Zucchini

Zucchini is one of my very favorite veggies. I had a zucchini dish at a friend's house once that consisted of roasted zucchini topped with basil and mozzarella cheese that I loved, and since I wasn't quite sure how she'd made it, I decided I'd come up with my own version. I have no idea what to call this recipe...several people I've made them for call them, "those zucchini things," so I guess that will have to do. ;)

Sarah's Zucchini Things

First you preheat your oven to 375 and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Then you slice the zucchini (I used a yellow squash this time too since I had one) lengthwise and put them on the baking sheet, like this:

From Blogger Pictures

To keep the slices from rolling all over the place, cut a sliver of the peel off any rounded edges:

From Blogger Pictures

Brush each piece with olive oil (or grapeseed oil, which is a staple in my kitchen--it's so healthy!):

From Blogger Pictures

Sprinkle the pieces with salt and lemon pepper (or just plain pepper, but I love lemon pepper), and top with basil. I was blessed enough to find fresh basil at the store for once, but if not dried basil just has to do.

From Blogger Pictures

Small slices of fresh tomato comes next--I had plum tomatoes this week, which were the perfect size, but if you are using large tomatoes, cut the slices in half.

From Blogger Pictures

Now pop the pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. You want to start checking them at about 6 minutes--poke one with a fork to see if they are starting to soften. You want them tender but not mushy! While they are in the oven, slice up some fresh mozzarella cheese, the thicker the better.
Yummy roastedness:

From Blogger Pictures

NOW for the delicious part. Top each zucchini slice with mozzarella. It's hard to resist eating them at this point!

From Blogger Pictures

Put them back in the oven for about one minute. You do not want the cheese to melt and run all over the pan; you just want it warmed and softened, like this:

From Blogger Pictures

Serve them right away! I enjoyed mine with a filet of baked fish. =)

Note: These would be prettier for a fancy dinner party with a bit more preparation, ie, choosing zucchini with a straight, uniform size; not running out of tomato (like I did, resulting in random little pieces stuck on); and not running out of cheese (like I did, resulting in some thick pieces and some thin pieces). Haha.