So guess who didn’t realize why zucchini blossoms are such a delicacy?

Or more specifically, guess who didn’t realize that by plucking the blossom, I would be sacrificing the actual zucchini?

Sigh.

Yup. Not my brightest moment. I was plucking those blossoms away with no idea that I was killing innocent zucchini.

So after this little ‘discovery,’ the pressure was on to do something AMAZING with the stupid blossoms. I wasn’t impressed with the recipes I saw. Most resulted in deep frying the zucchini blossom which is pretty much against the Badger Girl/Manatee rules of the house. We’re not perfect but we don’t deep fry. It’s just not done here.

I was interested in the idea of stuffing the blossoms with cheese as suggested by April in my last plea for help with the blossoms. I didn’t want to buy any ingredients for this recipe, so I was left with what I had in the fridge/pantry and what I had in my little garden. In terms of cheese, here is what I had to work with:

  • Cream cheese
  • Goat cheese (my favorite)
  • Fat free ricotta (Manatee’s favorite)
  • Shredded Parmesan

 

After the Roasted Chickan a la Mexicana, I was still looking for punch-in-your-mouth flavor so I decided that I would include crushed red pepper with the fresh chives and basil. I also wanted the crispy texture for the outside so I decided to bake them coated in Panko breadcrumbs. Here is the recipe:

Healthy Indulgence: Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Cheese Filling:

1/2 cup fat-free Ricotta cheese

2 oz. cream cheese

3 oz. goat cheese

1 1/2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

 

  1. Mix together. Use a fork to mash goat and cream cheese.


 

How to Stuff Blossoms

  1. Remove stamen. Gently wash and pat dry.
  2. Open petals and place 1 tsp of filling into blossom.
  3. Twist petals to close.

 

Breading Zucchini Blossoms

  1. Spray a baking pan with olive oil spray.
  2. Whisk two egg whites.
  3. Mix Panko bread crumbs (roughly 1 cup) with Italian Seasoning (roughly 1-2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning).
  4. Dip stuffed blossom into egg white and then into bread crumbs. Using your fingers, pat the crumbs onto the blossom.
  5. Place in pan and repeat.

 

Baking Zucchini Blossoms

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
  2. Once pre-heated, bake blossoms for ten minutes. Flip and bake an addition 5 minutes. When cheese starts oozing out, remove.

 

 

We decided to be fancy and placed the blossoms on a bed of spinach with a drizzle of my favorite Dijon vinaigrette.

 

 

RECIPE REVIEW: We literally ate the cheese filling with a spoon. It was really that good. It had a nice punch from the red pepper and the cheeses blended well together.

Even though Manatee kept referring to the blossoms as ‘zucchini fetuses,’ it was a very enjoyable appetizer. Are the blossoms really all that? They are really easy to stuff, have a nice texture and held together well. All that said, I really like zucchini so I’m not sure how quickly I would pluck the blossoms again.

I have a feeling the filling will reappear in future recipes. It would be great on toasted bread, in a mushroom cap or as a cracker spread.


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