Two words: zucchini and cucumbers. Don't groan! I know that this is the time of year when our collective enthusiasm for all things garden-fresh is shifting from waning to dread. It's okay. Instead of feeling guilty about summer abundance, and instead of finding ways to turn everything into cake (even though I've enjoyed a good chocolate zucchini cake as much as the next person) I'm offering two ways to make easy green vegetable foods.
Here's the quick version of why you should be eating zucchini and cucumbers right now: they're at their peak and they're good for you.
Guess what - all vegetables are good for you! Sometimes we mistakenly think that some vegetables are not good for us because we know that some vegetables (like kale, broccoli, and sweet potatoes) are incredibly great for us. But don't be fooled - it's variety that counts - not just confining our diets to the super foods.
Here's the detailed version of why zucchini and cucumbers are good for you. First, cucumbers – with the skin on – are a great source of vitamins C and A as well as the B-vitamin folic acid. They provide fiber for the diet, and help prevent water retention because of the ascorbic and caffeic acids that they contain. But here's my favorite reason to eat more cukes, though: silica. The mineral silica is very important for maintaining the strength in our connective tissues – muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and bone – which in turn contributes to a healthy frame, which in turn helps maintain healthy joints.
Zucchini are good for us because, like cucumbers, they provide a lot of fiber for a minimal amount of calories by way of their high water content. More than that, however, in addition to providing vitamin C, antioxident-rich carotenes and potassium, zucchini (as well as all summer squash) contain naturally rich anticancer properties that protect us from cellular damage, especially sun damage. Again - you'll want to keep the skin on, because that's where the most valuable part is found.
Eating abundant amounts of both of these water-rich vegetables helps to provide our bodies with...water!, which is especially important during a season in which dehydration can easily occur.
Choose cucumbers and zucchini that have a firm flesh - no squishiness - and clear skin. Store them loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Eat them on salads, grilled in fajitas (yes, you can cook cucumbers just like a zucchini!), sliced into "chips" for dipping your favorite hummus, or blended into a soup. Below are two of my two newest summer recipes using two of my most favorite summer vegetables. Enjoy!
Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup
