The benefits of zucchini for the body
Zucchini was brought to Europe in the 16th century from Mexico, which is considered their homeland. In Mexico, these vegetables were grown 3000 BC, and they enjoyed well-deserved love and popularity among the population.
Currently, zucchini is grown in almost all countries of the world. What is the secret of this dietary product, which has been indispensable for preparing numerous dishes for many centuries?
The fact is that the benefits of zucchini for our body are very great and now you will find out what exactly they are:
- The calorie content per 100 grams of zucchini is only 23 kcal, this weight also accounts for: water - 93 grams, carbohydrates - 5.2 grams, proteins - 0.6 grams, fats - 0.3 grams.
- Zucchini fruits contain vitamins B2, B1, C, microelements - potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, malic, folic and nicotinic acids.
- Vegetables contain strong natural antioxidants, so eating zucchini serves as a good prevention for the development of cancer;
- Zucchini pulp is tender and juicy, and the content of organic acids is low, so zucchini is recommended to be eaten by people who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and diabetes.
- Zucchini is a hypoallergenic vegetable, so it can be given to children as young as 7 months. Its special value lies in the fact that even with preservation and processing, all beneficial properties will be preserved.
- Zucchini is indispensable in baby food, as it can support a young, growing body with essential vitamins and microelements. In addition, they are recommended as food for anemia.
- For older people, this is also simply an irreplaceable food, since eating zucchini cleanses and renews the blood, prevents the development of atherosclerosis, and significantly improves the functioning of the stomach and digestive system.
- Zucchini has antiallergic properties. To treat allergies, you need to prepare an infusion from the flowers of this plant: take 12 zucchini flowers, pour half a liter of boiling water and leave for two hours. Then we strain. Take half a glass of infusion twice a day for allergic reactions. This decoction can also be used externally to treat various skin diseases.
- Young unripe zucchini is an excellent remedy against various types of edema. To treat edema, you need to take young vegetables no more than 20 centimeters long. Boil the zucchini with the peel without salt and oil and eat it twice a day.
Note!
People with kidney failure should use zucchini with caution; they contain large amounts of potassium, and if you eat a lot of them, you can harm your health.
Health and beauty benefits
- Juice from fresh zucchini calms the nervous system;
- Zucchini pulp is used in home cosmetology to maintain beauty. Zucchini face masks have excellent moisturizing properties, rejuvenate the skin, increase blood microcirculation and improve complexion.
Now that we have learned a lot of interesting things about the benefits of this wonderful vegetable, let's get down to business and start preparing delicious dishes from young zucchini for all tastes.
Zucchini soup
Try making delicious healthy zucchini soup. This is a light dish with a refined and delicate taste that you will definitely enjoy.
Ingredients for puree soup:
- Young zucchini - 200 grams;
- Milk - 150 milliliters;
- One egg yolk, butter - 2 tablespoons;
- Vegetable broth - 300 milliliters;
- Flour - 1 tablespoon and a little salt to taste.
Preparing the soup:
- Wash the zucchini thoroughly, peel them and cut them into small cubes.
- Place two tablespoons of butter on the bottom of the saucepan and place the chopped zucchini on top of the butter. Fry the vegetables until golden brown.
- Prepare the sauce separately: fry the flour until golden brown, set aside, then pour in vegetable broth and add milk - mix everything well.
- Pour the finished sauce into the pan with the zucchini, add the remaining vegetable broth and let the soup boil thoroughly.
- Cool the soup to 80 degrees and add beaten egg yolk to it. Then let it simmer over very low heat until thickened.
Pour the prepared zucchini soup into plates, add a little butter and chopped herbs to taste.
Zucchini Lasagna
Vegetable lasagna is something that even a bachelor can quickly and deliciously prepare from zucchini. A little more complicated than the previous one, but still simple, you will definitely like it. Zucchini is a valuable source of fiber. Their consumption will significantly reduce the need for carbohydrates and prolong the feeling of fullness. This means that slices of this vegetable can become a worthy alternative to pasta in popular lasagna. Prepare a dish with low-fat turkey and fill yourself with healthy, low-calorie, and most importantly, delicious food.
