The stuff of summer
How can you improve summer veggies? Stuff them with more family-friendly flavors, as we’ve done in these recipes.
Deep-Dish Pizza Tomatoes: Far from garden variety, this new take on pepperoni pizza puts the tomato front and center and uses crusty bread and familiar pie toppings for the filling.
Chili-Fied Zucchini Canoes: A no-fuss stuffing of turkey chili turns a humble zucchini into a satisfying meal. Top your boats with a dollop of salsa, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, or other favorite chili add-ins.
Baby Eggplant Boats: A blend of Mediterranean ingredients, including chickpeas, tomatoes, oregano and lemon, makes this dinner flavorful but still appealing to kids. The portions are generous, so you’ll likely have enough left over for lunch.
Creamy Tomato Cucumber Cups: Perfect for a picnic or as a poolside snack, these little cups get a big-time boost in taste from a dollop of tahini.
Peanut Pasta Peppers: Here, bell peppers serve as the crunchy, edible vessel for a nutty noodle salad that’s delicious warm or chilled. No time in the oven -- and very little time on the stove top -- makes this recipe ideal for the remaining hot summer evenings.
SUMMER RECIPES
Deep-Dish Pizza Tomatoes
4 large, firm tomatoes
2 large slices multigrain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup shredded mozzarella
6 slices sandwich-size pepperoni, diced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
Serves four.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
Trim off and discard the top 1/4 inch of each tomato. Working over a bowl, core and seed the tomatoes, reserving the pulp. Pick out and discard any hard pieces from the bowl.
In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato pulp.
Spoon the bread mixture into the tomatoes, distributing it evenly and mounding it slightly. Set the tomatoes in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Chili-Fied Zucchini Canoes
4 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound each)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salsa, shredded
Mexican cheese blend, or other chili toppings for serving
Serves four.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim off and discard the ends of each zucchini, then halve them lengthwise. Trim a thin slice from the curved side of each portion so that it sits flat. Scoop out and discard the center flesh of each zucchini to form a canoe.
In a medium bowl, stir the ground turkey, corn, onion, egg, garlic, chili powder and salt together until well blended. Evenly distribute the mixture among the zucchini halves, packing it in and mounding it slightly.
Arrange the canoes on a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve with salsa, cheese or your family’s favorite chili toppings.
Baby Eggplant Boats
2 baby eggplants (about 1/2 pound each)
3 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup crumbled feta
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh chopped parsley
Serves four.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square cake pan with cooking spray.
Trim off and discard the stem end of each eggplant, then halve them lengthwise. Trim off a thin slice from the rounded side of each portion so that it sits flat. Working over a bowl, hollow out the center of each eggplant, reserving the flesh.
In a food processor, pulse the reserved eggplant, tomatoes and garlic until finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. Spoon the mixture into the eggplant halves, pressing it in and mounding it high.
Arrange the eggplants in the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Creamy Tomato Cucumber Cups
1 large English cucumber, ends trimmed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
2 plum tomatoes
Serves 12.
Slice the cucumber crosswise into 12 1-inch-thick rounds. Scoop out the center of each to form a cup.
In a bowl, stir together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Halve each tomato and use your fingers to scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Dice the halves, reserve 2 tablespoons, then stir the rest into the yogurt mixture.
Distribute the tomato filling evenly among the cups. Top each with a few pieces of the reserved tomato.
Peanut Pasta Peppers
1 1/2 cups small pasta shells
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon smooth natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 medium bell peppers
Serves six.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving 3 tablespoons of the cooking water.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot sauce. Add the chicken, carrots, scallions, cilantro and salt, and toss to coat. Add the pasta shells and the reserved cooking water, and toss until evenly coated.
Trim off and discard the top of each pepper, then cut out the seeds and core. Without making a hole, cut a slice from the bottom so that the pepper will stand. Evenly distribute the filling among the peppers, mounding it. Sprinkle with more cilantro before serving.
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 10:25 PM with the headline "The stuff of summer ."