can’t find Muscovado)

1 Cup organic granulated sugar

1 Cup organic lemon/ginger coconut oil (plain if you can’t find the flavored)

2 Teaspoons organic vanilla extract

Instructions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners (or coat the wells with unsalted butter).

2.       Place all of the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together until well blended.

3.       Place the remaining ingredients, minus the zucchini, into a medium bowl and whisk together until well combined. Fold in the zucchini until evenly mixed.

4.       Fill the muffin wells about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

5.       Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from the pans. Remove muffins from the pans and cool completely

Double Recipe of Zucchini Relish.
The pint jars are purple glass.

Zucchini Relish

(inspired by Ball Blue Book)

Yield: about 4 half-pints

Ingredients:

2 Cups shredded zucchini, packed

1 Cup chopped onion (I use Walla Walla sweet from my garden)

½ Cup chopped sweet green pepper

½ Cup chopped sweet red pepper

2 Tablespoons canning salt

1 ¾ Cups organic granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon celery seed

1 Tablespoon mustard seed

2 Cups organic apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1.       Combine zucchini, onion, peppers; sprinkle with salt; cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Rinse and drain thoroughly.

2.       Combine remaining ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables; bring back to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

3.       Pack the hot relish into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Spiralized Zucchini Noodles

Some of the Chicken Curry Veggies

Chicken Curry with Zucchini Noodles

Chicken Curry with Zucchini Noodles

(inspired by Eat Local Grown)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons turmeric

1 Teaspoon Coriander

1 Teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon sea salt

2 Teaspoons minced dried garlic

1 Teaspoon ground ginger

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 ½ Pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, diced

1 Cup chicken broth

1 Can full fat coconut milk

3 medium carrots chopped

1 sweet red pepper diced

8 Ounces sliced mushrooms

1 Bunch Swiss chard

½ Pound sliced okra

4-5 medium zucchini, spiralized into noodles

Juice from ½ a lemon

Cilantro for garnish if desired

Instructions:

1.       Combine turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.

2.       Melt coconut oil in large skillet or pot over medium/high heat. Sauté chicken for 5-7 minutes, until no longer pink on the outside.

3.       Add spices, stir to combine, and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir to combine.

4.       Add in carrots, red pepper, mushrooms, Swiss chard, and Okra. Bring to a boil and the turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini noodles and cook for another 5 minutes.

5.       Squeeze in lemon juice, garnish with cilantro. Serve.

Pan-fried zucchini patties served
with grilled salmon and baked potato

Pan-Fried Zucchini Patties

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini grated (squeeze out excess juice)

1 beaten egg

2 Tablespoons dry pancake mix (I currently use Kodiak Cakes)

¼ Cup grated cheese (I like sharp cheddar or pepper jack)

½ Cup coconut oil

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together. Form into about 4 patties. Pan-fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides.

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Crust:

3 Cups grated zucchini (excess juice squeezed out)

2 eggs

½ Cup grated mozzarella

½ Cup grated cheddar

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add all other ingredients and mix together. Spread out and pack/firm it together in a 9x13 greased pan (I grease with coconut oil). Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add pizza toppings of choice. Put back in the 400 degree oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes.