Apple Crisp in One Minute or Sauteed Apples with Granola for Breakfast; What's In a Name?

 This is one of those odd little dishes that you could eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or snack.  I like it for breakfast, but also know it's sweet-fast conclusion to a filling supper.  It might fill the bill when you're desperate for dessert and all your time was spent at

• the doctor's office, or
• the car repair place, or
• sitting at the airport, or
• fuming at the traffic that never moved, or
• work, reading a novel, playing the piano, talking to your best friend.

Would You Bring a Side? Green Beans, Mushrooms, and Jasmine Rice with Tarragon and Mustard Vinaigrette

When it's green bean time, I often make a green bean salad with mustard vinaigrette.  Sometimes it has tomatoes and sometimes mushrooms or potatoes.  I'm fond of one-dish sides and am always looking for dishes easily served alongside a chop or a piece of grilled chicken or fish. 

Black Bean and Ham Salad with Lemon-Lime Vinaigrette

I notice the loved ones in my life who live alone eat a lot of chicken.  As do folks on the South Beach Diet or any diet.  (I've been there.)  Maybe everyone who's not a vegetarian eats a lot of chicken.  Granted it's one of the most inexpensive and versatile proteins and is low in fat.   I'm on the bandwagon, too; I eat chicken often.  I roast a whole chicken probably twice a  month or more.   I occasionally buy a deli chicken on Tuesdays from Whole Foods.   I  like to make breasts on the bone for salads, casseroles (we call them hot dish in Minnesota and hot dish is singular or plural), sandwiches (though I don't eat a sandwich in two months unless it's a veggie burger on half a bun), or in omelets.

(Above:   Make my Greek Chicken Salad sometime.)

An Egg with a Few Greens for Supper

Egg Salad

This is a light lunch/supper or could be a first course for dinner-- done in 5-10 minutes.  Sweet and filling.  Crunchy and soft.  Make extra dressing and keep in the frig.

Note:  Dressing keeps longer without the shallots or onions.  And you can skip the dressing totally if you make the egg quite soft (runny) and use that as dressing.  Yes.

"Egg Salad #2"  serves 2

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
2 small tomatoes, sliced (Try the Mexican "brown" tomatoes--tasty and cheaper.)
2 carrots, sliced
1/4 c minced parsley
1/2 English cucumber, cut into thin half-moons
1t fresh lemon juice
2 poached eggs (slide raw eggs, each in a cup, into barely simmering water for 3-4 minutes til white is firm)

Dressing:  1 T balsamic vinegar, healthy pinch each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, 1t minced shallot or garlic, optional, 1/2 t honey, 1/4 t dijon-style mustard, 2T extra-virgin olive oil--Whisk salt into vinegar.  Whisk in all else, though drizzle in 1T olive oil at a time, being sure it's incorporated well before adding the second,)

1. Divide greens and vegetables between two large shallow bowls.  Drizzle equally with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Top with well-drained egg and drizzle with dressing.
3. Serve with a piece of hot, buttered whole wheat toast. 

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself, 
Alyce

first posted on more time at the table

Walleye Salad

It's just a fact of life.  If you live in the upper midwest, you  probably love Walleye Pike.  (If you live elsewhere, you maybe don't know from Walleye.)  We travel to northern lakes to fish for them, we serve them at many, many restaurants, and we currently sell them fresh in the grocery store for $18 a pound or so. (Yikes.)  We cut them into "fingers" for starters, fry them up with mountains of fries served up with two cups of mayonnaise coleslaw for mains, nestle them into a bun for a Minnesota fish burger,  and occasionally place them somewhat uncomfortably on a bed of greens.

Green Beans Sauteed with Onions and Garlic-- or My Sister Loves Green Beans

It's my sister's birthday month.  She loves green beans!

Sides like green beans, carrots, spinach, asparagus--otherwise known as vegetables-- aren't something I usually blog on their own.  Today  I'm  changing all that in honor of my younger sister.   You just  get the words "green beans" off your tongue, and she nearly swoons.  "I just love green beans!" is her immediate comeback.  And it doesn't matter how you make them, she'll eat them and be glad.  In our childhood days, our southern parents would talk about "a mess of beans" for supper.  That could mean anything from butter beans to pole beans to wax beans, but it usually meant a big pot of green beans.  That, along with some bacon or ham thrown in, a pot of rice, a pan of corn bread, and a plate of sliced tomatoes was a typical summer meal.  And, oh, by the way, you wouldn't throw out the juice or "liquor" the beans were cooked in because you might want to dip your corn bread in it or add your rice to the bowl for an instant soup, though no one would ever call it that.

Tuna-Cannellini Bean Salad with Feta -- Pantry Dinner, Lunch or Both

In a perfect world, someone else would make your lunch.
Do your laundry.
Grocery shopping.
Make your iced tea.
Clean out your refrigerator.
Do your taxes.
Clean the leaves out of the flower beds.
Fill your car with gas.
Take your old books to the library book sale.
Mend your favorite jeans.

But since this isn't a perfect world, you might have to cook for yourself  AND do your laundry.  But.  If you "cook" this (and there's no cooking involved), you'll skip most of the above because this yummy ditty is made mostly from pantry ingredients.  No running out to the store for fresh fish or searching the shelves for a bag of dried beans.  Of course, you'll need to have kept a few fresh veggies, etc in your frig "pantry," but here's hoping you do.

Tomato-Carrot Soup for Easter or Passover--A Light and Easy First Course

Up next in the blog is a simple, yet incredibly tasty soup I made out of on-hand ingredients to preface a meal of steak with oven-browned potatoes accented with burnt onions and roasted asparagus. If your meal is easy and nearly instant, as was this, or is a holiday meal elsewhere,  what a good time to make a first-course soup. Get ready for, “Oh, you made SOUP?!” 

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Ready?  Set?  Eat.  I'm about all written out this week, but I haven't forgotten Dinner Place.  And when I thought about you, all I could think about was this Vietnamese Chicken Salad.  I made it twice this week--once with chicken and once with tofu and shrimp.  If I had my druthers, I'd say do the chicken.  We just wanted to eat and eat this.  Which is ok.  It's light and healthful.  Good to pig out on.  If you like, you can use rotisserie chicken; I know a lot of solo cooks buy a chicken a week.  Or  roast one yourself; here's how.

 vietnamese chicken salad  (courtesy Nigella Lawson/Food Network)
                        2-3 generous servings

Ingredients

• 1 Thai chile, seeded and minced (I used 1/2 a jalapeno, minced)
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (nuoc nam or nam pla)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely sliced
• Freshly grated black pepper
• 7 to 8 ounces white cabbage, shredded
• 1 medium carrot, shredded, julienned, or grated
• 7 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded, or cut into fine strips (I used 3 boneless chicken breasts)
• 1 bunch mint, plus extra for garnish, leaves roughly chopped  (I used about 1/2 cup chopped mint.)
• Salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, stirring with spoon, combine the chile, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, onion, and black pepper, set aside for 1/2 hour. In a large bowl combine cabbage, carrot, chicken breast, and mint, tossing with tongs. Pour cabbage mixture over the dressing, tossing with tongs, slowly and patiently so everything is coated. Add salt, to taste. Serve on a flat plate with mint for garnish. 

Solo Cook's Notes:

If you make this whole recipe (and why not), divide the undressed salad in half.  Dress and eat one half and store the other half separately from the dressing in the frig.  Otherwise, the salad is soggy the next day.  Unless you like soggy! 

Slice the cabbage thinly by hand.

Make the dressing and marinate the pepper and onions.

Avoid tough chicken:  Sear well-seasoned, oiled boneless breasts over high heat 1 minute on each side, turn down to low and cook partly covered  until done.

Toss with chicken and dressing.  Eat as long as it holds out.

If you liked this, you might like:

My Lenten Journey blog.  Lent 2012:  40 Thoughtful Days.

This week on More Time at the Table, I've blogged a bunch of desserts and Darina Allen's Irish Soda Bread.  Take a peek!

