My Mom added a big hunk of butter to every bowl of vegetables -- except when she draped them with a slice of cheese. I get this: it's fast, it's cheap, it reliably turns even turn-up-your-nose vegetables into tasty bites. (And if I'm representative, it also raises first-borns to be, well, vegetable-obsessed. But my sister loves vegetables. The real test is my Dad, who didn't eat vegetables when he and my Mom first met. Now, get this, he eats Brussels sprouts!)So now, when vegetables recipes call for butter or cheese and the cook near-audibly moans, my immediate reaction is always, "Well, duh, of course it tastes good. It's fat with butter. It's sticky with cheese!"
But when Kalyn's Kitchen featured a cheesy zucchini recipe, my immediate reaction was, "I must make this."
And so I did, that very night - albeit with more zucchini, less cheese and fresh basil. And yes, it's good -- really good -- and spectacularly easy, which of course makes it taste still better. I also bet it's kid friendly, something Freddie and Alexandra of the Great Big Vegetable Adventure might like. In their honor, I re-name this recipe, "Easy Peasy Cheesy Zoosy-keesy-neesy". Say that, three times, fast!
And since the recipe comes from Kalyn, who's the food blogging Queen of South Beach recipes, you know it's low carb, too.
GO FOR THE GARLIC Kalyn recommends four to six large garlic cloves and loves the garlic that comes in a big jar from Costco. I used only two smallish cloves of garlic because I'm cooking with just-harvested home-grown garlic that's still fresh and 'wet' - a little goes a long way. That said, the garlic is really key so use more than you think!
PORTION SIZE I suspect that this is going to taste so good that while a pound of vegetables can be counted on for four generous servings, you might want to budget otherwise.
FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for all the zucchini recipes
A YEAR AGO Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar ... I learn that it pays to peel asparagus in 'stripes'
EASY CHEESY ZUCCHINI
aka Easy Peasy Cheesy Zoosy-Keesy-Neesy
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin (if fresh, Kalyn uses 4 - 6 from Costco)
1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed, cut in half length-wise (unless baby zucchini) and then in half-inch thick half moons
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (Kalyn uses parsley, any fresh herb would do, I think)
Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons grated other melt-y cheese (Kalyn uses 4 tablespoons mozzarella, I used one of those 'Mexican' blends)
In a large skillet with a cover, heat the oil til shimmery. Add the garlic and stir to coat with oil, then cook for a minute or two, just until garlic begins to turn golden in color. Add zucchini, stir several times to coat with oil and garlic. Cover and cook for four minutes, stirring once or twice. Uncover and let continue to cook til done (slightly crisp suits my taste). Stir in salt and parsley. TURN OFF THE HEAT. Sprinkle cheese over top, cover and let rest for 1 - 2 minutes til cheese is slightly melted. Serve immediately.
HOW MANY CALORIES, CARBS & WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS IN ZUCCHINI
Nutrition Information Per 1/4 pound of raw zucchini, the flesh and skin both: 18 Cal (8% from Fat, 24% from Protein, 67% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 4 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 2 g Sugar; 17 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 11 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points
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