Stuffed Zucchini Roll-Ups

After a month of vacation in Germany, I couldn't wait to be back in my kitchen. Although I cooked a lot in Germany, I was not very inspired to try out new things, and my photography motivation was even worse, as lighting was often dull and I didn't have the right props and tools at hand to make the food look pretty for a picture.
Now back in Dubai, I spent the whole last weekend pottering in the kitchen, creating bits and bites, cakes and crackers. Very therapeutic. I took some pictures, and they turned out satisfactory, without much ado. There is no place like home. A kitchen stove, some kitchen props and nice light was all I needed to be at total inner peace.

As the weather is hot, I made us lunches that turned out to be more of a buffet of light foods: crackers, hummus, veggie sticks and salads. And these zucchini rolls. Grilled slices of zucchini filled with feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh thyme and roasted walnuts. They are perfectly sized, each one not much more than a mouthful. I love those bite sizes especially in summer, when you can just take one if you feel like it, instead of having a whole plateful of food in front of you. Bon appetit.

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STUFFED ZUCCHINI ROLL-UPS

(Print Recipe)

2 medium zucchinis

2 garlic cloves, minced

dried chili flakes

salt

olive oil

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons walnuts

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

black pepper, freshly milled

Yields ca. 15

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Place sun-dried in a small bowl. Pour over with hot water and let stand for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Then drain and finely chop. Set aside.
In a dry pan, roast the walnuts for a few minutes. Chop finely. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the feta cheese until softened. Season with black pepper. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and walnuts. Set aside.

Preheat grill.
Cut zucchinis lengthwise into thin slices. Discard the parts that are mainly skin. Apply a little olive oil on both sides, season with salt, some minced garlic and chili flakes. Grill for a few minutes on each side, until softened and lightly charred. Remove and let cool a little.

Place a half to one teaspoon of the feta mixture onto the zucchini slices. Roll up and tighten each with a toothpick. Repeat with all zucchini slices. Serve at room temperature.