Microwave Zucchini Recipes

There's a thread over on Ravelry discussing uses for zucchini which is very prevalent this time of year. I have made a lot of basic zucchini bread in the past (love it) but I was intrigued by these recipes, posted by other members. They are both dessert-type recipes and are microwaveable! That's right, no need to heat up your kitchen with the oven this sweltering-hot-time-of-the-year. I have not tried these myself yet but I plan to very soon. It seems too easy not to :)

Microwave Zucchini Crumble

• 2 2/3 cup peeled and diced zucchini ( one inch pieces) 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice 
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• pinch nutmeg 
• 1 tablespoon flour

Topping

• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats 
• 1/3 cup flour 
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

• Mix first five ingredients in a microwave safe casserole. Toss with the tablespoon of flour.
• Topping- mix first 3 ingredients together. Stir in oil, mix until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of zucchini mixture.
• Microwave for about 6 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and kinda looks like apple pie.

Microwave Zucchini bread

• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup cooking oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1 cup grated zucchini with peel
• 1 2/3 cup flour 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg 
• pinch cloves

Directions:

• Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients,stir until moistened.
• Place in a greased 4 by 8 inch microwave safe loaf pan or a bunt pan.
• Microwave for about 5 minutes. Your cooking time may vary depending on your oven.

Kashi Pilaf

This isn't exactly a recipe but a recommendation. At my house we eat a lot of rice as we try to limit our wheat (and therefore, pasta) intake. Kashi makes many wonderful products including this 7 whole grain pilaf which is a mixture of whole oats, brown rice, buckwheat, sesame seeds, etc. I use it as an alternative to rice with stir-fry dishes or in soup but it can also be used as a hot breakfast with a little honey/sugar/maple syrup or in a cold salad like tabbouleh. It has a chewy/crunchy texture and I often add brown lentils to the mixture and cook it up in my rice cooker. It's full of fiber and protein and is always satisfying.

Red Beans and Rice

...the easiest way! Red beans and rice is pretty easy to begin with but I made it even easier using boxed and canned products. This can be prepared in 25 minutes with no worries about measuring or chopping or pre-soaking anything.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Zatarain's Reduced Sodium Red Beans and Rice (because the regular stuff is full of MSG)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis
• 1/4 cup of dried TVP (optional)
• a bit of salt and pepper if needed
• 3 1/4 cups of water (as directed on rice box)
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:

• Just follow the directions on the Zatarain's box but add the TVP in with the rice mixture.
• when about 3 - 5 minutes remain in cooking time stir in the can of tomatoes.

That's it! If you eat meat, this is good with ground beef or turkey, andouille sausage or even shrimp. If you don't, the TVP adds enough texture to fake it and add some extra protein. Serves 2 as a main entree.

Frozen Banana Cream

I've seen this idea going around the internet quite a bit lately so I gave it a try. It's kinda like ice cream but it's dairy free. It's yet another great way to use up over ripe bananas. And if you're like me, bananas are only perfect for eating for about a day and a half so they go "bad" quickly and often. So once they've passed their prime, peel, cut up into inch-long pieces and freeze them. If you're going to use them right away you can just freeze them on a cookie sheet, otherwise just pop them into a ziplock freezer bag and have them on hand for smoothies or banana ice cream!

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional)

Directions:

• Put the bananas into your food processor or blender and blend until smooth. 
• Add the peanut butter and blend until it's mixed in. You may have to scrape down the sides once or twice. 
• If it seems too thick you can add a little milk (soy, almond, rice, whatever kind you like). 
• If it's too thin you can pop it into the freezer for a bit to let it set. 
• It will set up firmer than regular ice cream but if you let it sit on the counter for a few minutes it will soften.
• It's super delicious drizzled with a little chocolate syrup :)

There are lots of things you could add to this (instead of or in addition to peanut butter) to make it extra awesome: other frozen fruit, other nut butters, chocolate syrup or cocoa powder, honey, crumbled cookies or graham crackers...

Tuna Salad Wraps

Yea, this is a bit of a departure from vegetarian but I think I'll look into a vegetarian alternative in the future. I ate this for lunch pretty much every day last week. I made up a batch of the tuna salad at the beginning of the week and assembled the wrap in a matter of minutes each day. This is, of course, a very basic and easily customizable idea. I would normally put a chopped pickle or celery in my tuna salad for crunch but the "toppings" here take care of that.

Ingredients:

• 2 pouches or cans of tuna (1 can of mashed chickpeas may be a good vegetarian alternative, I'll get back to you on that)
• a few tablespoons of hummus
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chilled
• a bit of mayo or plain yogurt (just enough to reach desired consistency)
• a handful of chopped cilantro (or your fresh herb of choice)
• a small handful of chopped pecans or walnuts or sunflower seeds
• salt and pepper to taste
• various toppings for sandwich assembly, I like sliced black olives, sliced red peppers, baby spinach, feta cheese
• flat bread or big tortillas (I used Flat Out Bread)

Directions:

• peel and dice the eggs and mix together with tuna, hummus, mayo, cilantro, nuts, salt and pepper.
• Chill (it will keep in the fridge for a few days)
• Assemble your sandwich by placing your favorite toppings and the tuna salad in the middle of the wrap and roll it up. 

Lindy Loo has a well received vegan "mock tuna salad" recipe that seems worth trying if you don't do tuna :)