Zucchini is a staple of any cook's crisper drawer. You can fry it, saute it, stir-fry it, bake it – you can even sneak it past the kids in a chocolate cake. You can be generous with it too, as a 1/2 cup serving has just 15 calories and almost no fat, but provides 3 g of fiber. Slice it up julienne style, also known as "matchstick," and saute it with carrots or yellow squash for a side dish, bake it with fish, or toss it with pasta.

Wash your zucchini. Even though you will peel it, washing it first ensures that you won't transfer any dirt or pesticides to the flesh.

Cut the ends off the zucchini with a sharp knife. Then cut it into sections based on how long you want your julienne strips to be.

Peel each section using the vegetable peeler or, if you prefer, the knife.

Stand each section up on its end and slice down, lengthwise. The thickness of each slice is up to your preference, but for julienne it should be quite thin.

Divide your slices into small, manageable stacks. Cut each stack lengthwise, making multiple long, thin strips with each cut.