It’s easy to get creative with cookies, cakes, and other baked goodies, isn’t it?
Take a chocolate cake for instance.
It can be layered with vanilla buttercream, chocolate buttercream, lemon filling, raspberry filling, peanut butter frosting, whipped meringue, chocolate ganache, and on and on.
But how about getting creative with healthy things?
It’s so easy to get in a rut with vegetables.
You pick up a zucchini and you stare…what do I do with this?
Because chances are, you’ve already sauteed it, steamed it, and grilled it.
These preparations get old.
Let’s do something a little more fun with zucchini today.
Toss some artichoke hearts, a handful of fresh parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, and garlic into a food processor:
Pulse, pulse, pulse.
Stream in some olive oil, and stir in parmigiano reggiano, and you’ll end up with a bowl of this:
Grill up some thin slices of zucchini, and spread each zucchini ribbon with a spoonful of the artichoke pesto:
Roll it up, nice and tight:
And that’s it! Ready to serve. Easy peasy and a totally delicious celebration of summer veggies.
And now for the goodie bag details!
OXO is hosting a healthy summer eating Twitter Party this Thursday the 26th at 4pm ET.
What will happen at this party?
You will get to win prizes, and chat and babble with me, Cookin Canuck, The Naptime Chef, Eclectic Recipes, #OXO, and others about healthy summer recipes and eating. And you’re invited!
In celebration of the party, OXO is giving away a $50+ Goodie Bag to one lucky Fifteen Spatulas reader. It includes:
-The OXO 5lb Food Scale (YES!!! I use my food scale every day, it’s the best)
-OXO Citrus Juicer
-OXO Pineapple Slicer
-OXO Avocado Slicer
-Their awesome OXO Water Bottle
-…and the Naptime Chef Cookbook!
Update: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!
What is your favorite summer vegetable or fruit? (And because I’m curious, what’s your favorite way to cook it)?
For an extra entry, you can also like the Fifteen Spatulas Facebook Page, just be sure to leave a separate comment for it below, and note if you are already a fan.
This contest is open to those with an address in the United States, and OXO will ship the goodies straight to your door. Entries for the contest will be closed at 9pm ET on July 26th.
Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post, I just like OXO and want to get you all excited about the Twitter party on Thursday, where we will all chit chat about the greatest thing on the planet, FOOD! Hope to see you there.
Copyright Notice: Fifteen Spatulas images and original content are copyright protected. Please do not publish these materials without prior permission.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs zucchini (about 2-3 large zucchini)
- 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and squeezed of excess water
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- the leaves of half a bunch of parsley (about a cup)
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 oz parmigiano reggiano, grated (about 1/2 cup)
Directions:
- Cut the stem off the zucchinis, then use a mandolin to slice them into long thin ribbons. They should be about 1/8 inch thick, if they're too thin they won't stand up on the own, but if they're too thick, they won't be flexible enough to roll. Give each one a little sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the grill to high, and do a quick sear of the zucchini. Since they are really thin, they should only be on the grill for about 30-60 seconds, just enough to take the raw edge off and give them some pretty little grill marks. Remove the grilled zucchini ribbons to a plate.
- In a food processor, throw in the artichoke hearts, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, walnuts, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Let the food processor run for a good 20 seconds, until everything is chopped up, and be sure to stop and scrape down the sides from time to time. With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape the pesto out into a bowl, and stir in the grated parmesan. Taste it to check for proper seasoning.
- Place a spoonful of artichoke pesto into each zucchini ribbon, and roll it up into a little roll. The artichoke pesto is sticky so it should stick together well. Serve and enjoy!
{ 244 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
This recipe sounds so delish! My favourite summer veggie though is sweet corn. While my go to way to make it is just grilling it up, it’s perfect on a cool summer day for corn chowder.
Wow this looks so delicious, I’ve been looking for some new ways to use my zucchini this summer!
Zucchini is my favorite veggie to cook during the summer, I usually roast it with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, yum! And I love grilled nectarines during summertime as well.
Lovely, my kind of food, pinned
!!!
Ciao
Alessandra
Strawberries! I love them in smoothies!
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
I like you on FB — Crave to Save
gina.m.maddox (AT) gmail (DOT) com
The cucumber… So many refreshing ways to enjoy. I start in the morning by going out and picking the biggest freshest cucumber… Then I start with a few slices in my water jug. I slice up the rest for a lite breakfast (whole wheat toast, low fat ricotta, cucumber slices and Italian seasoning). I cube the rest of the cucumber for a tomato /cucumber/pasta salad to take to work for the day. And then I don’t have any left overs.
