Garden of Eden?

Baked Chicken and Zucchini

Our little garden spot is certainly no Garden of Eden. But it is still struggling along, no thanks to me and much thanks to my husband. Our zucchini are still producing, though they've slowed down a bit. (You definitely don't have to turn away from me if you meet me on the street. I don't have extra to give away these days.)

The tomato plants appear to be on their last leg. (My Dad says it's spider mites.) So it was time to unearth these recipes before fresh veggies from our garden are mere memories of summertime goodness. 

Both recipes are from my friend, Kim Volker. She is a true gardener, so she has to figure out tasty ways to use buckets of produce. These recipes definitely qualify. Hope you enjoy them, too!

Baked Chicken and Zucchini

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
5 medium zucchini, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tsp. fresh minced basil

In shallow bowl, beat egg, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Set aside 2 tablespoons of bread or cracker crumbs. Place the remaining crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then place in bag and shake to coat.

In a skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute zucchini in remaining oil until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved bread crumbs over the zucchini. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, basil and remaining salt. Top with chicken.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

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Here's a side dish recipe. Kim's original recipe called for yellow squash. Since I don't have that variety in my garden, I've also used all zucchini. It's just as good.

Squash Casserole

2 lbs. squash, peeled and cut up (zucchini or yellow or both)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 8-oz. pkg. seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cook squash and onion in salt water for 3 minutes. Drain. Combine chicken soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrots, squash and onions. Mix well and add salt to taste.

Combine stuffing mix with butter. Spread half of stuffing in bottom of 12- by 7-inch baking dish. Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Then put rest of stuffing on top of vegetable mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves 6 (generously!)

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Just in case you missed it the first time, here's Low-Fat Banana Zucchini Bread (or Muffins). You can change it up by adding dried cranberries instead of raisins or dates. (Thanks for the suggestion, Nina!) Or get crazy and add a combination!

And this one is super easy since it starts life as a cake mix! This recipe for Zucchini Carrot Muffins is also from Kim Volker.