I've used this recipe several times that I got from food.com. It's really easy and always comes out great. I omit the mint and use lots of fresh parsley. I also usually add some eggplant also.

Briami
5 large zucchini, washed and scrubbed and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
3 -4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 large onion, peeled, cut in half, each half cut into thirds, large wedges (Spanish or Bermuda)
2 large Tomatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 lb Parmesan cut into chunks ( can omit doesn't really add anything)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons fresh spearmint (I don't use)
2 tablespoons cut cilantro (optional) I don't use
salt and pepper

Directions:

1
Preheat oven to 420 degrees F.
2 Put everything in a very large baking pan. Pour water, olive oil on top and add herbs. Season generously.
3 Put your clean hands in the pan and give all the veggies a toss so herbs, and oil and salt and pepper go on everything.
4 It looks like a lot but don't worry - it'll 'melt' down considerably during cooking.
5 Roast for a couple of hours, stirring everthing up a couple of times to allow veggies on bottom to come up and brown nicely too. What you're after in terms of texture is for the vegetables to 'melt' into each other, but without losing their individual shape. NOTHING crisp-tender going on here - just meltingly, comfortingly, deliciously tender.

Here is a link that might be useful: Briami

Take a look a a few of the last months postings. Many harvesting of tomato and veggie menu ideas. Many here have recently discussed what to do with our tomatoes...

It's been VegieFest at our house. Not a recipe, but last night was chicken breast and what I guess can be considered a ratatouille...lots of garlic, yellow zucchini, scallopini squash, green and yellow beans, broccoli, fairy tale eggplants, a hungarian wax pepper and a sweet Italian frying pepper, some tomatoes and a big handful of fresh basil and fresh ground pepper. The leftovers will be a frittata tomorrow night.

A few nights ago it was the vegies above with a little kale, more tomatoes and some white wine, a handful of Parmesan tossed in at the end to thicken, along with some cooked bowtie pasta. Kitchen Sink Primavera (Autunno?)

And salads, lots of salads.

We started digging potatoes and the Asian eggplants are coming on. Going to make that Briami to go with some lamb chops.. Thanks, Melissa.

Going to get my cholesterol checked before we get into gravy and sauce season, hehe.

Definitely vegetable season here, my current favorite is tomato dumplings. Yum. My recipe called for canned tomatoes, but I use fresh ones.

I also like the Eating Well version of tomato and zucchini gratin.

Zucchini Gratin

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/zucchini_gratin.html

From EatingWell: July/August 2013

4 servings, 1 cup each

•2 cloves garlic, minced
•3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
•1 teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
•3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (1/8 inch)
•1/2 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs (see Tip), preferably whole-wheat
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch baking dish (or similar size 2- to 2 1/2-quart dish) with cooking spray.
2.Combine garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, marjoram (or thyme), salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add zucchini; toss until evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
3.Roast the zucchini until softened and starting to wilt in spots, about 15 minutes.
4.Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the zucchini and continue to bake until the topping is crisp, about 15 minutes more.

Nutrition

Per serving : 201 Calories; 14 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 9 g Mono; 9 mg Cholesterol; 13 g Carbohydrates; 7 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 322 mg Sodium; 406 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat, 2 fat

Tips & Notes
• To make your own fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. To make fine breadcrumbs, process until very fine. To make dry breadcrumbs, spread coarse or fine breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or about 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

Tomato Dumplings

•1/2 cup finely chopped onion
•1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
•1/4 cup finely chopped celery
•1/4 cup butter
•1 bay leaf
•1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
•1 tablespoon brown sugar
•1/2 teaspoon dried basil
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon pepper
•DUMPLINGS
•1 cup all-purpose flour
•1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon cold butter
•1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
•2/3 cup milk

•In large skillet, saute onion, green pepper and celery in butter until tender. Add bay leaf, tomatoes, brown sugar, basil, salt and pepper; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

•Meanwhile, for dumplings, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter. Add parsley and milk; stir just until mixed.

•Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the simmering tomato mixture, creating six mounds; cover tightly and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the dumplings comes out clean. Discard bay leaf. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

Good luck on that weight loss. And KatieC, good luck on that cholesterol, LOL.

Annie

You can make a BLT.

Find a Bean recipe you like, mix in Bacon flavored olive oil.

Lettuce and Tomato.

You will have a very healthy BLT.

dcarch

If you seriously need to lose weight, then get hold of some second hand slimming world cook books from amazon or ebay. You need to eat more than toms and veggies but you must avoid cheese, oils, white bread, fatty bacon.......you can eat really well and lose weight too!

I love this soup . I sub my fresh home canned tomatoes for the commercially canned tomatoes. You can also use 4 cups fresh tomatoes.

Minestrone (Modified From A WW Recipe)

4 Cup low sodium chicken broth
3 Cup water

2 Cup shredded green cabbage
1 good size onion, Chopped
1 carrot sliced diagonally
2 celery stalks sliced diagonally
4 Cup good quality stewed tomatoes ( I used
-a quart of my home canned)
2 Tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tsp kosher salt ( I found it needed a bit
-more)
1/4 Tsp ground pepper (ditto)
1 Cup green beans cut in 1 inch pieces
2 14 Oz can of White kidney beans drained and, Or Chickpeas

In large pot combine broth, water, cabbage,onions, carrots,celery, green beans , tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini and beans cook , covered, another10- 15 minutes.. Serve.

oooops...... I omitted the zucchini from the original ingredient list because we don't care for it...but I see I left it in the instructions

Thank you, Chase, for the above soup recipe. Thank you, Annie, for a comprehensive listing ... that solved my question of how to make breadcrumbs. Thank you, Melissa for that Briami recipe. Also, thanks to dcarch's BLT, Katie, and islay_corbel.

I agree with islay_corbel's tip of less cheese, oil, white bread, and saturated fat. The last time I put too much oil in the zucchini & tomatoes sauté ... slippery blob. One time my husband put too much oil on grilled zucchini and I didn't care for it.

I think veges are best either in soup, or oven-roasted. Meat needs some grease, but veges are best with less grease.

I love grilled eggplant -- I slice it about 1/2" thick, brush/rub with olive oil, and grill it. It's wonderful as a side-dish with tabbouleh and hummus. Grilled eggplant also makes a great sandwich with other toppings like roasted red pepper, basil, and provolone. I also love grilled zucchini and summer squash (usually split lengthwise). Grilled sweetcorn is fantastic! In lieu of steak, try a large grilled portobello mushroom!

This post was edited by party_music50 on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 21:39