Sauteed Zucchini (grain-free : Keto : AIP : paleo : GAPS)

Our zucchini plants were totally decimated by squash bugs this year, but that's not stopping us from enjoying lots of zucchini! I've been dishing up grain-free zucchini bread, ratatouille, and dehydrator zucchini chips, plus working on finding more ways to use this prolific summer vegetable. My latest recipe is sauteed zucchini with caramelized onions and garlic. I've been making this almost weekly for the last couple months, and it makes a great side dish.

My husband is still on a very restrictive Auto Immune Paleo + GAPS diet, so this recipe purposely leaves out nightshades, dairy, and pepper; we don't even miss those ingredients in this recipe. This recipe's yummy flavor is enhanced with Italian herbs and lemon juice.

Sauteed Zucchini

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 5-8 minutes

Cooking time: 15-22 minutes

Total time: 20-30 minutes

• one large white or yellow onion, chopped

• 4 Tb refined coconut oil or avocado oil

• 2 medium-large zucchinis, or 1 large zucchini, sliced

• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, preferably organic and non-irradiated

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• juice from 1/2 a lemon

• Celtic sea salt, to taste

1. Chop the onion. I use my favorite Wusthof 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife for all of the vegetable prep in this recipe.

2. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Stainless steel or well-seasoned cast iron work well here.

3. Add the oil and onion to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until the onion softens and takes on a bit of browned, caramelized color. I like to use my bamboo spatula for this recipe. If desired, you could add ~3 Tb filtered water to the hot onions to speed up the cooking process. If so, make sure to allow all of the water to cook off before adding the zucchini.

4. Meanwhile, slice the zucchini. Depending on the size of your zucchini, first cut it in half or quarters lengthwise, and then slice it ~1/4 inch thick.

5. Add the zucchini to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and the Italian seasoning. Fold it all together with the onions.

6. Saute the zucchini and onions over medium-high heat for ~10-12 minutes. Reduce the heat as necessary if your skillet starts getting over-heated.

7. Meanwhile, mince the garlic.

8. Once the zucchini is nearly done, stir the garlic into the skillet. Allow to cook for just a minute or two, stirring as necessary to make sure the garlic gets cooked well.

9. Turn off heat. Squeeze the lemon juice over the zucchini and stir to combine.

10. Serve and enjoy!

What are your favorite zucchini recipes?

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