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Pot of Pinto Beans-Simple Pictures are Best

Pintos garnished with plain Greek yogurt and Frontera salsa

When I was a kid, a pot of beans sounded nasty to me.  It smacked of nothing to do out in the country (except make a pot of beans) and I didn't particularly like the taste of beans--particularly pintos.  My parents grew all kinds of vegetables and they were fond of many sorts of beans and peas; our neighbors were of a similar ilk.  Married during the depression, but first raised on or near the farm, they all knew every trick for saving money on food.  Moving to the big city, they searched for a piece of land out a ways in order to plant that garden every year.  (Weed, can, water, repeat.)

Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts and New Potatoes with Parmesan and Onions

When folks began oven-roasting Brussels sprouts and bringing them back into vogue, I began pan roasting them.  Either the oven was full the first time I tried it or I just wanted to see what would happen.  Whichever way, we loved them and I kept making the sprouts stove top.  I blogged them cooked with pumpkin seeds one Thanksgiving, and later made them with shredded, crispy ham or prosciutto, or just on their own with whole, quite soft garlic cloves and lots of black pepper.  Once I threw in a few slices of  hot Capicola, an Italian ham that sometimes comes rolled in ground red pepper.  Whew.

Split Pea Soup for One

Ham hock optional, but being at home you can pick it up with your hands!

Cooking at home, I've discovered, has the distinct advantage of being at home.  While things simmer and perk or bake, hard-working you can play the radio (or the piano.)  Relaxing you can bring home the NYT to read while lazing on the couch with the cat.  Your laundry, if you're blessed with the ability to do it at home, can be lazily floating through its warm dryer as you put your nose down in a pot or wine glass.  There's no waiting for the server to bring you another glass of water or waving her away from the bar so you can have your check.  No walking or driving through cold, rain, sleet, and snow only to wait ad nauseum for a parking spot or the bus that's 20 minutes late.  That's if you live in the city as do I.

 

Freezable, microwavable REAL Tupperware ordered from amazon.com

Chicken Chili for One

I once heard a woman say, "You can't make chili for two people."  As I began to write today, thinking about that conversation did make me do just a little bit of research...because I often make chili for one or two!

Baby Kale and Spinach with a Roasted Chicken Breast or...

When someone says "greens," I guess I usually think of turnip or collard greens.  Southern parents, I guess.   And while I like those on a  cold day with a big pan of crispy cornbread, that big mess of greens isn't my style all the time.  Give me a sauté pan full of teensy baby spinach just barely heated or even cooked way down with garlic as a base for fish.  Lately I've been adding kale to that mix and having that for lunch. (January, you know.)  A few grape tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper and I'm that happy.  For the solo cook, both baby spinach and baby kale come in those not-so-green (tell me if  you know how to recycle them other than at Whole Foods) plastic boxes.  They keep a long time in your frig, which is useful for anyone who doesn't cook two pounds of vegetables every day.

Here's full-grown kale.  Chop it and saute it if you can't find baby kale.

Chicken Sausage Fry-up

 

Ten minutes to lunch or dinner

 For going on three weeks, I've been on  the South Beach Diet, Phase II.  I decided, despite it's name, to not call it a diet.  What I decided was that I was simply changing the way I eat to see if I could become smaller and be able to move more easily and quickly.  Looking better would be the secondary reward.  Already, I see and, more importantly, feel quite a difference.

Instead of counting and weighing in (which overwhelms your life) on Weight Watchers, I just know that I can

A. Have all the meat (lean, usually) and vegetables I want and that
B.  I have one serving each day of whole grains, dairy, fruit, and red wine.

Believe it or not, I don't miss whatever else I usually eat.  Perhaps I cook a bit more at breakfast and lunch, but I cooked a lot anyway.   I do really have to keep going back to the store for vegetables, though a big bunch or box of spinach in the frig helps. And... if I have oatmeal with blueberries and milk for breakfast, the rest of my day is protein, vegetables or salad.  It works and is no trouble.  I've given myself one meal off a week and I've eaten pizza, dessert...whatever.

As I cooked up this little instant ditty for my lunch yesterday while my husband ate a sandwich, I thought it was a great fit for Dinner Place, The Solo Blog.

