Zucchini in the oven

Lots of zucchinis

The summer is here! However there is no need to panic, we still have time to lose a couple of pounds before we show more skin with various shorts, dresses, tank tops and etc. :). I have just started watching what I eat. I am thinking that a one-month long diet will be great for me. Therefore, I started to cook much healthier meals. Yesterday I made lentil soup and today I made zucchini in the oven.

1 pound of zucchini has 73 calories so we can cook low calorie meals with it. Additionally, it is an excellent source of calcium. Zucchini baked in the oven can be a side to a main dish that includes meat or you can just serve it by itself. I prefer to eat it as the main dish with 1 cup of non-fat plain yogurt. By this way I eat less calories but also include protein in my meal with yogurt so I don't get hungry for another 2-3 hours.

I love the taste of zucchini when it is baked in the oven and the recipe is so easy.

Ingredients
1) 5 or 6 zucchinis that are 4-6 inches long
2) 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if you're not on a diet you can double the amount)
3) A pinch of salt (if you're on a diet I suggest you skip the salt)

First wash the zucchinis thoroughly. Then cut 1/2 inch off the bottom and 1/2 inch off the top of the zucchini with a sharp knife. Peel the length of the zucchini such that you peel 1/2 an inch and leave half an inch until you have gone around the zucchini. By this way you have a patterned zucchini :). You don't have to peel the skin if the zucchini is very fresh and has a very thin skin. Then slice the zucchini width-wise. The slices should be less than 1/2 inch. Turn the oven up to 450 F degrees. Put all the sliced zucchinis into a large enough pyrex container that has been sprayed with olive oil. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt, mix it with a spoon then place it in the preheated oven. Cook for 40-45 minutes. After 20-25 minutes mix the zucchini again with a spoon without taking it out of the oven. I have to do this because I usually make too much zucchinis for my pyrex container and some of the zucchinis will not bake properly if I don't change the places of the zucchinis :).  I posted a pic of my overstuffed container. I recommend you don't do this :).

Total calories in this recipe is only 350!

Zucchini raw

Zucchini cooked