Zucchini a la Greque

Last year I came up with about a dozen new ways to cook zucchini.  I knew it played well with a lot of things but quite frankly I was surprised at exactly how flexible it was.  I'd always used zucchini with tomato based dishes.  This year, I was hoping to find another great mix of new zucchini dishes.  Maybe I've not hunted well enought, but most of them have been kind of re-treads.  So, when I found this clipping calling for garbanzo beans, I was intrigued.  From the typeset, it looks like it may have come out of Taste of Home magazine.  I made a few changes and will make a couple more next time I make it.  For starters, I'd mix the garbanzo beans with a little olive oil, garlic and oregano before pulsing them in the food processor.  Second, I'd toast the panko before putting it on top and would skip drizzling it with olive oil.  It's another small pan but worth the extra effort.  I did make one big change this time - I added about a dozen chopped kalamata olives.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 medium zucchini
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 T olive oil
1/2 c diced tomatoes
1/2 c chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
12 kalamata olives, chopped
3 T crumbled feta cheese (don't use the packages of pre-crumbled unless you want it to taste like ground up cardboard!)
2 sprigs fresh oregano
salt & pepper
2 T panko toasted in 2 t olive oil

Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scrap out the centers, leaving 1/4" borders.

Reserve the scrapings.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Add the tomatoes, zucchini scrapings and garlic and saute until softened. 

Put the zucchini in a microwave safe dish and add 1 T of water.  Microwave for 2 minutes.  Drain.  Pulse the garbanzo beans in a food processor (I'd add about 1 T olive oil and a minced garlic clove and a sprig of oregano)  Once the beans are well chopped, spoon them into the zucchini boats.  Add half the feta to the tomato mixture.  Spoon that on top of the garbanzo beans then top with the chopped olives, the rest of the feta and the toasted panko.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

I believe this is adapted from Taste of Home.