Product set:
- 4 zucchini;
- 900 g lean ground turkey
- 400 g fresh tomatoes;
- 1 red sweet pepper;
- 1 spinach;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- ½ onion;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tsp. olive (sunflower) oil;
- 1 tsp. dried parsley;
- 1 tsp. dried basil;
- 1 tsp. dried oregano;
- ½ tsp. or salt to taste;
- ¾ tbsp. grated mozzarella;
- ¼ tbsp. grated parmesan;
- 400 g ricotta;
- 85 g tomato paste.
Zucchini Lasagna
Cooking order:
- Lasagna is something that can be prepared quickly and deliciously from zucchini in the oven. Turn preheat to 325 degrees.
- Rinse the zucchini and slice them lengthwise with a mandoline or knife, but as thinly as you can cut them whole.
- Then chop the red pepper, onion, spinach and garlic finely and set aside.
- Grate the Parmesan and mozzarella separately and set aside.
- Place a high-sided frying pan over medium heat. pour olive oil. On a heated surface, add the onion, garlic and ground turkey to the pan and cook until the turkey is half cooked (half pink).
- Add the chopped peppers and spinach and cook until the turkey is cooked through (no longer pink). Drain off excess liquid.
- In a separate bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano and salt. Place 2 tablespoons into a bowl and set aside.
- Add the tomato mixture to the ground turkey and mix thoroughly. Remove turkey mixture from heat.
- In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with eggs. Set aside.
- To make zucchini lasagna quickly and deliciously, use a convenient form. Its size is approximately 20x30 cm, use or two smaller forms for serving in portions.
- Place 2 tbsp on the bottom of the mold. l. set aside tomato mixture into a bowl. Level along the bottom.
- Place the first layer of zucchini slices lengthwise or widthwise. Approximately 1/3 of the chopped volume should be left.
- Add ½ of the meat mixture and then add another layer of zucchini slices (another 1/3 of the sliced amount).
- Add the ricotta and egg mixture and lightly sprinkle with ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Place the last layer of zucchini (last 1/3). Add the rest of the meat sauce .
- Sprinkle remaining ½ tbsp. grated mozzarella, ¼ tbsp. grated parmesan. You can also sprinkle ½ tsp. dried parsley, or 1 tbsp. l. fresh parsley for garnish.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the top is lightly browned.
Zucchini fritters
Ingredients for cooking:
- Young zucchini with delicate skin - 2 pieces;
- Kefir - 0.5 liters;
- Soda - on the tip of the knife;
- Salt - a little, to taste;
- Vegetable oil for frying pancakes.
Preparation:
- Wash and grate young, medium-sized zucchini.
- Add soda, grated zucchini and a little salt to kefir, mix everything.
- Add flour to the resulting mass, mix the dough, it should turn out neither liquid nor thick, as for ordinary pancakes.
- Fry in a heated frying pan in vegetable oil. Fry the pancakes until golden brown.
Serve with sour cream.
Casserole of young zucchini
I offer you a very tasty and simple recipe for zucchini casserole.
Ingredients for cooking:
- Young zucchini - 1 kilogram;
- Hard cheese - 150 grams;
- Fresh chicken eggs - 6 pieces;
- Sour cream - 250 grams;
- Two medium onions, salt and ground black pepper - to taste.
Preparing the casserole:
- Wash our zucchini and cut into very small cubes. Then pour them into a colander, add a little salt and leave for ten minutes.
- Cut the onion into half rings and fry it in vegetable oil until light golden brown.
- Grate the hard cheese on a coarse grater, beat the sour cream and eggs separately. Then mix the grated cheese with the sour cream and egg mixture.
- Lightly squeeze the zucchini from excess moisture and transfer it to a bowl, where we mix it with the onion and pour the cheese and sour cream mixture. Salt and pepper to taste, add your favorite seasonings.
- Mix the prepared mass well, and then place it in a baking dish greased with vegetable oil and level it.
