What vitamins, micro- and macroelements are contained in the squash, how is it useful. Can this vegetable harm and who should not eat it. The best recipes and the most interesting facts. The benefits of squash are noted not only by cooking, but also by cosmetology. With their help, you can provide lightening, rejuvenation and softening of the skin. To do this, the gruel from them is applied to the right place and kept for 20 minutes. You can also moisten a cotton pad in the juice and pass it over problem areas.
Important! A huge benefit from squash for pregnant women, since when they are used, the risk of fermentation and constipation is reduced, and the work of the intestines is stimulated.
Harm and contraindications of squash
This vegetable is definitely not suitable for frequent gastroenterologist visits. This is due to the fact that it is able to increase intestinal motility and cause indigestion. For the stomach, this product also poses a threat due to its ability to increase acidity, which, if deviated from the norm, eats away at the gastric mucosa and can lead to an ulcer. You should be especially careful when eating fried fruits.
Replace squash with zucchini or some other vegetables should be done with the following problems:
- Chronic hypertension 2-3 degrees;
- Biliary dyskinesia;
- Cholecystitis;
- Flatulence;
- Heartburn.
Important! An unambiguous contraindication is the staleness of the vegetable - when it grows for more than two weeks, caustic substances are produced in it, which can cause intoxication of the body.
Squash recipes
The fruits of the plant can be prepared in all possible ways - pickled, canned, baked, fried, stewed, boiled. They are ideally combined with any food, both plant and animal origin. Dishes with the addition of tomatoes and cheese are especially tasty. The menu can include salads, mashed potatoes, stews, casseroles and more. It is allowed to combine them with various spices - oregano, basil, coriander, etc.
Here are some of the most interesting ways to cook squash:
- In the soup … Peel 2 squash and cut into strips. Then repeat the same with 1 potato, onions and carrots. Fry all this in cold-pressed corn oil, put in a saucepan with a volume of 1.5 liters and fill it to the top with water. Then bring the broth to a boil over high heat, make it smaller and season with salt. After that, cook the soup for about 20 minutes and, after removing it from the stove, use your favorite spices. Squash recipes often include parsley, sour cream and cheese, which can be used to decorate the finished dish.
- Stewed … Peel 2 vegetables and cut them into slices, divide the onions into rings, one head will be enough. Next, grate the carrots and combine with other ingredients. This mixture must be poured with tomato, if there is no homemade one, then twist 2 tomatoes through a meat grinder, dilute the resulting composition in half with water, salt and pepper. After the mass is completely covered with the gravy, put it on medium heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste the stew periodically, as soon as the vegetables become soft, turn it off. This dish is served both neat and in addition to mashed potatoes or cereals.
- Conservation … This is the perfect recipe for the winter when fresh squash is difficult to find. To prepare them for the cold season, you will first need 1-liter jars. They should be washed well with detergent and sterilized for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the peeled fruits (1.5 kg), cherry tomatoes (0.5 kg), two onions and the same amount of carrots into circles. Pour all this with boiling water and leave for 3 hours, and after this time, transfer to prepared jars (fill them 5-7 cm before the neck). Then fill this composition with a marinade prepared in the following proportions: black peppercorns (10 pcs.), Sea salt (1 tbsp. L.), Sugar (1 tsp.), Apple cider vinegar (1 tsp.), Garlic (3 slices) and bay leaves (2-3 pcs.). Spread this compound evenly over all the jars so that it completely covers the mass. Now all that remains is to roll up the cans with boiled metal lids and put them in a warm place, covered with a towel. After a week, the conservation can be transferred to the basement.
- Fried … This is the simplest and at the same time quite tasty dish, for the preparation of which you need to cut the fruits of the plant into circles and just fry on low heat in sunflower oil. You should not wait for the formation of a golden crust; it is enough to grind the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Before eating the squash in this form, put them on a large flat plate, brush with melted butter, salt and sprinkle with chopped dill. Serve the dish as a side dish with mashed potatoes, pasta, cereals, etc.
- Pickled … They taste very tender, soft and sweet, somewhat like apples. To prepare such a sweetness, prepare a wooden barrel with a volume of about 20 liters, add 0.5 kg of blackcurrant and cherry leaves, 200 g of sugar or honey, shift the squash divided in half and fill them to the top with water. Cover the container with oppression and leave in the basement for a week, stir and ventilate from time to time.
- Stuffed … As a filling, you can use chicken fillet and any vegetables - eggplant (2 pcs.), Tomatoes (1 pc.), Pepper (1 pc.). It turns out very tasty if you combine them, the main condition is that they should be slightly fried. Meat (250 g) should be ground in a meat grinder and also thermally processed. Now combine all the ingredients and add mayonnaise (3 tablespoons) to them. Do not forget to add salt to the mass. Then peel the squash, cut the middle out of them, leaving the walls no more than 2-3 cm thick, rub with salt and fill the grooves with the prepared filling. Then put everything on a baking sheet and put in an oven heated to 150 degrees. Keep the vegetables in it for about 40 minutes; if they bake earlier, take them out. Sprinkle cheese on the dish before tasting.
For treatment, fresh juice from the fruits of the plant is relevant. In order to get it, grind them in a meat grinder and through cheesecloth and separate the pulp from the desired ingredient. It should be taken 1/3 cup three times daily before meals. Since the taste can give off bitterness, you can add a little honey. The duration of the course is 2 weeks, after which it is necessary to take a 7-day break. Thus, you can get rid of edema, cleanse the body of toxins and toxins.
Important! The benefits and harms of squash depend on how you store them - this should be done in plastic bags on the balcony or in the basement, with high humidity they can start to rot. They become less useful after freezing, in which case they are cut into cubes and placed in the freezer.
Interesting facts about squash
It is not surprising that this vegetable did not take root in the beds of gardeners in the CIS countries. Blame for this should be his fastidiousness to the soil, the bush is unlikely to bear fruit on sand and clay. He feels at ease only in high-quality black soil, regularly watered with water. The acidity of the soil is also very important, the higher it is, the more obstinate the plant will be. It is because of such a complex nature that zucchini is more popular in our latitudes.
Squash is a favorite product in France, Switzerland, Italy, Venezuela and Brazil. This is due to the fact that these countries have a milder climate in which they feel great.
It is interesting that outwardly this vegetable looks like a pumpkin, especially the orange varieties, and the porridge from it turns out to be about the same. To many, the fruits resemble porcini mushrooms, both by visual inspection and by tasting.
In domestic literature, another name is more common - "Dish-shaped pumpkin", and young vegetables are known as "chickens". In Western countries, they are used not only for culinary and medical purposes, but also for decorating premises. Various baskets are made of them, and in the USA they even replace classic pumpkins for Halloween.
What to cook with squash - watch the video:
It remains only to say that this vegetable, of course, cannot compete with the same cabbage or pumpkin. Perhaps that is why he never took a place of honor on the table in the countries of Eastern Europe. But at the same time, do not forget that due to its low calorie content, squash is ideal for any dietary menu. It turns out delicious in a variety of forms and in combination with all kinds of food!
