Spring has come and gone already in typical Ohio fashion! Since it cooled off so much again, we were in need of some warm hearty comfort food! After taking inventory of the kitchen, zucchini was the shining star!
Zucchini is a great source of potassium (10% recommended daily intake), folate (12.5%), vitamin A (40%), and vitamin K (10%). The percentages are the amount of sliced zucchini in 1/2 cup.
Zucchini is also a great source of vitamin C: about 30% for women and 25% for men
Many of us think of citrus fruits for vitamin C but it is in a variety of other foods, including zucchini, assorted fruits, peppers, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, and broccoli! Vitamin C does many things to help our bodies, including:
- wound healing
- is an antioxidant, meaning it helps to reduce cellular damage
- collagen synthesis- keep that skin looking young!
- increases non-heme (plant sourced) iron absorption!!
- possible help with the common cold (studies vary and are inconsistent)
Hearty Stuffed Zucchini!
Ingredients: as always.. these are estimates..
- about 1/4 of a medium sized onion
- about the same amount of green bell pepper (maybe 1/6th of the pepper?)
- 4 zucchinis, halved and cored
- 1/2 a package of tofu, (I used already cubed bc I’m lazy! but use whatever one you like)
- 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
- about 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- thyme, dried
- tarragon, dried
- rosemary (1 sprig, chopped up)
- salt
- agave nectar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Begin by cooking the couscous per manufactures directions. I like to just put mine in my rice cooker and it works pretty good! Just make sure to keep checking it, I’m not sure if it pops up quite like it does when its making rice. Set aside when finished cooking.
Next I put a little olive oil in my pan and let it heat up on high. Then I chopped up my onions and peppers and added them to the pan.
While the onions and peppers were cooking, I cored my zucchini. I originally thought that I was doing something else so I cut off the ends but I don’t think that I would cut them off if I had known I was going to use them as the shell. There is probably a way easier way to do this as well but I this is how I cored my zucchini:
slowly… in sections… any better ideas, please let me know… i looked online and other people had a tool that I lack…
I took the inside of one zucchini, chopped it up and added it to my onion and pepper mix.
I also then added the tofu.
If you notice in the picture.. I feel like I have been cutting my onion too small and then by the time I’m finished with the recipe they arent as present as I would like them to be… I think I’m going to start to chop them a little bigger.. I have a slight fear of too much onion but I think I’m working on it!
Once you feel like the mix is almost finished add garlic and a sprinkle of salt.
Once everything is finished, mix with couscous in a bowl
Then add rosemary, thyme, tarragon, salt to taste…. I know this is horribly vague and I’m sorry.. I know for sure that I added 1 sprig of rosemary and about 1/2 tsp of salt. The thyme and tarragon, I used dried herbs and really just sprinkled, stirred, tasted, sprinkled, stirred tasted.. its a little trial and error.
Place zucchini shells in a foil lined pan (for easy clean up!) Drizzle with agave nectar (optional).
Scoop mixture into shells, cover and cook in oven for about 35-45 minutes or until zucchini shells are tender.
Serve and enjoy!
Originally I tried to make this carrot side… it was a bust but 2 of these were plenty enough for a meal!
Jake added a little soy sauce to his and said he really like that addition just for an FYI if others would like to do so as well!
but where's the protein? 