Summer Harvest Zucchini Boats

Summer Harvest Zucchini Boats

Sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and onions fresh from the dirt are all cooked to perfection in these lovely zucchini boats.  Basically, this meal is what Tumbleweed Farm tastes like in August. We are blessed with so much amazing produce at the moment. Each meal has turned into a celebration of the harvest and these zucchini boats are bursting with farm fresh flavors at their peak. This is one of those non recipe recipes. You can really use any grain and flavor combination that you want, the important thing is to use fresh ingredients. All I did was toss a bunch of our lovely vegetables with some cooked wheat berries and farm fresh pesto. I then stuffed the mixture into a few hollowed out zucchini and put everything into a hot oven. The result was a simple summer meal bursting with farm fresh flavors. If you haven't cooked with wheat berries before I highly recommend it. They have a chewy texture that I absolutely adore. I cooked my wheat berries the evening before I made these zucchini boats since wheat berries take a while to cook (about 45 minutes). If you're strapped for time feel free to substitute with a faster cooking grain. I hope you all enjoy this summertime meal as much as we do. Savor these fresh flavors while they are still in season. Cheers!

Summer Harvest Zucchini Boats

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the zucchini boats:
  • 1 cup wheat berries
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 5 basil leaves, julienned
  • 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
For the pesto:
  • 2 cups packed fresh basil
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • fine sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Cook wheat berries according to your specific brands instructions.
  3. Prepare the pesto. Combine all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor or blender and whirl away until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  4. In a large bowl toss the pesto with the cooked wheat berries and remaining vegetables.
  5. With a sharp knife cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a spoon scoop out the flesh leaving 1/4 inch thick shells. Reserve flesh for another use.
  6. Scoop an even amount of the wheat berry mixture into each zucchini boat. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place the "boats" on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven until zucchini is tender and tomatoes have soften and slightly blistered- about 25-30 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil. Enjoy!

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

Comments