- Place the pan in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and bake at this temperature for 35 - 40 minutes, until beautifully golden brown.
A fragrant, delicious casserole of young zucchini is ready. It can be served either hot or chilled.
Zucchini casserole with vegetables
A casserole is something you can prepare quickly and deliciously with zucchini to enjoy an abundance of fresh seasonal vegetables. This recipe with zucchini, vegetables and mozzarella cheese will add flavor to your day. Serve with fresh, crusty Italian bread, tangy aioli, and enjoy this flavorful dish today.
Product set:
- 450 g zucchini;
- 2 tsp. olive oil;
- 2-3 onions;
- 6 slices, diagonally cut, Italian bread (about 170 g);
- 450 g tomatoes;
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil;
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme;
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 230 g mozzarella;
- 400 ml chicken broth;
- 1/4 tbsp. red pepper aioli.
Zucchini casserole with vegetables
Cooking order:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees;
- Cut the tomatoes into cubes and place in a colander to allow the juice to drain into a deep plate.
- Peel the onion and finely chop.
- Cut the zucchini in half and thinly slice into half rings.
- Peel the garlic and chop it.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fry for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add basil, thyme, pepper and garlic.
- Grease a baking dish with oil.
- Place half the onion in the bottom of the pan.
- Top with 3 slices of bread.
- For bread - the other half of the onion and ½ of the tomato mass, half of the zucchini and half of the cheese.
- Repeat the layers and place more slices of bread on top.
- Pour the broth over the casserole, cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the casserole and bake for another 25 minutes or until the top begins to brown.
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Snack zucchini muffins
Delicate snack cupcakes that you will definitely like and delight with their taste.
Ingredients for cooking:
- One small young zucchini;
- Two eggs, one teaspoon of sugar;
- 100 grams of bacon or good smoked sausage;
- 6 tablespoons of flour and 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder.
If desired, you can double the quantity of products.
Making snack cupcakes:
- Wash the zucchini and grate it on a coarse grater, add salt and place in a colander. This is necessary so that the excess liquid is drained.
- Mix eggs, flour, baking powder and sugar. Then add well-squeezed zucchini and mix everything.
- Finely chop the bacon or sausage and add to the zucchini dough.
- Prepare the molds; it’s convenient to bake cupcakes in a silicone mold. Place the dough in them.
- Preheat the oven and bake the cupcakes at 200 degrees until golden brown.
The result is a delicious snack dish that is convenient to take with you on the road or outdoors.
Snack zucchini muffins with cottage cheese and herbs
Ingredients for cooking:
- Young zucchini - 300 grams;
- Cottage cheese - 150 grams;
- Eggs - 2 pieces;
- Hard cheese - 50 grams;
- 1.5 tablespoons baking powder;
- Parsley, dill - to taste, salt - to taste.
Making cupcakes:
- Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess liquid.
- Grate the cheese, mix the cottage cheese with eggs and salt and mash well with a fork.
- Finely chop the greens.
- In a bowl, mix grated and squeezed zucchini, curd mass, grated cheese and herbs - mix everything well.
- Add flour and baking powder to the mixture and mix until we have a homogeneous dough.
- Let's prepare the molds for our cupcakes. If you have silicone molds, then you don’t need to do anything with them, but put a paper mold in metal ones; without it it will be difficult to get ready-made baked goods.
- Fill the molds 3/4 full with dough and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Baking time at this temperature is 30 minutes, during which time the cupcakes will be well browned and baked.
Ready-made snack muffins with zucchini and cottage cheese can be eaten either warm or completely cooled.
Zucchini Cookies
Yes, yes, cookies are exactly what children can make quickly and deliciously with zucchini. With this simple recipe you can gradually introduce your child to healthy sweets. Soft and flavorful cookies with chocolate chips and a velvety center will exceed your expectations. Visually, the vegetable is almost undetectable in these cookies. But it not only moisturizes the texture, but also adds vitamins and fiber to the cookies.
