Summer gardens are in full bloom and starting to bare natures goodness. For those gardeners who have been lovingly attending to their gardens, they are now beginning to reap the bounty of their careful attention and patience. Some of my favorite summer plants are zucchini and yellow squash. (Probably because you really don’t have to posses a green thumb in order to help these thriving plants grow.) These plants are abundant producers and will keep giving all summer long. They also may produce more vegetables than you feel like your family could possibly eat. If this is the case at your house and you’re wondering what to do with all these extra veggies, here are a few ideas to dress up these ordinary garden vegetables while serving them up in a kid friendly way.

Veggie Fries

Start by cutting the squash into veggie sticks a couple inches long. Toss into flour and then drop them into a couple of beaten eggs. Finish them off by rolling them in panko bread crumbs. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.

Veggie Waffles

Begin by grating the zucchini or squash. Thaw hash browns and mix equal parts squash and hash browns in a bowl. Grease a waffle iron well and spread the hash brown and squash mixture in the waffle iron, close the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

Squash and Sauce

Take a vegetable peeler and cut the squash into ribbons by running the peeler length wise along the vegetable. In a sauté pan cook the ribbons lightly for about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce and eat it like spaghetti.

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Image courtesy of [Bill Longshaw] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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