Our neighbour gave us two giant zuchinnis, so I made a large batch of stuffed zuchinni. Now I don’t have to cook this weekend
The day before making this dish, I cooked 1 cup of quinoa.
To cook the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups water
Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the water boils, then lower the heat and let simmer until all the water evaporates. Put a lid on the pot and leave it for about 10 minutes, then mix it up so the top finishes cooking with the heat from the rest of the grains.
The next day, I hollowed out the zuchinni and set it aside, reserving the “meat” of the zuchinni in a bowl.
I melted about a tablespoon of vegan margarine (regular margarine or butter works, too) in a large skillet, then added the zuchinni’s insides.
I added Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder (to save time; you could use fresh onions and garlic too–if so, fry them before adding the zuchinni).
Then I added a large can of diced tomatoes & herbs.
And a very large helping of spinach that I wanted to use up.
Mix it up and cook until the spinach is cooked down.
After this point I forgot to take pictures but the steps are as follows:
I added a little bit of tomato sauce that I wanted to use up.
Then I let the whole thing simmer until most of the liquid was evaporated.
Turn oven on to 350 F.
In a baking pan, add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom. Put 2 zuchinni halves into the baking pan, and then scoop the skillet mixture into the hollowed out zuchinni. If you want to keep it vegan, bake as is, or if you’re good with cheese, sprinkle some parmesan on top (that’s what I did).
Bake for 20 minutes if you prefer the zuchinni a little crunchy, 25-30 if you prefer it very soft.
Enjoy! I did
P.S. This dish was isnpired by the children’s picture book “What’s cooking, Jamela?”