Courgettes.
Yes, it is that time of year, when gardeners and allotmenters in the UK suddenly find courgettes springing up everywhere! We may not have had much rain with our unfamiliar 35c+ heat, but those courgettes still keep growing!
This year I’ve been sharing my courgettes with the muntjac deer… or the foxes… or both! I’ve covered them up with a net, but they still managed to find my tasty yellow courgettes! Thankfully, they have either had too many, or discovered there are other allotment plots to source food from!
Type of Courgettes
There are so many different varieties of courgettes (or zucchini) that you could probably fill a whole plot with them! There are long ones, round ones, green ones, yellow ones, pale ones, stripy ones and everything in between! Whilst they mostly have a similar taste, they do vary in water content and sweetness but are mostly interchangeable if you are cooking them.
How do I use courgettes?
This is one vegetable that it is really easy to hide in other dishes! If you are making anything with a sauce or a soup then courgette can be grated in to bulk it up and add extra fibre. If you are worried about the skin colour being a tell tale sign, then peel it first! You can easily add courgette to your bolognese for example, making the dish stretch a bit further whilst keeping the same great taste!
Courgettes can be chopped, sliced, julienned, chipped, grated, spiralised, stuffed, fried, steamed, baked, roasted, grilled and eaten raw! You can even eat the courgette flowers too!
My current favourite recipe
Wash, top and tail the courgettes. Cut into 3 pieces of equal length, then cut each into 0.5cm slices, then into chip shapes. Drizzle (or spray) with oil, add a sprinkle of garlic granules, black pepper and Cajun spice. Toss together and either pop in the air fryer, or in the oven. Cook for 10-20 minutes on a medium-hot heat, checking and turning a few times! Yum!
The Courgette Recipes
Hopefully you now have some ideas how to use all those courgettes! Here a few recipes if you need more ideas!
Pesto Zoodles: Noodles made with spiralised courgette – try it and be surprised! Children love this too!
Dolma Filling: Use this easy stuffing to fill round or extra fat courgettes before baking.
Miso Veg: Mix courgettes with a few extra vegetables to make this flavoursome dish.
Seasonal Soup: A soup packed full of the flavour of summer vegetables.
Lemon Cake: Yes! Courgette goes in cake too, making it lovely & moist! See who can guess the secret ingredient (my guess is they won’t)!
What do I need?
As there are so many different things you can do with courgettes I have tried to include a range of items which you may find useful!
I receive a small commission if you click and purchase through these links (this is at no additional cost to you)!
Serving
You can serve your courgettes as a tasty side, or make them the star of the show! You can have them for lunch or dinner (probably for breakfast too)! Oh yes, definitely for breakfast if you are using them for cake!
Photo by Alesia Kozik on Pexels.
Storage
Courgettes store very well, if kept dry and cool. You can store them in the fridge or on a vegetable rack. Each food you make will have different storage instructions, but generally keep cooked dishes in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months. If freezing, portion or separate with greaseproof paper, make sure you label well and freeze.
Sharing
I love hearing what you have been inspired to create after reading my posts! Even if you think you are not a courgette fan, I hope you will experiment a bit and find something you love! I love hearing about and seeing your adaptions and interpretations of my recipes and I’d love to see any courgette photos (growing or cooked)!
How will you serve your courgettes? Do you have a favourite recipe? Please share and tag me @LifeDietHealth or using #LifeDietHealth on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.
Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!
I hope to speak with you soon
Laurena x
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