When summer peaks and your backyard garden begins to resemble a farmer's market, reap the rewards of a lush vegetable patch with these easy zucchini recipes!

As the most abundant of summer squashes, green zucchini (also called courgette) grow all across Canada from June until October.

Zucchini weaves its magic into everything from appetizers to delectable desserts. Prepared in a variety of ways, zucchini can be sliced and layered in a vegetable casserole, or grilled to accompany a sizzling barbecue. Zucchini can also be shredded into ribbons for a light summer salad, or -- as a family favourite -- grated into cake or muffin batter (sometimes with chocolate) to make deliciously moist baked treats.

Enjoy this season's freshest harvest with these zucchini recipes.

Easy zucchini recipes: snacks and appetizers

Spiced Zucchini Muffins
If you often grab a muffin at a bakery, you'll save hundreds of calories by chosing these light snacks.

Spicy Zucchini Salad
This Northern Chinese and Korean-style side salad is best with small, young zucchini. It makes a lively, garlicky accompaniment for an Asian meal or with grilled poultry, meat or fish.

Korean Zucchini Pancakes
Korean cuisine includes hundreds of savoury pancakes with all kinds of vegetables, legumes, seafood and meat. They are served as an appetizer or snack, or with rice at mealtimes. 

Eggplant and Zucchini Fricassee
This mélange of vegetables is sensational served in a pita bread slathered with Red-pepper Hummus, so you may want to save a little of each for your lunch box.

Zucchini with Walnut Sauce
Ribbons of cooked zucchini are slathered in a garlicky walnut dressing for this summer side salad.

Pasta Salad with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
Poaching the zucchini or baby vegetable marrow whole tenderizes it without diluting its subtle summertime flavour.

Red Lentil and Vegetable Stew
Based on a traditional Turkish soup, this delectable vegetable stew is made especially flavourful with the various garnishes: shredded fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced lemon and paprika olive oil.

Ratatouille
A simple French restaurant side (especially common with grilled meats), ratatouille is a Niçois classic. When it's made well, it is a lovely dish; the vegetables' flavours mingle well but still remain distinct.

Mediterranean Baked Vegetables
Serve this colourful, tasty vegetable dish hot or at room temperature (you can make it ahead and refrigerate it for up to one day).

Easy zucchini recipes: mains

Zucchini and Smoked Provolone Cheese Pizza
Flavourful smoked cheese really enhances the zucchini in this pizza. You can substitute smoked scamorza, mozzarella or Gouda for the provolone if you like.

Baked Zucchini and Tomatoes
Make this Italian-style casserole ahead of time to pop in the oven for a quick warm-up. For excellent flavour, use imported fresh buffalo mozzarella and be sure to drain it well.

Balti Chicken with Zucchini
Balti cooking is a Pakistani and northern Indian style of sautéing in an iron pot called a balti. Serve with basmati rice.

Fettuccine with Zucchini and Ricotta
Rich, creamy pasta dishes such as fettuccine Alfredo are a downfall when you’re on a diet. Replace half the pasta with pasta-like ribbons of zucchini; the dairy hit is provided by low-fat ricotta cheese.

Two-Cheese Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
This full-flavoured pasta dish can be made ahead, so it's appropriate for weeknight entertaining as well as for taking to potluck dinners.

Chicken and Walnut Stir-Fry
Toss this summery chicken mixture with hot cooked penne and a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, or spoon it over a bed of rice.