OMG- I think I made a casserole

Casserole is not one of my favorite words. However, I think it aptly describes our dinner tonight, a summery, yes summery, creation that T said to please make again very soon. My mom used to make a dressing of rice and beef, cooked with onions and garlic, stuff it in green bell peppers, top with homemade buttery croutons and bake. They were a comfort food that I remember being a consistent presence on our dinner table. Tom just can't love green peppers; it's taken 8 years of work to get him to tolerate red, yellow and orange ones if cooked and well mixed into something else. So using them as the serving bowl just would not suffice.

Summer squash is everywhere right now if you haven't noticed. As if it is a healthy, vegetal tsunami, you almost can't get away from its ongoing harvest. But it is at its peak, so crisp and good, just begging to be used in myriad ways. So, OK. I bought a large one, sliced into slim lengthwise strips and used them like lasagna noodles. Interspersed among three layers of them, I put my mixture of brown rice, ground beef, onions, garlic, lemon zest and a blend of Greek yogurt, mint and ground pistachios. I drizzled the whole thing with olive oil, baked and served with the remaining yogurt sauce. Yum and quite light. I'll post the recipe for you!