The Last of the Summer Zucchini {Recipes}

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. –Laiko Bahrs

Zucchini & Cheese Soup

2½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup finely chopped onion
⅓ cup chopped celery
5 cups zucchini, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

• Place 2 cups of the broth in a 2-quart pot; add onion, celery, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
• Purée the cooked vegetables and broth in the blender or food processor; set aside.
• In a 2-quart pot, melt butter; add flour to make a paste and cook 1 minute. Add milk and remaining ½ cup broth; heat to boiling and thicken, stirring often.
• Add purée to the ingredients in the pot, stir in cheese and serve.

Serves 4

Notes:
• This was so good that even though we just had it less than two weeks ago, we're having it again as soon as I can get to the store to get some more celery.
• I've never had a food processor and I don't currently have a blender {it's a long story which involves Starlight mints and homemade hot cocoa mix and neighbor gifts and Christmas}, so I drained the broth from the vegetables and used my Food Chopper to purée the vegetables. Then I stirred them back into the broth and continued from there.

Zucchini & Chicken Bake

5 medium zucchini, sliced
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 chicken breasts
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

• Heat oven to 400˚. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 baking dish. Set aside 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.
• In a 10" skillet, sauté zucchini, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle reserved bread crumbs over the zucchini. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the tomatoes, and then sprinkle with basil and ¼ teaspoon salt.
• In a shallow bowl beat egg, water, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Place the remaining crumbs in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then place in the plastic bag and shake to coat with breadcrumbs.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10" skillet. Cook chicken for 2–3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on top of vegetables and cheese in the baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and bake for 10 minutes longer.

Serves 4

Notes:
• I think this is my favorite of all the new zucchini recipes I've tried this summer. With fresh vegetables from the garden, it was a huge WOW!

Other zucchini recipes that are fabulous:
Meatloaf
Italian Chicken Pasta Toss
Two-Bean Chicken Chili
Zucchini, Chicken and Rice Casserole
Minestrone