Zingy Zucchini Casserole

This was the yummiest zucchini casserole I've eaten, thanks to all the butter, sour cream, and cheese. I made it today and threw in two chopped, cooked chicken breasts so it was more of a meal than a side dish. Even my picky three-year-old liked it!

1/4 C chopped onion
6 C sliced zucchini
½ tsp salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C sour cream
1 C shredded cheese
1 pkg (6 oz) stuffing mix (herb or chicken) (more if you like it breadier)
1 cube margarine or butter, melted
1/3 C water

Cook onion and squash in boiling water with salt for five minutes. Drain. Add soup, sour cream and cheese. Combine stuffing mix with melted butter and water. Spread half of stuffing on bottom of a 2-quart casserole (I used a 9x13). Cover with entire vegetable mixture. Then crumble remaining stuffing over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Zucchini Curry

It's obviously zucchini season--keep those green recipes coming! I have several Thai curry recipes that call for zucchini, so it's even authentic. You can substitute some or all of the zucchini with eggplant or yellow squash, and even add anything else you want. This is a very adaptable recipe--and surprisingly quick and easy.

2 small or one large-ish zucchini
1 lb chicken thighs or breasts (boneless)
1 can coconut milk (reduced fat is good!)
2-3 Tbsp green or red curry paste, or curry powder*
onion (optional)
1 1/2 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp fish sauce**
1 Tbsp brown sugar
fresh basil (optional)

Chop zucchini and chicken into bite-size pieces, set aside. In large pot cook 3/4 C coconut milk over medium high heat until it begins to thicken and become fragrant. Add curry and cook, mixing, 2-3 more minutes. Add chicken (and onion, if desired) and cook 3-5 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer at high enough heat to keep boiling for 8-10 minutes (until chicken is cooked). Top with fresh basil and serve over cooked rice (jasmine rice is best).

*Curry paste is much spicier than powder, so depending on your preference you may want to add less.
**Fish sauce is the worst smelling stuff around, but it really adds to the flavor of the cooked dish. It's cheap and keeps forever, so it's a good thing to have around for Thai cooking.

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

Every year we have a never-ending supply of zucchini from our garden so I am always on the look out for a new recipe. Here is one I recently discovered and my hubby LOVED IT! Not sure that the picture does it much justice:
4 medium zucchini
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can (14oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6oz.) tomato paste
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil whole zucchini about 10 minutes. Drain; slice in half and scoop out middles. Mash zucchini pulp and set aside. Saute ground beef, onion, garlic and green pepper until vegetables are tender and meat is cooked/brown. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and mashed zucchini. Simmer. Stuff scooped out zucchini shells with mixture. Sprinkle generously with both cheeses. Bake for 45 minutes.

*I used 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (instead of plain) and it gave it a scrumtious kick!