Zucchini Milk

[ysabetwordsmith]

When I was little, my mother used to cook with zucchini milk. It adds a lot of vitamins (but very few calories) to baked goods and makes them rich and moist.

Obtaining zucchini:
For zucchini milk, the squash can be small or large -- up to about arm size. Once the squash gets old enough to turn leathery or woody, and isn't juicy anymore, it's no good for zucchini milk. But you don't need the tenderest young ones for this. Zucchini squash are very easy to grow and they bear abundantly. This means that from about midsummer onward, it's easy to get free zucchini from people who think they have too much of it. There's no such thing as too much zucchini -- it's a wonderful secret ingredient! You can also grow your own or buy them at farmer's markets.

To make zucchini milk:
Peel zucchini and cut it into chunks. Place chunks in a blender or food processor and liquefy. If necessary, add a small amount of water or milk to make it blend properly.

To store zucchini milk:
Fresh zucchini milk will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but is best used immediately. You can also freeze fresh zucchini milk for later use. If you use a lot of it, you can freeze it in quart containers. If you use a moderate amount, freeze it in recipe-size amounts, usually 1/2 cup or 1 cup. If you use it rarely or in variable amounts, pour zucchini milk into ice cube trays, then pop out the frozen cubes and store them in bags.

Cooking with zucchini milk:
Use zucchini milk to replace some or all of the cow milk in bread, cake, muffins, pancakes, or waffles. It can also be used for casseroles, cream pie filling, frozen desserts, pudding, soup, or stew.

Comments

[alphaviolet.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty good. I wonder if my non-zucchini-loving spouse would approve...

[morningdove3202.livejournal.com]

I love zucchini fritters, made from grated zucchini, and zucchini bread. I wouldn't want to hide the flavor at all!!

[swingandswirl]

Oooh. I wonder if it would work in cauliflower alfredo sauce? I shall have to try.

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Probably. Zucchini and cauliflower work well together and can sometimes be substituted for each other. You may want something for creaminess, like nut butter, because outside of baked recipes the substitution isn't always as reliable. It depends on what kind of recipe you're using for starters.