I love avocados, and I like them straight up.
tomatoes! I just like them fresh and raw – maybe in a simple salad with basil, olive oil, and S&P.
I also liked the FB page =]
Avocado is relatively new to me, so I’m still loving that as a raw addition to all of my dishes
Lately I’ve been enjoying watermelon with lime…refreshing!
This is right up my alley. They look gorgeous…cook book quality photograph!
Eggplant!!! I absolutely love making eggplant parmesan for my family, the first time I made it they didn’t even realize there was no meat!!! hahaha:)
Hands down: pineapple. It can be simple: dehydrated, fresh, frozen (yum), and it is mindblowing. Put the possibilities are endless. Grill it in rings, and it’s a wonderful sandwich or burger garnish. Put it into a gazpacho soup for a refreshing zing and burst of flavor. Puree it with some coconut cream or butter and run it in an ice cream maker for a delectable dessert. Ginger-pineapple infused rum for a special mixer. Hummus, pineapple, avocado sandwich with the Arkansas summer’s fresh and flavorful cucumbers and beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Amazing in a tuna-avocado-jalapeno salad. Should I go on? Next thing on my bucket list.. move somewhere where I can take a daily walk to a market for fresh, tree-ripened pineapple.
My favorite is Jersey tomatoes sliced thick with fresh mozarella, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil & rock salt. Preferrable eaten overlooking the ocean at sunset.
Fresh Jersey tomatoes sliced thick with mozarella, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil & rock salt. Preferrably eaten overlooking the beach at sunset.
Fresh crisp garden cucumbers……..peeled, sliced in edible size pieces, add very thinly sliced purple onions. Then in separate bowl: mix sour cream, splash apple cider vinegar, sugar to taste, and….fresh dill to taste. Mix well and add to cucumbers with onions. Yummmmmmmmmm………..very summery indeed.
Fresh red peppers, sliced in half lengthwise and cleaned, stuffed with crushed tomatoes, sour cream, and anchovies, spices of your choice (but crashed red pepper among them), baked in a 300F oven for 10/15 minutes.
Oh my gosh this looks great! I will try this soon. It will probably be added to the menu of my Health & Fitness Vacation I am hosting this Nov. in St. Augustine! It looks like a perfect afternoon beach snack! Check it out on my blog! Spots are still open
Thanks Ashley! Sadly I won’t be living in Jacksonville anymore by November, but I hope your event goes well!!!
Tomatoes and peaches. My favorite way to eat peaches is fresh with the juice dribbling down your arms and chin. My favorite way to prepare tomatoes (besides tomato sauce, salsa, and slow roasted) is to dice them up with garlic, fresh basil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper and put that over pasta. Oh, this is making me long for more summer fruits and veggies!
My favorite summer fruit is pineapple, cut into planks, grilled and finished with a squirt of fresh lime juice.
My favorite summer fruit is cantelope…You can do so much with it…smoothies, fruit salad, and just fresh cut! YUM!
Thanks for this recipe!! It was so yummy. And simple. I used creamy goat cheese in place of parm. I ate almost the whole thing for lunch. Tart and filling. Yum. Thank you!
I love fresh tomatoes….let me count the ways
1. Wash tomatoes and take a big bite!
2. Bruschetta
3. Fresh salsa
4. Fresh marinara sauce
I know this recipe was posted long ago but I’ve only just now stumbled upon it. I’m dying to make it but have a nut allergy. Does anyone know if it’s possible to make this without the walnuts?
Absolutely! The texture/flavor will be slightly different, but not drastically.
Joanne you’re amazing! Thank you so much for the response and all the wonderful ideas you share!
Favorite fruit or fruits I should say would probably be berries and pineapple. The pineapple I love to grill on the BBQ. I have several berry bushes and love to just pick and eat. Your zucchini recipe looks fabulous. Going to a party and making it to bring. Thanks so much.
Awesome Georgia, hope you have fun at the party!
OMG thank God these are on your homepage slideshow, because apparently, I missed this post last year. These are so creative and sound amazing!! Bookmarking for sure. x
These roll-ups are absolutely stunning! I love how thinly sliced the zucchini is. These will be perfect for a summer barbecue!
← Previous Comments
{ 6 trackbacks }