I can't wait to try a few of these out. Thanks for the good ideas.

Use a vegetable peeler or zester to peel zucchini into long, noodle-like strips.

Give them a quick stir-fry in a hot sautee pan with a bit of olive oil. It doesn't take long.

(Alternately, steam them, or blanch them by plunging them into boiling water for about a minute, and then into ice water. I prefer the sautee pan.)

To the sautee pan add any of the following:
- garlic, more olive oil, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, parsley and red pepper flakes

or

- pesto, olives and fresh mozzarella

or

- marinara (meatballs optional)

or

- sliced grilled chicken, lemon, oregano

or

- fresh tomatoes (just crush them with your hands and toss into the pan) fresh garlic, fresh basil, (and maybe shrimp?)

Sautee sauce ingredients until heated. Add the zuudles, stir to combine, serve.

Enjoy, and then go outside to play while it's still light out after dinner.

Thank you! Used these in lasagna instead of pasta and my kids had no idea!

I highly recommend this!

My timing was a bit off for those not on the west coast, but here is my Zuke Soup from last year:

http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/DCForumID22/241.shtml#TOP

And:

Zucchini Pancakes
Savory. From Turkey. Makes 12 3” pancakes

For the pancakes:
3-4 medium zucchini, shredded
3 large eggs, beaten
½ cup whole wheat flour (OK to use a little less or regular flour)
1 teaspoon salt, divided (or less to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dried dill (or finely shredded fresh mint)
Optional: ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

For the yogurt sauce (best to make a day ahead to allow flavors to blend)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl, and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Allow to drain for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze, transfer to a cloth kitchen towel, and squeeze hard to extract as much moisture as possible. Volume will shrink to about half the original.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini and eggs. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt (may omit), baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add to zucchini mixture and mix. Add olive oil, feta, scallions, dill (or mint) and mix again. The batter can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Place heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter in pan, allowing room to spread. Flatten them with a spatula if necessary; pancakes should be about 3/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter (about 4 at a time in skillet). Fry until golden on one side, then turn and fry again until golden on other side. Flip them again once or twice, frying about 5 to 6 minutes total, so pancakes get quite brown and crisp. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, and keep warm in oven. Continue frying remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve hot.
4. For yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and salt. Mix well, and serve on the side.

• very similar to recipe in first Moosewood cookbook
• good as leftovers and freeze well
• other herbs work too: parsley, basil, tarragon, thyme, cumin
• serve hot or room temp as side, main, appetizer or at brunch
• May use store bought tzatziki as sauce or just use lemon juice.
• reduce fat by omitting olive oil and using a no-stick pan and reducing cooking oil

And ...

Zucchini Pizza Boats
Four entrée sized servings.

2 zucchinis, each about 12-16” *
salt
4-8 oz mozzarella cheese
various pizza toppings: mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, olives, fresh basil etc.
pizza sauce (recipe follows)

1. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and use a melon baller or a sharp knife and spoon to scoop out the seed part, leaving a boat with a good solid hull. (Save the inners for another use if you like – zucchini soup? – or toss if it’s August and you have zucchini coming out of your ears.) Sprinkle zucchinis liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes or so to draw out excess moisture.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a deep sauce pan, mix together:

1 28 oz can of tomato puree
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons?) or equivalent dried (2-3 teaspoons?)
1 bay leaf, whole
¼ teaspoon salt (more to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper (more to taste)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. This makes about twice as much as you need for the zucchini boats. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or freezer for several months.

3. Turn on oven to 350F.

4. While sauce is simmering, rinse off the salt and place zucchini boats in a microwaveable pan with a half inch of water. (It is ok to stack the boats to save space.) Cover and microwave for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened but still firm. Pat dry.

5. Prep your pizza toppings: wash and slice mushrooms, grate cheese, etc. By the time you are done with all that, the sauce should be ready.

6. Place (wedge) boats in a large ovenproof pan so all will stay upright. Fill with a generous amount of sauce, then cheese, toppings, and a second light sprinkle of cheese on top.

7. Bake (uncovered) for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and just turning brown.

Carefully remove from pan to serve. They are very slippery. Serve with brown rice and a table knife to cut. Yum!

*Smaller or larger zucchini will also work well, but I consider this the ideal size. Smaller ones are fussier and don’t hold as much sauce and toppings. Larger ones are tougher and will need to be microwaved and/or baked longer than I’ve specified. However, this recipe is an excellent way to use those baseball bat sized zucchini that seem to develop overnight in the zucchini patch. Slice them lengthwise, scoop out the inners, and cut them into U-shaped 6” lengths. Microwave for 8-10 minutes, maybe less.