Spotlight: Summer Squash

Grilled Summer Squash with Sunflower Basil Pesto

1 quart summer squash, sliced into long planks and salted

2 cups basil leaves

1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

Slicing and salting the squash before you grill it helps to shed some of the zucchini's water content and makes the end result a little firmer. It's OK to skip this if you're pressed for time. 

Toss the salted zucchini with a bit of olive oil and grill it til tender. 

In a food processor, blend the peeled garlic cloves and salt. Add the toasted sunflower seeds, then the basil, then enough olive oil to make everything whirl. 

Chop the zucchini when it's cool enough to handle, then toss it with the sunflower pesto. By all means, add some Parmesan if you like! 

What else can you do with summer squash? 

Summer squash is up there with carrots and sweet potatoes for carotenoid content. It also contains respectable levels of B and C vitamins, potassium, and manganese. 

Here are 8 ways our family enjoyed summer squash in 2016: 

sautéed with coconut oil for dinner side dish
ribbon, sauté, add to (or in place of) pasta
basil + rigatoni + Parm
roasted spears with Parm + garlic
sauté with carrots + green onions + dill
5 ingredient zucchini fritters
summer gratin
grilled + smeared with gremolata