I can't call it a recipe, but here's what I did:

In a medium skillet, I poured 1T olive oil.  I let it heat over medium heat and then added 2 small sliced yellow squashes, several slices of red onion, a 1/2 cup or so of sliced mushrooms,  and about 1/4 cup diced red pepper.  I sprinkled it with salt, pepper,  and a pinch each of crushed red pepper and dried thyme.  Basil or oregano would work,too, as would fresh parsley.  I then sliced and threw in two Aidell Chicken-Apple sausages and let it all cook for a few minutes until the vegetables were softened and the sausage (precooked) was hot.   As that cooked, I minced a garlic clove and cut up a few cherry tomatoes and threw them in for the last couple of minutes.   And that was lunch.  There's some leftover for today or I could stir it into my eggs.

If you need more to eat, add a little buttered and black peppered brown rice to your fry-up.

I was baking pie and made a coffee cup apple pie with the extra apples and pie dough.

I'm thinking about how to write a bit about pie-baking for one, but I love the idea of sharing pie, too.

If you'd like to read my More Time at the Table Post on baking an apple pie that can be made ahead and frozen for Thanksgiving, here's the link.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Veggie Pizza without the Pizza

Vegetables are maybe the thing about which most people are picky. Good pun, huh?  And if you're wondering why, it's because each little green or orange or yellow thing on the plate recalls some horror of a kitchen table nightmare ("My mother forced me to eat green beans at Thanksgiving.) or a tasteless memory of "the only vegetable my father cooked my whole life and he cooked it to death."  Thank God we've all grown up and gotten over all those things, right?  Oh.

But don't think you must choose between broccoli, green beans, and squash simply because you're the only one at the stove.  Choose several.  Cook them all together.  You then needn't worry about spoilage and you have a lip-smacking side (or main) to boot.  To boot now has a different meaning, doesn't it?

This particular melange of veg tastes, to me, like veggie pizza without the crust.  You can add a few shreds of mozzerella or shards of Parmesan if you like, but it doesn't need it.  And, as always in my house (and maybe yours), leftover this makes an omelet filling about which you've always dreamed:

I added a few leaves of spinach.

Vegetable Sauté (that tastes like Veggie Pizza)

• 1T olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence*

    • 1/4 t ea kosher salt and ground mixed peppercorns

• 2 small zucchini, sliced

• 8 oz sliced button mushrooms

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1/2 small onion, sliced as thinly as possible

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Pinch of crushed red pepper

• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 2T chopped fresh parsley

• 2T minced, pitted kalamata olives

  • Optional:  2T grated mozzerella or Parmesan cheese

*can sub a mix of dried basil, oregano, crushed rosemary, etc

1.  In a medium-large skillet, heat the oil, salt and pepper and herbes de Provence over medium-high heat for a minute or so.
2.  Add zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion.   Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes; add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes until vegetables are all softened.  Dust with crushed red pepper.
3.  Stir in cut cherry tomatoes.
4.  Plate and garnish with parsley, olives,  and cheese if you choose.  

Serves 1 as a main dish or 2 as a side dish

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Double the recipe for a big batch.

This isn't instant chili.  If you want that, go to Wendy's or check out my Chili Now! recipe.  But neither is this the hours-long simmering concoction folks entering chili contests prepare.  (But go ahead and enter this one.  Long as you share the prize money.)  It's about an hour and maybe a little change.  Depending on how quickly you chop and how long you want to wait before eating. Could be less.  My cooking was delayed by puppy-sitting and a bit of travel.  Hence the hiatus in the blog.   Forgive me?

Our girl, Gabby (left) isn't so sure about the newcomer.

One of the best things about this chili is that it's made with your tastebuds and health in mind.   Boneless chicken thighs sub for beef and lots of vegetables make up the rest.  Zucchini, red peppers, pumpkin (or butternut squash if you'd rather), black beans, chick peas, and the usual suspects (onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes) abound.  If  company's coming, double the recipe for about 6 or 7 quarts of chili.  Otherwise, you'll have about three.  Which should suit you fine.   On Halloween or any other day. 

 

Ipad taking place of spiral notebook starting today.  Imported via email.

