Southern New Mexico has a very long vegetable growing season, particularly for plants that love the heat. My husband and I moved here in the middle of the summer of 2023, so my first real attempt at establishing a veggie garden began this past spring. We built some raised beds, I filled them with a rich soil mixture, my husband installed a drip watering system and I was off and running! I started with the basics – cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes (for my husband and to give to friends, since I’m nightshade sensitive), sweet potatoes and, of course, zucchini. My harvest all summer has been bountiful in general, but those zucchini plants produced like no others I have ever experienced! For about 3-4 weeks I would get at least 3-4 zucchini per day, and if we left town for a day or two, I would return to find enormous ones worthy of a state fair prize! Needless to say, we ate all-things zucchini: I baked them, roasted them, sauteed them and turned out many loaves of gluten-free bread. I also came up with this delicious take on the classic Zucchini Boat with a Middle Eastern twist.
Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Corn Free, No Added Sugar)
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients:
3 medium zucchini, halved and flesh scooped out to leave ¼-inch shell
½ lb. ground turkey
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 C fresh spinach, chopped
3 T pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 T oil-packed sundried tomatoes (optional if you’re not nightshade sensitive)
2 t Za-atar (Middle Eastern spice mixture)
½ C dairy-free “shredded parmesan” plus extra to sprinkle on top before baking
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with non-stick foil and place zucchini halves on pan.
Add olive oil to large sauté pan over medium heat. When oil turns glossy, add onions and sauté till translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown till cooked through. Chop the zucchini flesh coarsely and add to pan. Continue cooking until softened, then add the spinach and cook till wilted. Remove from heat and add the olives, optional sundried tomatoes, za-atar, diary free “parm” and salt and pepper to taste.
Evenly divide the filling between the halved zucchini shells, sprinkle with “parm” and place in the oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes till browned on top and shells have softened.
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