Zucchini and Goat Cheese

The recipe I read used toasted pine nuts. I preferred to carelessly burn instead of toast all the expensive pine nuts I bought. So I substituted some salted green pumpkin seeds I found in my cupboard. Voila! A lovely and seasonal sidedish for a fall day.



3-5 large zucchini
2 pieces of garlic, sliced
Goat cheese
Toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the zucchini in large diagonal slices. In a large bottomed pan, heat a small quantity on olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and saute to flavor the oil. Add the zucchini in a single layer. After 2 minutes, turn once and heat the other side for another minute. If desired, remove to a paper towel to reduce oils, before setting aside in a heated serving dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

Top with crumbled goat cheese, salt, pepper and seeds or nuts to serve.

Greek Vegetable Roast

This quick vegetable roast highlights mildly sweet aromatic fennel. I serve with toasted pita bread and hummus.

Coat with olive oil and broil 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally:
1 eggplant, cut in approx 1 x 3 inch strips
1 zucchini, cut in approx 1 x 3 inch strips
1 fennel root, quartered
1 red pepper, cut into chuncks
1/2 green pepper, cut into chuncks

Toss with Italian Parsley and lemon juice before serving.

Eggplant-Crusted Mini Pizza

This complex little appetizer uses thick eggplant slices as a pizza base. Spoon on a thick sausage and veggie tomato sauce and top with monzarella cheese.

Bottom half 1 eggplant for pizza base
6 oz Sausage
1/4 cup Onion
1/4 cup Carrot
1/4 cup Zucchini
1/4 cup Eggplant
1 cup Tomato Sauce
Black Pepper
Basil or Italian Parsley
Monzarella Cheese


Brown the sausage.

Put oven on broil at 500. Cut the eggplant in half so the round end makes a fat "D." Cut thick (3/4 inch) slices of the round bottom. These will be used for the pizzas and the other half for the sauce.

Finely cube the onion, carrots, zucchini and eggplant for the sauce.

Generously salt the eggplant slices and lightly coat with oil. Place on cookie sheet in oven to broil. Brown one side (4 min), then flip.

Saute the veggies in olive oil. (Start with onion, carrots and eggplant- add the zucchini after a bit.) Add in the sausage and tomato sauce, season with pepper and herbs. It should be a thick, chunky, spoonable mixture. When its all hot, remove the eggplant from the oven and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle on some mozarella, pizza like, and put the slices back in the oven until monzarella is browned.

This delicious snack is all about the eggplant! Combined with aromatic sausage and basil, and everyone's favorite toasted monzarella- this is good food.