I love this part of the growing season.  The tomatoes are starting to ripen, the beans are coming in, peppers are abundant and a new zucchini or squash seems to appear everyday.  The first year I grew zucchini and squash, I was overwhelmed by the number a few plants produced.  I remember begging people to take some because I just couldn't eat one more or make one more zucchini bread.  

The next year I realized that I didn't have enough recipes for zucchini.  I made a conscious effort to find different ways to incorporate zucchini into my dishes.  I'm sharing 3 different recipes so that you will not get tired of zucchini like I did and so you will try something besides making them into bread or spiral noodles. 

Zucchini Meatballs
These are so delicious and make a great meal or sandwich with some Italian bread or as an appetizer with a glass of wine.  
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4 zucchinis
1 tbsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Cut off the bottoms of each zucchini and use a box grater to shred into a large bowl.  Sprinkle salt on top, toss and let rest in a colander in the sink for 20 minutes to pull out excess moisture.

Preheat the oven to to 375 degrees.

Using a dish towel, squeeze out the excess liquid from the shredded zucchini.  Move the zucchini to a dry bowl and add the egg, ricotta, bread crumbs, basil, parsley, peper, olive oil, onion and garlic.  Stir until evenly mized, then form the mixture into golf ball-sized balls.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until browned, flipping halfway through.
Serve with marinara sauce.

Recipe by Tasty

This next recipe I found on Food52's website.  I make a lot of pizza on the grill, especially in the summer.  This one was added to the rotation because it is delicious and uses a lot of zucchini.

Jim Lahey's 5-Ingredient Summer Squash Pizza

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for fingertips
• 1 recipe Jim Lahey’s Basic Pizza Dough (below), or your favorite
• 2 1/2 pounds (about 5 small-medium or 3 large) zucchini or other summer squash, trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 cups (8oz) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 to 3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

Heat your oven to 500°F with a rack in the center. Brush either one 13x18-inch rimmed half-sheet pan or two 9x13-inch quarter-sheet pans (as I do) with olive oil. Divide your dough in half and use oiled fingertips to pull, stretch, nudge and press the dough across the bottom of the pan. The dough will be thin and imperfect; just try to get it even. If holes form, just pinch them together.

Use a food processor with a grater attachment or the large holes of a box grater to grate the zucchini. In a large bowl, toss together the zucchini and salt. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes (more, if you have the time), until the zucchini has wilted and released its water. Drain the zucchini in a colander and then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as possible, a fistful at a time.

Back in the large bowl (wiped out if still wet), toss the zucchini with the gruyere shreds, being sure to break up any clumps of zucchini. Taste the mixture; it should be seasoned enough from the salt, but you can add more, plus ground pepper or pepper flakes if desired.

Spread the zucchini mixture over the dough(s), going all the way to the edges of the pan and piling it a bit thicker at the edges, where it will brown first. Sprinkle messily with the bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is golden. Remove from oven, cut into squares and dig in.

Jim Lahey’s Basic Pizza Dough

• 2 cups minus 1 tablespoon (250g) all-purpose or bread flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons (5g) instant or active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon (heaped) fine sea or table salt
• 2/3 cup (150g) room-temperature water

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until well blended, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Continue using instructions above.

Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini - Koosa

• 6 medium yellow or Clarita zucchini (6 to 8 oz each)
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 lb ground beef chuck or ground lamb (not lean)
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes including juice
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 lemon

Hollow out each zucchini, working from both ends with a small melon-ball cutter or an apple corer, removing all seeds and leaving shells about 1/3 inch thick. Discard pulp and seeds.
Wash rice in several changes of cold water in a bowl until water runs almost clear, then drain in a sieve. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then remove skillet from heat.
Transfer 1/4 cup onion mixture to a bowl and cool slightly. Add rice, meat, allspice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix well with your hands. Stuff zucchini shells with meat mixture, being careful not to pack tightly (rice will expand during cooking).Add tomatoes with juice, stock, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to onion in skillet and bring to a simmer. Put stuffed zucchini in tomato sauce and simmer, covered, until rice is cooked through, 1 to 1 1/4 hours (cut 1 zucchini in half crosswise to check).
If sauce is watery, transfer zucchini to a plate and boil sauce, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, then return zucchini to sauce. Squeeze lemon over dish before serving.
Recipe from Epicurious 

Falafel was not something I grew up with.  It was something I learned about as an adult and fell in love with.  There is nothing better than biting into a soft pita filled with crispy, herb spiced patties, some cucumber and tomato and a drizzle of tahini sauce. Falafel has just a few simple ingredients but packs so much flavor.  They are really simple to make you just need to plan ahead.  

Chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley and spices.  These are the key ingredients in falafel.  Seems simple enough but why do I say you need to plan ahead?  To make a great falafel you need to start with dried chick peas and soak them the day before.  By using dried, you will get a better texture and flavor when you fry your patties.  I have made them both with dried and canned and using the dried are far superior.  

So, first step is to get dried chickpeas, put them in a large bowl and cover them with cold water.  You want the water to cover the peas by 2 to 3 inches.  As the peas soak they will absorb the water.  

Day 2, drain your chick peas and gather the rest of your ingredients.
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1-1/2 cups of your soaked chick peas
1/2 of a medium red onion, medium chop
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup of cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3 tablespoons of water
1-1/2 tablespoons of flour
Vegetable oil for frying

This recipe is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe in his cookbook, Jerusalem.  I prefer my falafel to be a little more spice forward so I doubled his amounts.  I also add more parsley and cilantro because I really like that herb punch.  

Another trick for getting a great consistency in your falafel is to use a meat grinder.  I run the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro through on the smallest grind.  I find that this equally breaks up the ingredients and makes a fluffier base.  If you don't have a meat grinder, you can mix everything in a food processor.  Just make sure you use the pulse feature to incorporate everything.  You don't want to have a paste or uneven piece consistency.  You want everything to be evenly cut, evenly distributed and light.

Once you have your "dough" you can add your spices, baking powder, water and flour.  Mix and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  

Fill a deep pan with enough oil to come 3-4 inches up the side.  Heat until you reach a temperature of 350 degrees.

Next, you are going to form your patties,  There is a falafel tool that I found in a nearby store called Mediterranean Oasis Mart.  I love this tool because it is so easy to use and my falafel patties come out the same size.  If you don't have one of these tools, you can use an ice cream scoop or just form them with your hands.

There are so many things you can add to your falafel; cabbage salad, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickled veggies, tahini sauce, labneh or just eat them as is.  Falafel is delicious and healthy and perfect for this summer heat.