Zucchini stuffed with goat cheese

Ever since I started blogging, friends and family have been generously giving me fresh veggies from their gardens or CSA shares. Naturally, I love it, but I do have to get creative finding ways to use it all. In particular, I have had quite a lot of zucchini to use up, a problem that many of you gardeners probably can relate to. I can always grate and freeze them if need be, but for now I'm trying to use them fresh.

I found this recipe in Vegetarian Cooking and Vegetable Classics, a book that my mom gave me a couple years ago. The zucchini is stuffed with goat cheese and slivers of mint, wrapped up in foil, and baked - nice and simple. I thought the recipe looked good, but needed something more, so I paired it with tomato sauce, which worked nicely. It made a nice light vegetarian main course, perfect for a summer evening with a glass of wine.

This will work best with small, slender zucchini that will cook quickly when left whole. I used goat gouda for the cheese because its easier to work with than soft goat cheese, but you could definitely substitute your favorite cheese here - I bet parmagiano or cheddar would be good choices...

Zucchini stuffed with goat cheese
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking and Vegetable Classics
Serves 4

4 small zucchini
Several thin strips of goat cheese (the recipe suggests about 2 oz. total - I didn't measure how much I used)
Small bunch of fresh mint leaves, cut into thin slivers
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Tomato sauce*

Preheat oven to 375 F. Trim the zucchini and cut a slit along the length of each - cut deep enough that you can stuff strips of cheese in, but not all the way through. Stuff the slits with pieces of cheese and a few slivers of mint. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap each zucchini in foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.

*I made a quick sauce using some fresh summer tomatoes - here's the "recipe": cut the tomatoes into chunks, put them in a pot with a glug of olive oil, and simmer until tomatoes break down and the liquid reduces a bit. I blended mine with an immersion blender at the end to smooth it out, but you could also pass the sauce through a food mill, or use a food processor, or just keep it chunky. If you choose the latter, you might want to peel the tomatoes first, or cut them up into small enough pieces that the skins won't be a bother.