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 oz button mushrooms, quartered (1/4 of a regular cardboard container)
• 2/3 cup fresh pumpkin, cut into 1/2" dice (can sub butternut squash)
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1" dice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 cup EACH white wine and water 
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, optional
• 1 28 oz cans chopped tomatoes 
• 3 boned, skinned chicken thighs
• 1 15 oz can drained chick peas or black beans (1 of ea if doubling)

Directions*

1.  Heat 2 t of the olive oil in an 8 or 10 qt stockpot over medium heat, reserving other 2t for cooking the chicken.
2.  Add celery, onions, peppers, mushrooms, pumpkin and zucchini.  Season with salt and peppers.  Stir in water, wine,  Dijon-style mustard, and pureed pumpkin, if using.
3.  Pour in tomatoes.  Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 10 min.
4.  Meantime, heat a  skillet over medium-high heat with the rest of the olive oil.  Salt and pepper well the chicken thighs and place them in skillet.  Cook about 5 minutes on each side and turn down heat.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 more minutes.  Remove from skillet, cool briefly and dice.  Add to stockpot.
5.  Drain the chickpeas or black beans and add to the stockpot.  Stir well. Bring back to a boil and lower heat.  Simmer 15 -30minutes until all vegetables and chicken are tender.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
6.  Ladle chili into bowls and serve with a bit of grated cheddar or a teaspoon of sour cream.   Place a bottle of hot sauce at the table if you like things spicier.

*Crock-pot Directions:   Make a double batch and use a 6 qt. crock-pot.  In a large pot or skillet, saute onions, celery and garlic with chopped fresh boneless chicken thighs.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, stirring often.  Place in chicken mixture in crock-pot and stir in remainder of ingredients (other vegetables, tomatoes, etc.)  Do not add beans.  Add seasonings, but go easy on them as the crock-pot intensifies the spices.  Cook on low for about five hours and add drained beans during last hour of cooking.

Wine:  Dry Riesling or a lighter Zinfandel

Enjoy cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Butternut (and other) Squash Soup

Ladle into your prettiest bowl and be happy.

 I know.  I know.  Everyone and her brother makes butternut squash soup in the fall.  And I do, too.  In November, I mean.  As a first course for Thanksgiving dinner.  That soup holds roasted pears and apples, bits of flyingly fragrant ginger and garlic, and is served with a small glass of Riesling to open a beautiful meal.  It might even have a drop or two of real cream as a garnish.

But this soup is not that long-winded, almost poutingly full bowl of autumnal bounty.  This soup is a 1-2 punch meal, light but nutritious and perfect for dinner with a bit of cheese and bread.  Almost better warmed up in the microwave at work the next day. It makes use of the rest of the zucchini (geez) or yellow (summer) squash, but takes into account the winter squash you couldn't resist at the market. Freeze a bowl or two for next week and you're done and feeling rich.  Here's the drill:
 

Chop your veg, season, and saute in a bit of oil.

Add the butternut squash.

2 quarts of stock and bring to a boil, then simmer until veg are tender.

 

Puree with an immersion blender (or in food processor blender)--or not.  It's tasty chunky, too.

 Butternut (and other) Squash Soup

2T olive oil
1 cup each chopped onion and celery
1 each:  small-medium zucchini and yellow (summer) squash, diced--no need to peel
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 cloves minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 T fresh thyme, divided (or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, divided)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp ground ginger, optional
2 -3 cups chopped and peeled butternut squash
2 qts chicken or vegetable stock (plus or minus)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, optional or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In an 8-10 qt soup pot, saute over medium-high heat onion, celery, zucchini and yellow squash, and carrot until softened.  Add garlic and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Add crushed red pepper and 1T fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme), parsley, and ginger.  Cook, stirring, another minute or two.  Stir in butternut squash and cook a few minutes, stirring.  Add broth, stir well, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are all tender--15-20 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Puree with immersion blender or food processor or blender, if desired. If too thick, add a little more stock. If too thin, set back back on stove to simmer until reduced and thickened.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with a bit of thyme and a spoonful of Greek yogurt (or a sprinkle of Parmesan) if desired.  Serve hot.

