700 calories per serving, 17g carbohydrates, 36g protein, 54g total fat, 17g saturated fat, 3g fiber, 130 mg cholesterol, 2040 mg sodium

Serve with cooked rice.

At the farmers’ market, cute round zucchini are irresistible. Alas, once you get them home and cut them up, they look just like their long, slender kin. But leave the zucchini whole and add a little stuffing, which does not involve anything difficult, and the outcome is always delicious and pretty. The only delicate part of stuffing vegetables is scooping out the flesh – one scoop too deep and you end up with a hole at the bottom. This filling is made with sauteed ground veal, celery, carrot, and the scooped-out zucchini flesh. For a vegetarian version, substitute cooked rice or quinoa for the meat – and of course you can stuff the classic long zucchini (below) instead of the rounds. Add a mild cheese, such as ricotta, an egg, and freshly chopped herbs, then fill the hollowed-out shells and drizzle them with a splash of olive oil. For a side dish, steam small potatoes and dust them with parsley, add a salad of freshly picked greens, then pass a bowl of native berries for dessert. Toast the local growers.

Serve with raita