Shared by Sherry Christensen, Relief Society Temporal Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist

From:    https://www.liveeatlearn.com/types-of-squash/

WHAT IS A SQUASH?

First things first. Is squash a fruit or a vegetable? Squash are fruits. They contain seeds and come from the flowering part of a plant. This is why tomatoes and eggplant are also fruits (despite having savory flavor profiles). Many squash have a mild nutty flavor and smooth texture that makes us think of them as a vegetable, and they definitely lack the natural sugar of most fruits.    

There are two main categories of squash:

Winter Squash: These tend to have a thicker skin (peel first) and can be stored for quite a while (all through the winter).

Summer Squash: These, on the other hand, have more tender skins (do not need peeling) and do not store for as long. Think zucchini and yellow squash.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/winter_squash    (This is from Michigan State University):

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, squash provides numerous health benefits that may help reduce the risk of many diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer. Squash is a good source of: 

• Carotenoids (which converts to vitamin A)          Protein
• Vitamin C                                                                   Fiber
• Magnesium                                                               Potassium

Because there is such a wide variety of both winter and summer squashes, I will be sharing several recipes throughout the months of October and November. (see the Stake RS page at: https://www.facebook.com/BrighamCitySouthStakeReliefSociety)

Let’s begin with Z, zucchini, a common summer squash.  From simply adding fresh unpeeled zucchini to a salad, frying in butter with crookneck squash and onions, adding a coating and sautéing, to shredding to create a delicious bread, zucchini is extremely versatile.

Gluten-free Zucchini/Vegetable Quiche

            Veggie mix:

            3 cups of zucchini (or combine with yellow squash and/or eggplant)

            ½ medium green pepper, diced       ½ medium red pepper diced

            1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered     1 TBLS minced onion

            Flour mix:

            ¾ cup almond flour                               ½ tsp chopped basil

            ¼ cup coconut flour                              1 tsp chopped parsley

           ½ cup grated parmesan cheese         ½ tsp salt and a dash of pepper

Combine the veggie and flour mixes in a mixing bowl.

Mix together 4 beaten eggs and ½ cup canola oil; pour over the combination in the mixing bowl and mix well.    Pour mixture into a 9” oiled pie pan or small glass baking pan.

Bake at 350^o  for about  50 minutes, until lightly browned.