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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Grilled Zucchini Rolls

These grilled zucchini rolls would be just perfect for a cocktail party, girls luncheon, etc.!  Very pretty and dainty, but BIG flavors!  They are very simple to make, and could easily be made up and refrigerated until time of service.  

I happen to love the combination of herbed goat cheese and roasted red peppers together, and I've often served this on a crostini for an afternoon snack, or simple appetizer with a nice glass of wine before starting to cook dinner.  But there are a ton of people out there right now who are trying to cut back on carbs, and so the bread gets the boot!


Replacing the bread with the grilled zucchini keeps this low carb but definitely not low flavor!  As an extra bonus, both goat cheese and roasted red peppers are low carb too!  WOO HOO!!!    Not a goat cheese fan?  Try replacing it with ricotta that you've seasoned up and maybe some crumbled bacon... I'm thinking my kids may go for that one!

Click for Printable Recipe 
#lowcarb  #glutenfree #vegetarian #appetizer #keto

Ingredients:
  • 2 zucchinis
    • (each zucchini gave me about 10-12 slices)
  • house Italian "lite" dressing
  • jarred roasted red peppers, finely diced
  • Herbed goat cheese
    • if plain, season with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning
Step-by-Step:
Wash the zucchinis and slice them very thinly.  For very thin and even slices, use a mandolin.  This is NOT a job for the kiddos, as the mandolin is super sharp!!
2 zucchinis - as uniformly straight as you can find them.
Brush both sides of the slices with Italian dressing.
*If you need a gluten free, keto dressing, here's a good one. 
https://cookeatpaleo.com/italian-dressing-recipe/
"Lite" House Italian dressing
This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy made something cool, and boy do I want some!

 

Grill for about 3 minutes per side. 

"dress" the other side of the zucchini strips
Turn after about 3 minutes... or when the grill marks look pretty!  :)
They should be soft, but not mushy.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack placed over a bowl.  This will allow them to cool, rather than steam (on a plate).   
Once cool, smear a thin layer (less than a teaspoon) of goat cheese along the length of the zucchini slice.
Of course there was no herbed goat cheese to be found on this day... I added the herbs!  LOL.
Goat cheese, plus... kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning blend

Dice the jarred roasted red peppers into small pieces.

Tip - dry off all the extra liquid that they give off, so you won't have a soupy appetizer.
Add about 1/2-1 tsp of diced roasted red peppers along one end.   

Roll up from that side.  The goat cheese is a perfect "glue" to keep your rolls together!

And Ta-da!!!  Here we have beautiful, flavorful rolls!!  I sort of wish there was more to it... like I had actually DONE something!  But it really was that simple.


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As always, here are a few "bonus" appetizer recipes for you:
Dill and Sun Dried Tomato Cucumber Rolls 
Louisiana Crab Claws Bordelaise
Fire Roasted Corn Guacamole

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Spicy Garlic Aioli
Happy Hour Pizza Rolls
Written Method:
Wash the zucchinis and slice them very thinly.  For very thin and even slices, use a mandolin.  Brush both sides of the slices with Italian dressing and grill for about 3 minutes per side.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack placed over a bowl.  This will allow them to cool, rather than steam (on a plate).  Once cool, smear a thin layer (less than a teaspoon) of goat cheese along the length of the zucchini slice.  Add about 1/2-1 tsp of diced roasted red peppers along one end, then roll up from that side.  The goat cheese is a perfect "glue" to keep your rolls together!

16 comments:

  1. These look delicious. However, I am wondering what you might substitute for goat cheese (I'm pregnant, can't eat it...)? Would cream cheese work? I am interested if you have a suggestion! Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Cream cheese would be fine. An herbed Boursin cheese would be even better. Look in the specialty cheese area. It's a spreadable cheese that comes in a little container. That said, there are some flavored cream cheeses on the market these days that would indeed fit the bill. :)

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  2. Do you think this would keep in a lunch box? My youngest dd doesn't like too much meat and I'm thinking she may like this for lunch. Thanks for sharing on The Weekend Social.

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    Replies
    1. My child's lunchbox comes with a hard plastic freezable "ice pack" insert. I believe I got it at Target. You could try something like that. I hope she likes it! You could always try it out on a Saturday and let it sit for a few hours to simulate the same condition and see how it goes. :)
      Julie

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  3. Hi Julie, I wanted you to know that I am featuring your delish Zucchini rolls on my #theWeekendSocial blog starting tonight. Please stop by and link up again. Your recipe was a big hit with two of our other hosts, (Heidy and Ronda) and will also be featured on their pages, Organic and random. What a hit. We start the party again tonight at 9:00 PM EST. See you there!

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  4. Congratulations on being our pick of the week for #TheWeekendSocial! I love you recipe! So simple yet gorgeous! I was definitely impressed! See you again this week! I can't wait for you to wow us again!!!!

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  5. These grilled zucchini rolls absolutely something new for me! Looks yummy! Thx for sharing recipe, I definitely add it to my cookbook!

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  6. wow !wonderful i grilled zucchini rolls look this. thnks for sharing

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  7. i will try made it home. i love grilled zucchini rolls.thanks for this post

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  8. Hello, U write some extraordinarily attractive blogs. I always check back here frequently to see if you have updated

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    1. I apologize that I have not updated with any new recipes in so long. Life has gotten crazy with some house moves and two jobs, etc. This blog is a hobby, not a job for me (I neither charge for it, nor make money from it), so it has had to take a wayyyy back seat to real life.

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  9. If you could message me with any hints & tips on how you made your blog look this cool, I would be appreciative!

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    Replies
    1. Hmmm. I'm not sure what to say. This is a super subjective subject. There are so many wonderful blogs out there, and they all seem to have their own personality. I never set out to copy anyone else's, but rather to just have a medium to show friends and family the steps I was taking to make my recipes. Best of luck to you! :)

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  10. thanks you so much .you recipe so nice and healthy yummy.

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