Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

 

Ingredients

• 3 medium, uniformly-sized zucchini
• 1 (24 to 26 ounce) jar tomato basil marinara, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped brown button mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shaved or shredded Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons Italian style panko bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside.
2. Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh (see recipe note), chop it and set it aside. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13" x 9" baking dish and add about 1" of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a 12" skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add turkey (or beef), onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off as much grease as possible and return the skillet to the heat.
4. Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara in jar (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce.
6. Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is fork tender. Remove dish from oven and set oven to BROIL.
7. Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan and the panko bread crumbs. Place dish in oven, watching closely, and cook for just a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.

Recipe Notes

My tip for scraping out zucchini flesh. Use a sharp knife to lightly score the zucchini to outline the area you want to scoop out being very careful not to cut through. You just want an outline. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape the flesh out and on to a cutting board.

Soufflé de Chuchu

Ingredientes
4 ovos
4 Chuchus
2 colheres de sopa de farinha
1 colher de sobremesa de manteiga
1 colher de chá de fermento
1 cebola pequena
Salsa
Sal
Pimenta
Noz moscada
Preparação
Descasque os Chuchus e meta-os a cozer em água com um pouco de sal. Depois de cozidos, esmague-os com um garfo e de seguida, passe-os num passador para escorrer bem a água. Deixe-os a repousar e a arrefecer.
Entretanto separe as gemas das claras de ovo e bata as claras em castelo.
Aos Chuchus já esmagados, junte a cebola ralada, a manteiga, a farinha, o fermento, as gemas e tempere ao seu gosto. Envolva e amasse tudo muito bem e finalmente, junte as claras.
Unte um pirex com manteiga e farinha onde depois vai colocar o preparado. O seu Soufflé vai a cozer em forno pré-aquecido a 175º durante 30 a 40 minutos.

Beringelas recheadas

Ingredientes:
1 berinjela média
40 g de cebola picadinha
40 g de cenoura em cubinhos
40 g de milho
20 g de pimentão vermelho picado
60 g de alho-poró em rodelas
60 g de repolho ou acelga em tiras
4 tomates cherry
2 colheres (chá) de óleo de coco
Sal, alho em pó e orégano a gosto.
Preparação:
Corte a berinjela ao meio e coza as duas metades dentro de água com sal durante aproximadamente 30 minutos para que perca o seu sabor amargo. Retire da água e escave cuidadosamente o interior da berinjela com a ajuda de uma faca. Corte o interior da berinjela em cubos pequenos.
Coloque a cebola picada com o óleo de coco numa frigideira. Junte também o pimentão e os cubinhos de berinjela e deixe cozinhar até amolecer. Junte a cenoura, o milho, o alho-poró e o repolho e deixe dourar. Tempere com sal e alho em pó a gosto e deixe cozinhar mais um pouco até os legumes ficarem macios.
Coloque as duas metades da berinjela no micro-ondas cerca de 5 minutos (com a potência máxima) para que amoleça e não demore tanto a cozinhar no forno.
Recheie as metades da berinjela com o preparado anterior, salpique com orégãos. Corte o tomate cherry ao meio e coloque por cima do recheio. Leve ao forno pré-aquecido a 200ºC durante aproximadamente 25 minutos ou até que a berinjela esteja assada.

KFC COLESLAW

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage (approx. 1 head)
1/4 cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
2 tablespoons minced onion

Directions:
* Be sure cabbage and carrots are chopped into very fine pieces (a little bigger than rice)
* Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in large bowl. Beat until smooth
* Add cabbage, carrots, and onions. Mix well.
* Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, if you let it sit over night it's even better

Cauliflower Buffalo Bites

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, washed and broken up into small florets
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. of your favorite hot wing sauce

Directions
Pre heat oven to 425
Toss cauliflower with olive oil and distribute evenly.
Combine garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl. Toss spice mixture over cauliflower and mix well, making sure all the cauliflower is coated in the spices.
Spread cauliflower out on a rimmed baking sheet a roast for 20 minutes.
Toss with wing sauce and serve with your favorite blue cheese dressing for dipping. Enjoy!

Makes about 2 cups.

Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Ingredients: Make 4-6 servings
2 medium-sized zucchini, cut in slices or half-moon slices
2 medium-sized yellow squash, cut in slices or half-moon slices
2-4 T chopped fresh basil (or even less, depending on how much you like the flavor of basil)
2 T thinly sliced green onion
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup + 1/2 cup low-fat Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (I would use a little less if you only have the very finely grated Parmesan from a can)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8" x 8" baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. Wash the squash and cut in slices or half-moon slices. Wash basil, spin dry or dry with paper towels and finely chop. Slice green onions.

Combine the sliced squash, chopped basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder, and both kinds of cheese and stir together until the veggies are coated with cheese and the herbs are well-distributed. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes.

When the zucchini is nearly cooked through, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Put the dish back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and zucchini is fully cooked. Serve hot.