How to Make Garlic Squash Roll-ups

What do you do when you have summer produce but it's still cold and rainy outside (and the heat is off)? Baked concoctions out of said produce are an excellent choice!

Squash wrapped around a
tomato garlic filling

The following is a recipe of my own concocting. I just can't get enough of that creamy tomato/garlic/dill combination! I've included a few variations to accommodate your specific diet/grocery limitations.

There is some assembly required, but you can multi-task and get your other dishes together in the meantime.

Though it makes an elegant appetizer, I'm not sure if I would call this finger-food or not. Maybe if you were really careful about rolling them up neatly. :)


Ingredients:

-2 medium squash of the zucchini/summer squash variety (or the light green kind we have here), OR eggplant
-1 large (2 medium) tomatoes
-1 c mayonnaise
-2 cloves of garlic
-fresh herbs
-1/4 cup cheese of your choice (for melting factor)


Directions:

1) Slice the squash horizontally so you have long, thin pieces that you will be able to wrap around a filling.

2) Pre-cook the squash until tender: Either saute on the stovetop or cook uncovered in the microwave for 5 minutes. I used the microwave so I could use that time for other tasks, plus it's less greasy that way.

(pre-heat the oven to 400 fahrenheit)

3) Get the filling ready while the squash is cooling enough to handle. Slice the tomatoes into discs (halve them if too wide) and make a mixture out of the mayo, garlic (crushed), herbs, cheese, and salt and pepper.

4) Grease or line a cookie sheet. Take the squash slices one at a time, place a tomato at one end, then a dollop of the filling on top, and wrap the other end of the squash around it. If you have any odd bits of squash left, you can cut and paste a bit, just remember which ones are less stable when you go to pick them up. :) Brush the tops lightly with olive oil for a browning effect, if you used the microwave method.

5) Place in the oven for about 15 minutes, long enough for the cheese to melt and the roll-ups to brown slightly.

6) Serve hot or chill and serve later.


Variations:

-omit the mayonnaise and use sour cream, cream cheese, feta, mozzarella, etc.
-use dried garlic/herbs or your favorite spice mix for flavoring

How to Make Sesame Noodles

I'd had sesame noodles from the deli before, as more of a cold salad. But I figured they'd be good hot, too!

Sesame Glass Noodles and Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

I was looking for a way to jazz up pasta, and found this recipe for sesame noodles on Pioneer Woman. I liked that we had all the ingredients on hand...except for sesame oil, that is. :/ Ironic, right? I used sesame seeds instead, browned a little in the frying pan.

My husband liked that it had a little bit of a kick to it, and he asks for this dish a lot now. In the above photo he actually asked me for the recipe and made it himself! You can adjust the spiciness, of course.

Also...did you know you can use any kind of thin noodle? We did use rice noodles above, but you can't really tell...regular spaghetti works just as well. If you're not a purist, I guess.

The only thing left to do now is to get some sesame oil and finally try it the real way!