monday detox.

Happy Monday!

I don't know about your weekend, but this weekend consisted of a lot of delicious but crappy/fatty food, too much alcohol, and not enough sleep for us. While it was awesome, I am feeling it today. To get myself back to normal I am making sure to eat very clean for the next few days and drinking lots and lots of water.

The little beauties in the picture above make a delicious side dish or a great light meal.

I made mine vegan but feel free to use things like regular breadcrumbs and cheese.

Vegan Zucchini Boats

servings: 4

/Ingredients/

-2 medium zucchinis

-Olive oil, for sauteing

-1/2 red pepper, chopped

-1/2 medium yellow onion (you can also use a sweet onion), chopped

-1/3 pound (a couple of handfuls) fresh mushrooms, chopped

-1/2 medium fresh tomato, chopped

-1 bunch fresh basil (or you can use a pinch of dried basil)

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1/2 cup breadcrumbs (if you are keeping it vegan make sure you are using vegan breadcrumbs!)

/Instructions/

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Trim the stem on the zucchinis, but don't cut them all the way off. Cut the zucchinis in half (lengthwise), making two boats for each zucchini. Using a pairing knife and a small spoon carefully hollow out each zucchini, leaving about 1/4 inch all around the sides and bottom. Save the zucchini parts you remove. Place the zucchini boats on an oiled baking pan or cookie sheet. Set aside.

-Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan. Add the red pepper, after a few minutes add the onion and garlic. Simmer slowly until they get soft and the onion becomes translucent, but not browned. Add the mushrooms and chopped zucchini innards. A few minutes later, add the tomatoes, chopped or dried basil, and salt and pepper.

-Simmer all of the vegetables uncovered for about 5 to 7 minutes - you don't want them to get too soft or mushy. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, strain the vegetables in a colander and SAVE the extra liquid. 

-Mix in the breadcrumbs (this will help hold everything together)

-Fill all of the zucchini boats - there should be enough filling for them to be slightly mounded.

-Baste each boat with the saved liquid

-Bake for 35-40 minutes, until boats are tender but still holding their shape. Check them often during baking to make sure they aren't getting too dry or too browned. If they are getting too browned, cover with foil for the last few minutes and baste again.

*If you are using either vegan or regular cheese, you can add it to the vegetables before stuffing the boats, or you can sprinkle the cheese on top during the last few minutes of baking.

Enjoy!