Zucchini Linguine with Mango, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts

It was way past lunch time and we arrived home hungry and a bit tired. Cleaning two houses kinda does that to us sometimes.

I’m not sure why I didn’t just grab a jar of leftovers from the frig and chow it all down cold. But hunger, I’ve decided, can wait – and is much more satisfied with a meal more purposefully made.

I had accidentally ordered 8 pounds of organic zucchini from our coop, so I pulled one of those beauties out of the refrigerator. They are the perfect size – nice and small, so the seeds aren’t so THERE, if you know what I mean.

I don’t know what happened after that…I added what sounded good at the moment and this quirky dish just came together. I was about to sit down and devour it one savory bite at a time when I thought, This is something to blog about.

I hesitated.

I was hungry and my camera was upstairs, which seemed far, far away at the time. I took one bite…and tore myself away. I just had to share this – as crazy as it was and as good as it was, I didn’t want you all to miss out.

So here it is…just in time to rescue you from loads of garden zucchini – or accidentally large purchases. To keep it local, use peaches from the farmer’s market instead of mango. (I was out of peaches.)

Needless to say, I didn’t bother with food arrangement or fussing with making it look pretty. I just dumped it on the plate. Yep, that’s what this food blogger does when she’s really hungry and doesn’t think she’ll be sharing something with the rest of the world. Hello, real life!

Zucchini Linguine with Mango, Turkey Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts

Makes 1 main course serving.

Prep time is approximately 10 minutes.

3 slices Applegate Smoked turkey bacon, sliced into strips longwise.

1 zucchini, sliced thinly longwise, then sliced again to make long, thin “linguine noodles”

1/3 mango or one peach, thinly sliced

1 oz. goat cheese

1 oz. walnuts, lightly chopped

fresh ground pepper

Heat a medium skillet and grease with a small amount of butter or olive oil. Add bacon strips and saute for a couple minutes. Add zucchini strips and cook just until barely tender. Turn out onto a plate and crumble the goat cheese on top. Place the walnuts in the skillet over medium heat and toss around for a minute. Arrange mango over the zucchini, add the walnuts and douse with a good amount of fresh ground pepper.

Take a bite and write in the comment section below what you think of this combination of deliciousness. Enjoy the remainder of your meal.