Stuffed Zucchini with Pesto Couscous

On Monday night we made these cute stuffed zucchini for dinner. Because we still had four of the little 8-ball zucchini in our fridge from Week 9, I didn't want to pass up the chance to try something like this. It was not a difficult recipe but involved several steps so it definitely took some time.

I ended up feeling like a lot of the work for this dish was just for the added "awww" factor of the little zucchini bowls to hold everything, because I only ate a little bit of my zucchini shell. I would just as soon have shredded the whole zucchini and made a variation of the couscous to eat on its own. Steve ate his whole zucchini, so he disagrees with me here. But then again, I think I may have under-roasted the bowls (partly because I was rushing to get it ready). If they had been softer, I might have been more on-board with the whole concept.  But you have to admit, they are pretty cute!

Stuffed Zucchini with Pesto Couscous on Dishing up the Dirt

Used From Our CSA
8-ball zucchini
sweet corn
cherry tomatoes

basil (not from our CSA, but Steve picked it from the garden at his work. Win!)

Thoughts on the Recipe
Since I only had 4 of these zucchini and the recipe calls for 6, I two-thirds-ed the recipe. It made for some clunky conversions so I approximated just about everything. We were also a little short on basil, so it could have used more pesto. But no harm done with the final product.

No side dish on these plates, because I ran out of time to make anything else!

What are your thoughts on stuffed zucchini? To eat or not to eat the roasted shell? Would you rather go to the trouble, or just make the filling as a dish on its own?

Grilled Asparagus Tartines

I was totally smitten with this simple appetizer/side dish. Steve liked these too, but not nearly as much as I did, and I think I know why: this to me totally feels like something you would be served at a classy garden party or bed and breakfast. Where's my floppy sun hat? Personally, I can easily get behind food that is both delicious and makes me feel fancy, but I can see why Steve might not be so excited about that prospect.

Grilled Asparagus Tartines on Panini Happy

Sidenote: this website is completely devoted to recipes that can be made using a panini press. We don't have one ourselves, but I still think that concept is pure genius. Although we have been known to use our George Foreman Jr. to make paninis before - because we're resourceful (or maybe just desperate) like that.

Tartine: a fancy French open-faced sandwich topped with spreadable ingredients.

Used From Our CSA
asparagus
red scallions

I'm half counting the bread here too. It was not part of our CSA, but we grabbed it a few weeks ago at a local bakery for about $4. Then we cut it into thirds, froze them all separately, and collectively it lasted us two weeks - so good. We will be doing that again soon!

Thoughts on the Recipe
- If yesterday's chopped kale salad is the perfect make-and-take, dish, these tartines are the opposite of that. In my opinion, this is the kind of thing you want to pull off the skillet (or panini press, or grill), assemble as quickly as possible, and shove in your mouth while it's still hot and therefore at optimum levels of deliciousness. Is that allowed?
- These ended up being a little overboard on the oil for us, but I think it had more to do with our pesto than anything. Pesto is so easy to make but we got a small jar from the store this time around (whomp, whomp ... I know), and it was pretty oily. So next time I'll be more sparing with the oil when toasting the bread, unless maybe I have some homemade/less oily pesto.
- I sprinkled on a bit of kosher salt with the pepper.

We had these with a chicken dish we've made before, which we were able to use our CSA chicken breasts for. Check that recipe out here if you're so inclined (it's a work-intensive dish, but we enjoy it from time to time): Crispy Parmesan Chicken on The Comfort of Cooking. Together, they made for a delightful weekend dinner.