The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[ascicles]

I've always been a fan of zuchinni when I eat is as part of a japanese meal. I'm sure it is doused with soy sauce though, so I doubt it would work well on this plan.

I've tried grilling zuchinni in my George Foreman, but I just couldn't handle the taste. Can someone give me some recommendations on a good way to cook it to better suit my tastes. I guess I could cook it in a frying pan with lite soy sauce, but I'm worried that would be too much sodium.

I am having a hard time with the veggies part of this diet, because almost all of the veggies I enjoy are forbidden. Basically, green beans, mushrooms, and cucumbers are the only things I like...and I am not a huge fan of green beans. I want potatoes and corn

[just_julie]

Adding onion and a splash of soy sauce is yummy. I like to make mine a little browned in the fry pan. I slice them into little circles in my Cuisinart. I also like it with tomatoes, but you didn't mention you liked onion or tomato... I don't think a little sodium will hurt. They say we need it for all the water we drink.

[Ginabobina1969]

I eat a LOT of zuchinni..lol

Most time I take a small zuch slice it in disk then take piles of the disk and cut them into short strips(julienne) I spray a pan with olive oil pam then toss the zuch in there with minced garlic(I buy a jar of it and keep it in the fridge) spinkle with salt and pepper.

Also, sometimes I cut the zuch in half crosswise and then slice lengthwise into long flat pieces. I marinade these in 1-2 tbsp on Kraft free zesty italian dressing then grill them in a cast iron skillet.

Also, for green beans. Buy the fresh ones without the ends or just break off the ends but leave the beans long. Steam these then spritz these with butter flavor pam, sprinkle Salad Supreme and salt and pepper. Mmm

Hope that helps a bit.
Hugs,
Gina

[DogMa]

I roast or grill almost everything these days. For zucchini, I usually marinate it first. Or spray it with cooking spray and sprinkle some steak seasoning and fresh, chopped garlic on it.

[FORMOMMY]

But if you keep the zucchini lengthwise - how do you know you have 1 1/2 cups?? That is my dilemma. I am not sure how to measure it out if I don't chop them up. I've heard "ball park it" but I don't want to eat too much and slow my progress down.

I know I am being dense about this but I just can't figure out how to be sure.

[aphrael]

Try cutting it up in small peices, measure out your cup and a half and wiegh it. Than next time cut the long slices and than wiegh it.

Not sure if this would 100% accurate but it would probably get you close enough.

[JustLynda]

I happen to love zucchini, so don't know if any of this will help. I prepare it several different ways.

1) saute with Pam, garlic, salt & pepper
2) grilled brushed with olive oil & Cavender's seasoning or marinated in Italian dressing (cut in half horizontally & vertically)
3) raw cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and tossed with garlic, salt, pepper, dash of olive oil and a dash of lemon juice (great with baked halibut or other white fish)
4) steamed (cut into ribbons again--sometimes sauted) and topped with tomato sauce and/or chicken
5) stir fried with chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, soy sauce (or other asian seasoning)
6) baked/broiled cut into 1/4" strips lenthwise brushed with olive oil and seasonings with eggplant, yellow squash & onions topped with garlic, salt, pepper & fresh chiffanade basil leaves

As you can see, I also happen to love garlic. I haven't tried this, but I imagine you could use Worcheshire (sp?) sauce, balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, etc to season the stir fry if you get tired of soy. To me, zucchini itself has a very mild flavor and can be paired with lots of different sauces and seasonings.

Try experimenting with your favorite herbs and spices. I'm suddenly getting the urge to try a little homemade spice blend with some red chile powder, cumin, cinnamon and, of course, garlic. If you like lemon-pepper, that would probably be good, too (I use that on broiled/grilled asparagus).

I have found that one medium zucchini yields approx 1 cup cooked when I cut it into smaller, measurable pieces. So, I translate that into 1.5 medium zucchini=1.5 cups cooked veg.

You'll notice that most of my "recipes" call for olive oil. I use this sparingly!--literally just a drizzle and then use a BBQ basting brush (actually, a small paint brush from the hardware store) to spread it out.

[ascicles]

When I've eaten zuchinni in the past, it's always been either a bit crunchy or soft. When I cook this, it seems to be "spongy". I tried eggplant, and it was pretty much the same way.

Is this just a product of bad veggies, or am I doing something wrong to make them taste "spongy"?

Thanks for all of the tips everyone!

[JustLynda]

Well, eggplant is kind of spongy no matter how you cook it (in my experience). I have found that zucchini, too, can be spongy when I cook it in larger pieces--like on the grill. The sponginess doesn't bother me.

If you don't like that texture, maybe try cutting into thinner pieces. Also, be careful not to overcook as that definitely affects the texture.

With eggplant, you're supposed to "sweat" it by sprinkling with salt and letting it sit for 15-30 minutes prior to cooking. This helps bring out some of the moisture and helps decrease the bitterness and sponginess. Maybe you could try this method with the zucchini, too?

[ascicles]

Well, eggplant is kind of spongy no matter how you cook it (in my experience). I have found that zucchini, too, can be spongy when I cook it in larger pieces--like on the grill. The sponginess doesn't bother me.

If you don't like that texture, maybe try cutting into thinner pieces. Also, be careful not to overcook as that definitely affects the texture.

With eggplant, you're supposed to "sweat" it by sprinkling with salt and letting it sit for 15-30 minutes prior to cooking. This helps bring out some of the moisture and helps decrease the bitterness and sponginess. Maybe you could try this method with the zucchini, too?

Hmm, I have only tried to grill zuchinni, so maybe that is my problem. I'll try making it in a stir fry tonight.

As for the Eggplant, I'll give that a shot. I've never had it before, but when trying to open my eyes to new vegetables, it looked less disgusting than the other things I hate. Plus, it was one of the few that I've never had...so I didn't have any bad experiences with it

[DogMa]

You might give roasting a try. I normally can only tolerate broccoli, but I don't actually LIKE it. But roast it with some garlic and seasoning, and it's like a treat. Same with green beans. Cook 'em that way and I can't stop munching on 'em.

[ascicles]

Yeah, I need to start experimenting with more spices and seasonings. I tried some BBQ seasoning on my chicken last night, but I couldn't even tell anything was on there.

I've always been a "plain" kind of guy...but I need to kick my food up a notch.

[Patti]

When I cook zuchinni, I cut it into small pieces and stir fry it with olive oil Pam, McComick Garlic Pepper Blend seasoning and McCormick salt free All-Purpose seasoning. Sometimes I mix cut up yellow squash with the zuchinni. I sometimes smother it down in Butter Buds mixed with water. I make enough for several meals and just measure it out as I need it.

Patti

[ascicles]

I made some with just a spray of pam and some low sodium soy sauce last night. I don't think I let them sit for as long as a should have, but they still ended up very good. Much better than in the past.

[DogMa]

You liked a vegetable???? That's awesome!!!! Congratulations!