List of products:
- 1.5-2 tbsp. grated zucchini;
- 1 tbsp. butter at room temperature;
- 2 eggs;
- 1 tsp. vanilla;
- 2 tsp. baking powder;
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon;
- 1 tsp. salt;
- 1 tbsp. walnut kernels;
- 1 tbsp. semisweet chocolate chips;
- 1 tbsp. coconut flakes with sugar;
- ½ tbsp. raisins
Zucchini Cookies
Cooking order:
- To make cookies with zucchini quickly and tasty, turn on the oven to preheat to 180 degrees. Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment.
- Chop the walnut kernels with a knife.
- Pour boiling water over the raisins, let them swell a little, rinse well, and drain.
- In a convenient container, mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Use a mixer or broom for convenience.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in finely grated zucchini.
- Separately, but in a common bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add zucchini mixture to mixture.
- To make cookies with zucchini quickly and tasty, add nuts, chocolate chips, raisins (or other dried fruits to taste) and coconut to the dough.
- Place tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer the finished cookies to a cooling rack.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
Sultan's style zucchini
An exquisite dish of young zucchini that deserves the best praise. To prepare it we need very little time, a small set of products and culinary imagination.
Ingredients for cooking:
- Young zucchini - 3 pieces (900 grams);
- Hard cheese - 100 grams;
- Olive oil or any vegetable oil - 60 grams;
- Egg yolks - 2 pieces;
- Fresh milk - 100 milliliters;
- Almonds - 50 grams;
- Raisins - 50 grams;
- A little ground black pepper and salt to your taste.
Preparation:
- Wash and peel the zucchini. Then we cut them into two even parts and remove the seeds. Salt, pepper a little and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Pour boiling water over the almonds, remove the skins and chop them into a fine grater. Mix the nuts with the yolks, milk and well-steamed raisins - mix everything well.
- Stuff the zucchini halves with the resulting mixture, place them in a saucepan and sprinkle grated cheese on top.
- In a saucepan, spray the vegetables with olive oil and add 4 tablespoons of water. Place the saucepan on low heat, cover with a lid and simmer the zucchini until fully cooked. Cooking time is approximately 20 minutes.
You can bake zucchini in the oven or cook it in a double boiler.
Sultan style zucchini with meat filling
Ingredients:
- Young zucchini - 2 pieces;
- Boiled minced beef - 100 grams;
- Hard cheese - 100 grams;
- Bulgarian sweet pepper - 1 piece;
- Dill - 1 bunch, salt to taste;
Preparation:
- We pass the boiled beef through a meat grinder.
- Grate the cheese and mix with the twisted beef.
- Cut the zucchini into two halves and scoop out the pulp with a boat.
- Cut the sweet pepper into small cubes and mix with grated cheese, minced meat and zucchini pulp. You can add sauce if you wish.
- Fill the zucchini halves with the resulting mixture and place in the oven to bake. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
Pour your favorite sauce over the finished dish and sprinkle with chopped herbs.
Roasted Zucchini with Parmesan
The simplest thing is that even a schoolchild can cook zucchini quickly and tasty - fried circles with cheese and herbs. This dish can be served as a main dish. During the season of available vegetables from the garden, a side dish of zucchini will have a particularly rich taste. You can eat them with any steaks, baked chicken, or boiled meat.
Product set:
- 4 medium zucchini;
- 3 tbsp. l. olive (sunflower) oil;
- 1/4 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese;
- 1 onion;
- 1/2 tsp. salt;
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper;
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (garlic, basil).
Roasted Zucchini with Parmesan
Cooking order:
- A side dish of zucchini is something we recommend to prepare quickly and tasty from zucchini today. This is an excellent side dish for lunch or dinner, a good appetizer on the holiday table.
- Wash the zucchini and wipe off any remaining moisture. Cut off the ends on both sides, chop into circles about 1 cm thick.
- Peel the onion and chop into cubes.
- Heat 2 tbsp. l. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Cook gently until the onion is lightly browned, about 10 to 11 minutes.
- Add zucchini slices. Salt, sprinkle with pepper, thyme, add the remaining oil.
- Increase heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the squash begins to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy warm.