Garden Squares

This is such an awesome way to use up any excess zucchini, which I always seem to have on hand...and am really learning that there are so many wonderful things you do with it. Love, love, love, the suggestions that were given by cindywilsey...swiss cheese is a definite add in for me and the spinach and mushrooms sound like a great idea as well! Do you think, this recipe would work with almond flour instead of the baking mix? I'm really trying to cut the carbs out of my diet.

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Test Kitchen Team

Aug 02, 2018

The Test Kitchen has not tried this, and does not think it will work because the baking mix will help it rise and almond flour will not.

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This recipe makes for a great appetizer or a side dish. I know zucchini will be in season soon at the farmers' markets, so I am getting my zucchini recipe file ready! I love zucchini casseroles and bread and fried zucchini slices. This recipe shows an idea of serving it with a dipping sauce. I love the idea of trying it with marinara sauce.

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I love the comments from cindywilsey! Very good and helpful suggestions for tweaking the recipe. And she put in humor too! I plan to make this for a group dinner in Sept. Thank you, cindy.

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The 32 servings are appetizer sized portions. Most bars baked in a 9x13 pan are cut into 32 bars (4 rows by 8) - at least where I live. ) To serve as a supper side dish, I cut this into 3 rows by 6 rows (or if a bit piggish the day I make it 3 by 5). The leftovers freeze beautifully wrapped tightly in foil or first baking parchment then into a freezer bag - just take out the number of servings you need put in the oven thaw heat. I do the foil wrap thing for myself - never got around to getting a new microwave after the last one conked out. However, my nieces tell me the parchment wrapped portions 'nuke up' just fine. Because I like to play variations on a theme when I see a good recipe method, I have a couple variations I like to make of this. One I call Spinach Salad Squares - I replace the Parmesan with 1 cup Swiss cheese the zucchini with 10 or 12 ounces of thawed wrung out spinach 6 or 8 ounces sliced sauteed mushrooms about 8 ounces crumbled cooked bacon. On occasions when self-pity is called for you forgot to buy vegetable oil on the last grocery run, replace up to half of the oil with bacon dripping - very unhealthy but very very delicious! Do not put the mushrooms in without sauteing them first or you will have a mess that does not set up! Similarly with the spinach - if you are using fresh you must first wilt it wring it out before chopping. Spinach mushrooms give off so much water as they cook that your squares would never firm up. Less work, but also delicious are what I refer to Kole Squares - leave the Parmesan as is or replace it with 1 cup of another cheese you like. replace the zucchini with 3 cups of a vegetable from the kole family - broccoli, cauliflower, broccolini, kohlrabi, small Brussels sprouts cut in half, or kale. Which ever you choose, be sure to par cook it because the firmer kole vegetables are much firmer than the zucchini. (All of these vegetables are members of the Brassica family of plants - or if your great-grandpa came over from Germany, the kole family of plants.) A bit of cooked diced chicken goes well with the broccoli or Brussels sprouts to make a one dish meal. (I really like using a rotisserie chicken for this if I need to assemble in a hurry.) Try the variations, they give you really tasty side dish for cold weather suppers - and I like the spinach version for brunch on the weekends.

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cindywilsey 8277665

Aug 01, 2015

Please forgive the passages where there are lapses with mixed up word order /or omitted prepositions. The little window in which we are to type a reply makes proof reading tricky.

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garden squares, there is no way this will feed 32

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OMG! Im doing this today!! My garden produces a LOT of Zuchs. Can I grate some as well to mix in? Thanks whoever you are!!!!!

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cindywilsey 8277665

Aug 01, 2015

I wouldn't grate in the zuchs. They would exude too much liquid. Grated very well drained or even squeezed out (like with thawed frozen spinach) would probably work nicely.

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I'm making these today for a party this evening, but adding a little chopped pepperoni to the mix.

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My whole family loves these. My niece asked me to make them for her party. They are her favorite and they are great tasting.

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