Sauteed Zucchini

Sauteed zucchini probably isn't a revelation for anyone else, however, it is for me. When I was growing up we sometimes had grilled steak that my dad made on the barbecue. As a special side dish my parents either sauteed mushrooms or zucchini and I loved both.

Then I moved away and discovered that I really didn't like zucchini at all--except when it was grilled. In fact, I am not a big fan of any squash family vegetable.

However, in a moment of weakness at the farmer's market last weekend, I bought 2 zucchinis. I believe my original idea for it was to make a recipe I read about in my Everyday Food magazine called "Linguine with Spring Vegetables" which combines asparagus, zucchini, and sugar snap peas in a creamy tarragon sauce. However, I didn't buy asparagus or peas so that fell through.

Tonight, I was making some Cheeseburger Macaroni and decided to saute some zucchini to add a little green to our meal. I recalled that my mom always used butter when she sauteed instead of oil giving the vegetable a little more flavor. The resulting zucchini was delicious--Joey even had a little! The zucchini's raw powerful bitter flavor was replaced with a slight sweetness. I think I like zucchini now!

Sauteed Zucchini for One
1 small zucchini thinly sliced into coins
2 T chopped onion
1 T butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in nonstick pan until melted
2. Add onion and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes
3. Add zucchini and stir and saute about 10 minutes
4. Serve warm