WNY Family Magazine August 2018 | Page 54

Zucchini Crisp Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY, PEA- NUTS, TREE NUTS, WHEAT*, FISH, SHELLFISH, GLUTEN* N o other food seems to gar- ner the question “How do we get rid of it?” quite as much as zucchini in late summer. Yet zucchini is such a versatile food, equally at home in salads, main courses, and desserts. Two of our favorites are zucchini brownies and zucchini crisp. No one will realize you used zucchini in either recipe — a great way to sneak in veggies. The brownies are even better the next day. The crisp? Everyone will think you used apples. With a few good recipes in your repertoire (and there are many), you’ll welcome the zucchini bounty! A few tips:  Select fresh, firm, slender zucchini. There should be no bruises, wrin- kles, or soft spots.  Bigger is not better. Zucchini should be no larger than an aver- age cucumber. The bigger ones are seedy, and have less flavor.  1 medium zucchini (less than 1/2 pound) yields about 1 cup.  Store zucchini in the refrigerator, they’ll stay fresh for about a week.  Peel and seed zucchini much as you would cucumber. Slice off each end, peel. Cut in half length- wise. Run a spoon down the center to scoop out the seeds. It’s very fast and easy.  Add a cup of shredded zucchini to your favorite sugar cookie recipe, muffins, or cakes. They’ll add moisture, and a nutritional boost.  Make a quick zucchini slaw by shredding zucchini and tossing with a favorite salad dressing.  For an easy zucchini side dish — slice in half lengthwise, or slice vertically into 1/2” rounds. Spray with oil. Salt, pepper, and drizzle on seasonings, soy sauce, or vin- aigrette. Grill or broil about 8-10 minutes on each side. 54 WNY Family August 2018 Zucchini Brownies Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY, PEA- NUTS, TREE NUTS, WHEAT*, FISH, SHELLFISH, GLUTEN* Yield: 12-15 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 35-40 minutes Yield: 12-16 servings 3 cups flour* (can be wheat/gluten free flour) Prep Time: 10 minutes 1 cup oats Cook Time: 25-35 minutes 1 brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 cups flour* (can be wheat/gluten free flour) 1 – 1 1/2 cups sugar (depends how sweet you like them) 1 cup (2 sticks) dairy/soy free marga- rine, cold 1/2 cup cocoa powder 8-10 cups sliced zucchini – peeled and seeded (see tips) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 2 cups shredded zucchini –no need to peel 1/2 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla Optional – stir in 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x13” pan and set aside. Mix together first 5 ingredients. Mix together the zuc- chini, oil, and vanilla. Blend into the dry ingredients. Stir together — it will be dry and not too pretty. Don’t be alarmed — the zucchini releases lots of water during baking and they will be moist. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in cen- ter comes out clean. Frost or dust with powdered sugar if desired. 2 teaspoons cinnamon, spices Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9”x13” pan and set aside. Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl — cut in margarine until crumbly. Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, put zucchini and lem- on juice in a saucepan over medium heat — cook for about 8-10 minutes. Add sugar and cinnamon, simmer for 5 minutes longer. Stir 1/2 cup of crumb mixture into zucchini mix. Pour over baked crust, top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 35-40 more minutes, until top is golden brown. If you have any questions about our column, e-mail Kathy at allergy@roadrunner. com. For further information about food allergies, contact FARE www.foodallergy.org, or call 1-800-929-4040. Kathy Lundquist is a Western New York parent whose son, now an adult, was born with severe food allergies. Over the last two decades, she has worked tirelessly, in a variety of capacities, to increase community awareness about food allergies.