Every year it’s me against the army of gophers that appear right when my zucchini plants become productive. Last year things got a little nasty.
You may enjoy reading about my Caddyshack adventures (there’s also an awesome recipe for Zucchini Cakes).
Yesterday I made the trek down to my garden and lo and behold the zucchini were plentiful. My furry little enemies haven’t shown up yet, so I’m going to eat as much of the fresh produce as I can before they arrive. In addition to 4 thriving zucchini plants I have a few cherry tomato plants that converged into a huge, shaggy tomato bush, a couple of climbing cucumbers plants that are wrapping their sticky little green arms around everything, some baby green bell pepper plants, 2 gorgeous purple eggplant plants with pretty flowers that Chloe almost picked. Then we have 3 watermelon plants, which are starting to stretch their twisty arms towards the strawberry plants, and 3 large squash plants. And a corner with fresh herbs and arugula. I’m growing a stevia plant for the first time– the kids and I had fun breaking the leaves off and putting them on our tongues for a sweet surprise.
To say that my gardening style is unrefined would probably be an understatement. It’s a jungle. One big fun jungle. I recently got the results of a personality test that told me I’m not quick to follow protocol or to conform to rules. Uh yeah. Just one glace at my unconventional gardening techniques could have told me that.
These Zucchini Boats are a really fun and tasty way to serve fresh, organic zucchini. My cheese spread recipe, which I’ve been using alot (in the Pizza Twists and Baked Chicken Chiles Rellenos) makes it really seem like there’s real, creamy cheese which makes it feel more like authentic pizza flavor. I listed the toppings that I used, but of course feel free to experiment and use whatever toppings you love. Enjoy!
6 Green Zucchinis
½ cup spaghetti sauce
sliced black olives
fresh basil, chopped
uncured pepperoni, chopped
6 ounces raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 clove Garlic
dash of black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish with olive oil
Wash the zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out some of the zucchini flesh (that sounds creepy, but you know what I mean) to make little boats. I used a knife to slice down the sides and then a spoon to scoop it out. If the zucchini is pretty soft then you won’t need to use a knife.
Combine all of the cheese spread ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. *Optional: mix some finely diced green bell pepper and chopped black olives into the cheese spread.
Spread some of the cheese spread into the well of each zucchini boat. Top with spaghetti sauce, sliced olives, chopped pepperoni and fresh chopped basil. Arrange in prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the toppings are cooked and the zucchini are soft. Enjoy!
Calories: 290
Fat: 19g
Carbohydrates: 15g
Sodium: 248mg
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 9g
Sugar: —