Mini Zucchini Timbale! GF, V & BED!

Can you believe that it is almost July?!? Wow — this summer is flyyying by! Brakes!! Brakes!!

beautifully grilled zucchini!

No worries though … we still have lots of summer to enjoy:)

Lots of swimming pool days, lots of time to enjoy the garden, lots of farmer’s markets to visit, and lots of evenings to enjoy these:

a trio of deliciousness!

My Mini Zucchini Timbale!

gorgeous grill marks!

Grilled Zucchini cups filled with millet, broccoli, and green onion! And topped off with roasted red pepper cream sauce! Delicious!

And, they’re gluten free, vegan, and Body Ecology Diet friendly!

gluten free, vegan and Body Ecology Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need:

2 zucchini, slice into strips, tossed in 1 tsp EVOO, and grilled
1/2 cup millet cooked in 1 cup veg stock
1 cup broccoli florets
2 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated

Red Pepper Cream Sauce:
1 red pepper, roasted
1/2 cup cashews
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350. Cook your millet until it absorbs all the liquid, about 15 minutes. In the meantime, put your broccoli, onions and garlic into the food processor, and pulse until it is a the consistency of rice. Also, heat up your grill pan, and grill your slices of zucchini, about 2 minutes per side. While your zucchini is still warm, place 3 strips in an olive-oil-sprayed muffin tin, crisscrossing so that the muffin tin is entirely covered – forming a little cup.

Once, your millet absorbs all the liquid, take it off the heat, fluff it with a fork, and stir in your riced broccoli, onions and garlic. Add about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt to taste.

Then, place 2 Tbsp of the millet mixture into your zucchini cups, and press it down. (You will have millet left over. It makes about 4 full timbales with 1 cup left over millet). Spray the tops with olive-oil-spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. For the last 4 minutes, turn on the broiler to give it a golden top.

what a plate!

While they are baking, make your red pepper cream sauce. You can use jarred Roasted Red Peppers, but I roasted my own:

To roast the red pepper, I literally set it on our gas flame burner and kept turning it with tongs until it was completely charred. I then put it in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap so that the steam loosened the skin. Then, after about 15 minutes, the charred skin peels right off (use your hands), and you’re left with a wonderful, roasted pepper! If you don’t have a gas flame, you can do the same right under the broiler! After you peel the skin and take out the seeds, chop the flesh and put it in the food processor with the cashews, salt and pepper. Blend until you get your smooth, creamy sauce! YUMMO!

flipped out onto the cutting board!

Now, to extract your timbale. Wait until they have cooled for at least 5-7 minutes. Then, place a cutting board on top of your muffin tin. Then,with confidence, and in one big “swoop,” flip the muffin tin and cutting board so that the muffin tin is now upside-down. Place it on the counter and carefully lift the muffin tin off, revealing your beautiful timbale! Then, with a spatula, carefully transfer them to the plates! Top with a dollop of your red pepper cream sauce and garnish with green onions! YUM!

luscious roasted red pepper cream!

These were absolutely fantastic! First of all, they are gorgeous. The earthy green crisscrossed zucchini with the striped grill marks, topped of with a dollop of salmon-orange red pepper cream — it’s dramatic and beautiful!

fabulous millet center!

And then the flavor is outrageous! — You break into it, and you get the warm, nutty, garlicy millet, paired with the slightly smokey zucchini and subtly sweet red pepper cream! Just delicious.

yummmmm!!

And finally, the textures!! The zucchini slices are wonderfully chewy, the sauce is rich and creamy, and the millet is slightly crunchy yet moist. Superb.

What’s your favorite part of June? School finishing? Father’s Day? Longer Summer Days?

Not only did I get to use my favorite appliance, my food processor, but I ALSO got to use my grill pan! It makes grilling year-round possible! Here's the ones I use:

Until tomorrow!