Happy (day after) summer solstice! It’s officially summer in Colorado! What are your favorite things about summer? Some of my favorite summer activities include the farmers market, outdoor concerts, and hiking. Now, during the spring, I miss Louisiana more than anything. But when summer rolls around and the weather is absolutely perfect in Colorado, and my friends down south can barely go outside, I’m incredibly thankful for my current home. Flowers are blooming, the sun is always shining, and we can eat every meal outside!
Denver Botanic Gardens
One of my 30 by 30 goals is to plant a vegetable garden. Currently, our condo does not really allow for such. But, one day, when I have a yard and grass, I will attempt to grow vegetables in my backyard. And one of the vegetables I am most looking forward to is zucchini.
Last summer, friends were desperately trying to get rid of zucchini from their gardens. By the end of the summer, they were sick of zucchini. Not me. I took their unwanted zucchini and made zucchini bread, vegetable lasagna, vegetable fajitas, and my favorite, stuffed zucchini boats. Look for more zucchini-related recipes throughout the summer!
2 zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out insides, reserving half. Leave a shell (be careful here – don’t over scoop!), your shell should be about 1/4-inch thick.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sautéing until tender. Add mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides. Sauté for a couple more minutes then remove skillet from heat.
Heat additional tablespoon of olive oil in medium-sized skillet. Add ground turkey and cook through, break up the meat and stir occasionally. Meat should be lightly browned on all sides. Drain any excess fat from skillet. Add the cooked onion mixture to the meat. Stir to combine.
Add wine, tomatoes, and basil to the skillet and cook for an additional minute.
Combine egg, parmesan, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Beat to combine.
Let mixture cool slightly. Add egg mixture to ground turkey and combine. Fill zucchini shells with mixture.
Fill a glass baking dish with a 1/4 inch of water. Place the zucchini shells in the dish and bake for 40 minutes, until brown. Serve immediately.
Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Simply Recipes
