zucchini pizza strips

food can be fun.

i love it when i see a recipe or look at a vegetable a different way and say, “what if i tried it like this…”  because typically, i’m a creature of habit.  when i find something that works for me, i stick with it.  i often don’t sway.  in fact, i had been using the same ranch dressing for like, 7 years.  annies organic cowgirl ranch.  i love the stuff.  but then one day a co-worker suggested this other brand {with less fat, made from yogurt, and still so tasty} and now THAT is my new favourite – haha.  i guess my point is, sometimes i get tunnel vision. but this blog has helped me to rethink ways of preparing food.  i always chop my veggies into 1-2 inch pieces, and steam them or saute them.  sometimes i’ll roast them all together.  but never did it occur to me to cut zucchini into strips and serve it like a pizza slice!!  what!

i saw something similar to this recipe on pinterest.  — gah, i love that site.

there are obviously countless possibilities with a dish like this – and you could try yellow squash instead as the “crust.” or, throw some nutritional yeast on there, make it vegan.  mix up your toppings, etc. i just kept it simple because i had these items laying around, just aching to be prepared in this dish 😉

i mean, pretty easy instructions here – preheat your oven to 400 degrees. slice your zucchini length ways, trim off your ends.  smear whatever you’d like on there –

i used my herb-infused goat cheese, san marzano tomatoes, and vidalia onions. then sprinkled S&P on top.

bake for 20-30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

i served mine with a light salad and an avocado – which i almost put ON the zucchini slice, but opted not to…

and, i actually used heirloom zucchini – also called “costata romanesco” – how cool is that.

if you noticed in the photo, it’s slightly different looking than regular zucchini. different in colour, with a ribbed exterior.  and i just like anything “heirloom” — it just feels more like the real thing. a bit psychosemantic, perhaps – but i think they seem to taste better, too.  it’s also their prime season – yay!

oh goodness, i hope this fall i can get my hands on some romanesco cauliflower — wait until you see this thing!!  🙂

happy eating, everyone!

Tags: alternative, appetizer, dinner, easy, food, healthy, light, pizza, seasonal, simple, summer, vegetarian, zucchini