Food Bloggers L.A. Celebrate Zillions of Zucchini and Tons of Tomatoes!

We feel your pain, yes we do.

The Food Bloggers Los Angeles group knows exactly what you’re thinking when you walk out to the back yard and see another four zucchini ready to use and growing more gargantuan by the day. Didn’t you just pick two the other day, and three last week?

We, too, wish we could spread home-grown tomato season out a bit more, say, from January to, oh, November, instead of receiving the glut of goodness centered on a month or two in the summer.

Ah well, the rhythms of nature being what they are, here we are, coming to your rescue with a wonderful batch of recipes to make good use of your summer bounty of zukes and ‘maters.

We had a groaning table filled with appetizers, salads, breads, soup, casseroles and cobblers for our August meeting, all centered around zucchini and tomatoes.

Appetizers

I (Shockingly Delicious) brought my Tapenade Tomatoes, which are easy to pop in your mouth…one after another.

Kim of Rustic Garden Bistro brought Backyard Bruschetta – so fresh, so delicious, and she has 5 ½ rules why you should make her recipe. Really!

Soup, Salad and Bread

Nancy of Adventures with Nancy Rose brought a fresh, crunchy, tangy Farmer’s Chop Suey, an heirloom recipe from her Chicago roots. Topped with crunchy Chinese fried noodles and served in little takeout containers, it was charming!

Judy of Two Broads Abroad wowed us with Red and Green Gazpacho in little tasting spoons (foodie swoon!)…

…and a yummy Banana Zucchini Bread.

New member David of Men Who Like to Cook brought a beguiling, zippy Vietnamese Style Hot Pickled Zucchini, Cabbage and Carrot Salad.

Paulette of Girl + Fire sailed in with a plate of addictive Savory Feta & Tomato Biscuits that I couldn’t keep away from. Tangy with yogurt and feta, the leftovers leaped into my arms to go home with me. I  happily ate them for breakfast the next day.

Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends arrived bearing an intriguing Avocado Zucchini Bread with Olive Oil. Who did she think she was, getting some good fats into us?

 Mains

FBLA co-founder and the day’s hostess, Erika of In Erika’s Kitchen, made a comforting Tomato Cobbler with Fennel Pollen.

Lynne of Cook and Be Merry brought an exacting, perfectly posed Zucchini Tomato Tian. We teased her about using a mandolin, but it turns out she did all that knife work…with an actual knife!

And David from Men Who Like to Cook brought a second dish – a saucy Roasted Tomato-Garlic Corn Pasta.

Desserts

Adair of Lentil Breakdown amused us, as usual, with her witty dessert called Banana Yogurt Spoonie. Read her explanation of why this is the “Rain Man of yogurt refreshments.” Nah, it doesn’t have even a hint of tomato or zucchini, but she figured correctly that we would want something else after all that red and green.

So did Lynne of Cook and Be Merry, who also brought a non-theme dessert — the sweet and decadent Gooey Butter Cake. Luckily, she cut it into tiny squares, so we had less guilt when we had three pieces.

What else do we do at a FBLA meeting besides eat and talk incessantly about food? Take pictures of our food!

If you’re a Los Angeles-area food blogger and would like to join us, chat with us on our Facebook page, where we announce future meetings (under events).

And now, would you like to see FBLA members’ great recipes for zucchini- and tomato-glut time? We thought so…

Tagged as: FBLA, Food Bloggers Los Angeles, Tapendade Tomatoes