Ginger Zucchini Recipe for Oahu Fresh

This week for #QuarantineCooking with Oahu Fresh we’re cooking up a new recipe for my friends at Oahu Fresh!

This week we’re featuring Oahu-grown ZUCCHINI, an often overlooked veggie that I use all the time in my recipes. This simple recipe allows this humble veggie to shine with just a few other delicious local ingredients. We made a Ginger Zucchini stir-fry, and it’s super yummy! Watch the IG TV zucchini cooking video here.

There are many reasons to LOVE Zucchini

Zucchini is an easy veggie to love, and one that I keep on hand at all times. In recent years I’ve swapped crackers and chips for zucchini slices for dipping hummus and vegan cheese, and I’ve taken to using it in lots of meals, from vegan tacos to salads.

This veggie is super versatile: slice lengthwise and use to replace noodles in lasagna, spiralize into ‘zoodles,’ shred zucchini and add to savory dishes like pasta, stir-fries, and scrambles, or use in sweet baked goods like muffins, banana bread, and even brownies.

Here are some fun facts about zucchini:

• It’s actually a fruit: zucchini is in the cucurbit family, which also includes cucumbers, summer squash, melons, gourds, and pumpkins;
• Easy to Love: can be eaten raw or cooked – nutritional benefits are high whether raw or cooked!
• Nourishing! Zucchini is full of water, and is a great way to ‘eat your water:’ high-water foods (like cucumbers and zucchini) can help improve our hydration and help us feel fuller. Zucchini is high in fiber, leading to easier digesting, stabilizing of blood sugar; it’s also full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

How to Make Ginger Zucchini

This is a brightly colored but simple to make veggie side dish with zucchini as the star of the show. There is a lot of flexibility here, so feel free to play with ingredients and flavors- try this recipe with carrots, bok choi, cabbage, (previously roasted) potatoes, and more!

2 Tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil, butter, or vegan butter
2 cups chopped zucchini, about ½ -inch square
2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 Tablespoons fresh grated turmeric (olena), or 1 Tablespoon dried turmeric
½ teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1 cup fresh, chopped cilantro (optional)

1. Warm oil/butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add zucchini to pan and stir to coat in oil.
3. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until edges of the zucchini are just beginning to brown.
4. Add in ginger, turmeric, and salt and toss to combine. Let cook for just a minute more – be careful not to let the ginger burn.
5. Remove from heat, toss in cilantro, and toss to combine. Taste, and add more salt if needed.
6. Serve this with rice, noodles, quinoa, add proteins, or eat as is for a quick, simple meal.

Yield: About 2 cups stir-fry

Check out some of my other Zucchini Recipes:

• Zucchini Galette
• Zucchini Fritters
• Vegan Chicken Caesar Salad
• Veggie Tacos with Cilantro Sauce