My Vegetarian Kitchen: Local Beauties: Late-Summer Produce Low in Calories, High in Nutritional Value

Summary

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There is a beautiful rhythm to the summer growing season that goes on before our eyes, and during late August the zucchini and peaches are the garden stars. Now is the time to enjoy these locally grown beauties because their flavor is better than any others that are grown and transported from far away. Zucchini, also known as summer squash, is eaten as a vegetable but is really an edible fruit, from the same family as melons and cucumbers, and has a thin and edible skin. Summer squash provide a valuable iron, magnesium, potassium, Vitamins A and C, and a 1/2 cup of cooked summer squash has only 18 calories.

The two-toned heirloom summer squash, named "zephyr squash," is a favorite of mine. It's distinguished from most other varieties by its interesting appearance; it has stripes of pale and deeper yellow around the upper two-thirds of the skin and stripes of light and deep green along the bottom. The flavor is mild and - like all summer squash - they have a thin skin, and a high water content that makes for a soft flesh that requires little cooking time, although you could certainly shred raw zucchini for a lovely and healthful vegetable slaw with carrots, and red and green cabbage.

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My Vegetarian Kitchen: Local Beauties: Late-Summer Produce Low in Calories, High in Nutritional Value

As a girl, I could count on my mother's Pan-Fried Zucchini each and every August, when there would be a plateful of little rounds of tender zucchini, patiently pan-fried in a little olive oil, arranged on the plate in a circular pattern, then drizzled with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Whenever my mother makes this dish, she al...

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