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Show Thoughts From The Garden... by Tonya LeMone "A zucchini for your thoughts or anything else " A zucchini for your thoughts. . .or anything else as long as I have one less zucchini in my garden. I have always laughed at the comments about the zucchini and wondered w hy this little green veggie is so intolerable to so many gardeners. I think zucchini is getting a bad rap. Zucchini seems to be the only vegetable in the garden that people freely give away daily. We rarely see people sharing their beautiful heirloom tomatoes or their slender green beans. Try to get a pumpkin from a gardener and it is a major confrontation. My only explanation for the dislike of the little green veggie is because it gives so much so easily, and we have taken it for granted and have now given it very little respect. I know of very few vegetables that can be the main course to a meal, the vegetable and the dessert while using only one very large zucchini. It is the most successfully grown vegetable in the garden as well. I love to see first time gardeners plant their six-packs of zucchini and feel the great success of a garden, which then encourages them on to a garden the next year. Quite frankly, we need to give huge kudos' to our little green guys. They are about the only thing in the garden the snails haven't devoured this year. I personally am a zucchini lover. I like it broiled, fried in batter, baked or grilled. Chocolate zucchini cake is a favorite, and children don't even' know they are eating a vegetable. There is something to be said about the benefits of that! Daily I walk by the zucchini sitting in my vegetable bowl and feel the pangs of guilt as it begins to speak to me about all the starving children in third world countries that would give anything to have just one zucchini. So, to ease some guilt for myself and those of you who work hard to not waste, here is a "must try" recipe using the over ripe zucchini sitting in your vegetable bowl. However, the key to this recipe is to make your own crepes. The recipe calls for ready made crepes, which are okay but homemade crepes do make a difference this time. Crepes With Summer Vegetables Ingredients: 13 cup reduced-fat sour cream . 12 cup chopped fresh chives, divided, plus more for garnish 3 tablespoons low-fat milk 2 teaspoons lemon juice 34 teaspoon salt, divided 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil " 2 cups chopped zucchini 114 cups chopped green beans 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (from 1 large ear; see Tip) 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 12 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 14 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 9-inch "ready-to-use" crepes Preparation: 1. Stir sour cream, 14 cup chives, milk, lemon juice and 14 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. Set aside. 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green beans and corn and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, the remaining 14 cup chives, the remaining 12 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 3. To roll crepes, place one on a piece of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic separating the crepes in the package). Spoon one-fourth of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 34 cup) down the center of the crepe. Gently roll the crepe around the filling. Place the crepe seam-side down on a dinner plate. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Serve each crepe topped with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired. A zucchini for your thoughts may be the wrong thing to say. Maybe we should give a lot of thought to zucchini. After all, it keeps on giving to us' continually! See you in the Garden |