Note:  This is a lovely meal for an ill friend. Go easy on the seasonings and check about the yogurt.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Greens Pasta--Pantry Meal

I topped mine with some teeny squash from my neighbor.

Once in a while a pantry meal is in order.  If you filled your pantry with things like whole wheat pasta, garlic,  olives, and olive oil...and if you have some fresh greens (arugula, spinach, etc) and even a piece of gratable cheese in the frig, you have dinner.  And you have a luscious dinner.  Good enough for you and, if you had a hankering, this is nice enough to share.  It'll stand up to a nice big red wine.  Did I mention it's vegetarian?   I've rewritten this little ditty with a few changes and also to make it sound as easy as it is, but the idea comes from Andrea Immer's (now Robinson) EVERYDAY DINING WITH WINE, and a lovely cookbook it is.  Thanks, Andrea!

Greens Pasta  2 servings

Cook up 1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (I like Whole Foods 365 brand best; it's tasty--) according to package directions.  Don't over cook it.  While it's cooking, saute in a large deep skillet 1-2 chopped clove(s) of garlic in 1 T of olive oil.  When the pasta it done, using tongs, transfer it to the skillet with the olive oil.  Toss well.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water. Add 1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped kale, spinach, or any greens you have.  Throw in a pinch of crushed red pepper.  Stir in a bit of grated cheese* and top with a last drizzle of olive oil, lots of black pepper, a good dose of salt and chopped olives, if you have them or like them.  Toss one last time and serve hot.  A bit of grated lemon zest is another addition you can consider--even at the table.

*Skip cheese for Vegan option

     Why not add those chopped, leftover vegetables you have from last night's dinner?   Or saute a few fresh ones like I did.
 

Here's what the T-Tiny squash looked like before I cooked it.  Pencil for scale.

Thanks, Wendy!

Add a good book and a candle and enjoy the meal.

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,

 Alyce

Zucchini (Too Much!) for One

Zucchini-Almond Muffin

I hope you have a generous neighbor (as do I) who gardens...  Maybe he'll leave a tres giant zucchini on your back porch one day...

that makes people say things like, "Oh, my God!"  I guess this is sort of a giving thanks for copious amounts of food.  If you don't have a gardening neighbor or friend (and folks at church often bring these tomes to get rid of them after service), the farmer's market in St. Paul sells them for fifty cents.  Talk about food value.  While not as tender or flavorful as the tiny elegant zucchini that grace the plates of fine restaurants, these babies will still feed you.  (And anyone else who's hungry.)

An interesting aside about zucchini, which we usually think of as a vegetable.

Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.

(This from Wikipedia, should we trust it.  YIKES.)

So here's two recipes for using up zucchini for the solo cook, who might often pass by a big zucchini:

 1.  Zucchini Cakes --  Fried up "pancakes" full of Parmesan and grated onion, they're hearty and healthy.

Zucchini Cakes--Eat 'em while they're hot.  Or not.

          You might have the cakes a time or two before they're gone.  I like them instead of sausage with fried eggs, sliced up over rice and topped with chopped green onions or dill, smothered in a layer of Greek yogurt and a good dose of black pepper, graced with a dop of great salsa, or just by themselves.  Yes, versatile!  Also fine hot, at room temp, or cold right out of the frig.

Ingredients:

3 cups grated zucchini (Squeeze excess moisture out in a towel or you'll have mushy cakes.)
3T minced or grated onion
1/2 cup flour (You might need a little more if mixture looks very liquidy before frying.)
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper, optional
1 egg, beaten well
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish if you like)
2-3 T olive oil or butter for frying
Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:  As you choose from above listings

Mix together all ingredients except oil/butter and pepper.  Heat oil/butter over medium - medium-high heat.  Shape zucchini mixture into patties about 3" in diameter and place in hot fat.  (Or spoon mixture into fat much like pancakes and smooth into shape.) Dust with black pepper.  Let cook 3-4 minutes until quite golden.  Carefully turn over, dust again with pepper, and fry the other side until golden. Serve immediately.  Or later.  Store tightly wrapped in the frig for up to 2 days.  Do not freeze.