Zucchini and Goat Cheese Rolls

As spring slowly approaches, the overwhelming need to clean and clear out rolls in. I never understood the concept of spring cleaning until about two years ago, with this year being the strongest of all. Last year I discovered 'Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui' and have read it at least twice.

This year it is more of a habit. What an interesting concept when suddenly you see a layer of dust on the floorboard behind a door. A sixth sense for dust magically develops once the flowers and trees start to bloom. I embrace these bizarre urges...especially because they don't present themselves very often. I find myself scrambling in the morning before work to scrub that 'new' stain on the stove top, or dust underneath the dresser, or recycle the entire apartment building's collection of junk mail underneath the mailboxes.

With that said, I also have the urge to have more house guests. So M of ATM and her little guy, W, came over last Saturday for a little happy hour. It was a perfect opportunity to use a stack of zucchini, and a bag of tri-colored quinoa. I cooked up the idea of rolled zucchini while reviewing some recipes at work last week. And a quinoa salad with artichoke hearts and black olives was a vehicle for three lemons hoping to be zested and juiced. M had the same thought. She brought over tapenade, goat cheese, and some lovely crackers. We of course hydrated ourselves with red wine. Spring is in the air!


Zucchini and Goat Cheese Rolls
Yields 2 to 4 servings

Use a mandoline to slice your zucchini into very thin pieces if you have one. It is one of the greatest kitchen inventions. If you don't have one, then carefully slice your zucchini as thinly as possible. Feel free to use any variety of cheese and herbs for your flavoring. These just happened to be on my mind.

2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons goat cheese, or more if needed
Dried dill to taste
Dried thyme to taste
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Arrange thinly sliced zucchini on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake in oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and flip; bake until zucchini are tender and can be easily rolled, about 5 more minutes.

Remove pan from oven and spoon small amounts of goat cheese onto each zucchini slice. Spread as evenly as possible with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle a generous amount of dill and thyme onto the goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Carefully roll each zucchini slice and secure with toothpicks if you have them. I only had a few. But they should be fine as long as you put the open end on the bottom. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the cheese is softened and zucchini are lightly browned, 6 to 10 minutes.