My niece is an Environmental Science major in college right now. With all the new information she's learning, she recently decided to become a vegetarian because of the negative impact meat production has on the environment. Unfortunately, her new diet has consisted of pretty much nothing but pasta. She's subsequently feeling quite run down.

She recently came home for a weekend, and her mother and I put our heads together to come up with easy, healthful recipes that will better meet my niece's nutritional needs. My niece and sister spent most of the weekend in the kitchen, and my niece went back to school with freezer containers filled with healthful, balanced meals.

Several of the recipes they prepared contain edamame. Just a half cup of edamame has 10 grams of protein. Shape magazine has a recipe for Italian Edamame that sounds absolutely delicious. The edamame is paired with brown rice, herbs, and other veggies such as zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and onion. You've got to try it. And then check out Martha's post about other vegetarian sources of protein.

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What? What do you mean I've posted a quinoa and grilled zucchini recipe before? OK, I admit it, I did the deed. But since these two recipes are so radically different, I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of the two recipes; surely you'll choose a favorite.

The new quinoa and grilled zucchini recipe has eggs, pine nuts, goat cheese and a tantalizing yogurt avocado dressing, all providing protein and other nutrients. The original recipe I posted has garbanzo beans as added protein.

Most of the flavor in the original quinoa recipe is provided by curry spices, like cumin, paprika and turmeric. In this new recipe, fresh cilantro dominates for a very different flavor. Both recipes use healthy spices, so we're win-win here.

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Steamed zucchini and summer squash coins is probably my very favorite side dish. I also enjoy dicing zucchini and adding it to marinara sauce for whole-wheat spaghetti. So I'm sure I would love this healthy alternative to pasta.

Using a vegetable peeler, you'll slice zucchini into long, thin strips. Cook the strips in a bit of olive oil, adding a small amount of salt and pepper to taste. You can enjoy the zucchini as is, or top it with marinara sauce and some grated Parmesan for a pasta-like treat. Filling enough for a main course, this is a recipe that packs a lot of flavor and nutrition while being very low in calories.

Want some more ideas for zucchini recipes? Debra has the scoop on 10 tasty recipes.

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A delicious source of vegetarian protein? Quinoa, of course! It is not a true grain, so it is more protein than carbs, and it offers a plethora of vital minerals as well.

Zucchini, chock-full of vitamin C and minerals, is abundant this time of year and healthy.

Garbanzo beans: high in potassium, vitamins B and E, and fiber; another powerful legume.

How can you go wrong combining these amazingly healthy foods in one delectable dish?

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Substantial enough to substitute for meat in a meal, eggplant is chock-full of phytonutrients as well as being rich in many vitamins and minerals. Other than in pasta dishes, I haven't cooked much with eggplant in the past. I don't know why... I think it's wonderfully tasty. Baby eggplants are in season right now, so it's the perfect time to try out some new recipes.

Shape Magazine shares a few ideas for trying out this tasty and nutritious food. I love their idea for sauteeing diced baby eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes in olive oil and then baking in the eggplant skin. I think I'll substitute the tomatoes for summer squash. (I'm not a tomato fan... which is too bad because they're so rich in lycopene.) How about you? Do you have any favorite eggplant recipes to share?

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Is the zucchini growing like crazy in your garden? It's that time of year, and probably also the time when you start getting sick of your same old zucchini recipes.

Zucchini is a healthy summer squash, full of manganese, vitamin C, and magnesium, among other plentiful vitamins and minerals. Don't just bake with it -- although I know you are tempted to make some amazing zucchini bread! Instead, make some recipes worthy of zucchini's healthy status.

Over at Kalyn's Kitchen, you'll find ten delicious zucchini recipes, all healthy and low-calorie, ranging from grilled zucchini (my favorite way, with Italian salad dressing!) to roasted zucchini with green onions, feta cheese and basil.

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If you've planted a garden and if in that garden you've planted zucchini, then the fact that Pennsylvania resident Tom Roy has established a holiday for getting rid of the surplus might not surprise you in the least. Today is the day, so if you've got too much zucchini and not enough willing takers, you could always try some of these suggestions for sneaking the stuff into your neighbor's homes (though I'm not sure I'd recommend it)!

Ali at The Cleaner Plate Club has some other (tastier) ideas for getting rid of that zucchini, including a zucchini dip recipe and a delicious looking pasta dish, as well as a link to Barbara Kingsolver's zucchini chocolate chip cookies. These delicious, healthful dishes are likely to make that zucchini disappear so fast, your neighbors might even come begging for more!

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