summertime, summertime......

Don't you just LOVE summer? Long, sun drenched days, everything coming in fresh out of the garden (or farmer's market!). Even with the record breaking heat wave we just survived, I find it hard to find much to complain about in the summer. I stopped by one of those farmer's stands today, because my tomatoes are not ripe yet. I was delighted to find beautiful patty pan squash. I never got those in this year, and have been missing that summer staple for us. It's hard to believe how much I hated squash as a child, and veggies in general, but I guess it's all the preparation. So for dinner tonight, we are making stuffed patty pans. This is a vegetarian version, and quite yummy as is, but if you really don't want to go meatless, ground turkey, chicken or beef will substitute for the crumbles. As prepared, these are about 200 calories each (probably less), and very nutritious. So-

Select 6 patty pans, about 4-5" across. Wash, then carefully cut around the inside of the scallops, removing the cap and hollow out- like you are making a jack-o-lantern. Chop the "insides" coarsely, and set aside.
In a large skillet, saute 1/2 each of a small onion and green pepper, chopped, with 2 cloves garlic minced, in a tablespoon of sesame oil (or olive). Add 1 package of Morningstar Farms recipe starter crumbles, the squash "insides" 2 TBS each of minced fresh parsley and basil, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper. Cook until heated through.
Place the squash shells into a jumbo muffin pan. Fill the cavity with the crumbles mixture, top with a little grated cheese if desired. Put the caps on and place in an oven preheated to 375. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Enjoy!