zucchini-goat cheese bites

I know there are plenty of uses for zucchini, but whenever I buy them, I draw a blank in terms of what to make, and they go bad before I know it. I’ve done the breadcrumb-coated baked zucchini chip thing and I’ve done the roasting with herbs thing, but I wanted a fun and different way to incorporate more zucchini into my life.

The answer: bite-size cheese rolls!

I came across this recipe from Blogging Over Thyme for zucchini bites with harissa, goat cheese, lime and mint on Pinterest, but there were a lot of tools and ingredients I didn’t have to make it work, so I improvised.

Instead of using a mandolin to slice the zucchini, I did it by hand…with a knife…and it sucked. But it’s doable; you just have to accept the fact that some slices won’t pan out and you’ll throw those in the roasting pan for another night’s side dish. I also didn’t have a grill, so I pan-fried the slices. This made them slippery and fragile, but again, it’s doable. The cheese mixture will hold it together so long as you don’t bathe the slices in too much oil.

Also, I was honestly too lazy to buy harissa, mint and limes, so I used herb goat cheese, diced sun-dried tomatoes and Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute along with salt and pepper. Proportions are really your own call here. How many you can eat in one sitting? That’s your call, too. Good luck with that will power!