Stuffed Zucchini
Stuffed Zucchini
I got this over sized zucchini from my friend Carl. It was a round zucchini that had gotten to the size of a small pumpkin. I wanted to use it for dinner so I decided to hollow it out and stuff it. My friend Kat was coming over for dinner and I knew she’d be open to trying out my experiment. She’s pretty open to trying things out. I hollowed it out and lightly salted in the inside. I was wary to put uncooked meat in there because I wasn’t sure if it would get cooked through. Same thing for the rice. I ended up cooking ground turkey and seasoning it with cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and a little cayenne. I cooked the rice in a mixture of beef stock with some butter and fresh parsley. Tossed that mixture together and put it in the zucchini. I also added some mozzarella cheese after every few scoops of the filling. I had some marinara sauce so I added a bit of that for moisture and a chopped onion that I had sauteed in oil.
I had no idea on how long it would take so I set in in at 350 and covered the top with foil. It was done in about 90 minutes. The zucchini was still firm but tender enough to eat.
Ready for the oven
Stuffed Peppers
I had some extra filling so I made some stuffed peppers, too. I split the peppers and boiled them a couple of minutes to soften. I filled them and baked them, also covered in foil for about 45 minutes- then removed the foil and baked 15 minutes longer.
The meal was a big hit. I could have used any over sized zucchini. It was a great way to use something that at first might have been thought of as unusable, except perhaps shredded for zucchini bread.
Corn and Zucchini Saute
Corn and Zucchini Saute
I still have some of last summer’s corn in the freezer. I always think I should freeze more than I do. This is a quick dish that is both colorful and tasty. Best yet it makes me think of warm summer days.
Corn and Zucchini Sauté
2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt
1t. Italian seasoning
In oil cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.
Roasting Peppers
Roasting Peppers
I love the flavor of roasted peppers. They add a nice smoky flavor to many dishes from salads to soups. I made this one to use in a Greek salad. If you haven’t roasted peppers before I encourage you to try it. Since I have a gas stove I just place the pepper right on a burner and turn the burner on medium. Turn the pepper, using tongs, until the pepper it charred on all sides. I know- it doesn’t look appetizing, but trust me the flavor will be terrific. After the pepper is all blackened take it off the heat and roll in up in paper towels or place in a paper bag to steam. The steam will help to loosen the skin. Once the pepper is cool enough to handle just rub off the charred skin and discard. Seed and chop up the pepper and toss in whatever dish you are making. You can also take the seeded pepper and toss it in a blender with some herbs, salt and a little oil. Puree for a tasty salad dressing.
If you have an electric stove you can roast peppers under the broiler until charred, turning often or you can even roast peppers on the grill.
Cook until completely charred
Wrap charred pepper in paper towels
Once cooled, rub off the charred skin.
Cleaned and ready to use.
