Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini Boats: ChefMD®
Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, July 30 and November 19, 2006
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The fountain of youth starts in the kitchen according to Dr. John La Puma. He explains how zucchini is loaded with lutein, an antioxidant good for the eyes. Did you know that zucchini is not a vegetable but a fruit? And that the bright yellow flower on a small zucchini is edible? A cup of zucchini has 4 grams of fiber and only 35 calories. One delicious way to serve zucchini is to stuff it. There are many healthy possibilities, but whole grain quinoa is a super choice. Quinoa fights cancer and infection. Try the healthy ChefMD approved recipe for zucchini boats stuffed with quinoa and lima beans and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds!
Quinoa-Stuffed Whole Zucchini with Cheese
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
4 servings
319 calories per serving, 26% from fat
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (see tips)
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
2 large zucchini squash (about 1½ pounds)
1½ teaspoons garlic-infused olive oil
1 cup tomatillo salsa or salsa verde, such as Frontera or Arriba brands
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled farmer cheese
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (optional)
Preparation:
Combine quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer gently 10 minutes. Stir in lima beans; continue to simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, cut zucchini lengthwise in half. Cut out and discard pit. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out flesh leaving a 1/3-inch-thick shell. Chop flesh and set aside. Place hollowed chayote halves in microwave-safe dish. Cover with vented plastic wrap and cook at high power 5 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, then chopped squash pulp; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add salsa; simmer 3 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir ½ cup of salsa mixture into quinoa mixture. Arrange cooked squash halves, cut side up on four serving plates; sprinkle with salt. Mound remaining salsa mixture into the squash halves. Spoon quinoa mixture onto and around squash; top with cheese and cilantro. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of pumpkin or sunflower seeds over each serving, if desired.
Substitutions:
This is an easily adaptable recipe that works well with whatever you have in the kitchen. Vegetable broth may replace chicken broth, and flat-leaf parsley may replace cilantro. Shelled soy beans (edamame) may replace lima beans, and extra-virgin olive oil may replace garlic-infused olive oil.
Tips:
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is a weed from the high Andes. For all practical purposes, however, it is treated as a grain. Do not rinse the quinoa or rinse very quickly. Rinsing washes away the naturally occurring saponins, slightly bitter substances that ward off the plant's would-be predators and that may have beneficial nutritional effects for humans.
Nutritional Analysis:
Total fat (g) 9.2
Fat calories (kc) 49
Cholesterol (mg) 0.5
Saturated fat (g) 3.9
Polyunsaturated fat (g) 1.5
Monounsaturated fat (g) 2.2
Fiber (g) 9.0
Carbohydrates (g) 64
Sugar (g) 7.8
Protein (g) 13.0
Sodium (mg) 944
Calcium (mg) 118
Magnesium (mg) 188
Zinc (mg) 2.1
Selenium (mcg) 6
Potassium (mg) 1369
Flavonoids (mg) 0.9
Lycopene (mg) 16.8
Fish (oz) 0
Nuts (oz) 0
Vitamin A (RE) 90
Beta-carotene (RE) 454
Vitamin C (mg) 23
Vitamin E (mg) 0.4
Thiamin B1 (mg) 0.4
Riboflavin B2 (mg) 0.3
Niacin B3 (mg) 4.8
Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.5
Folic acid (mcg) 62
Vitamin B12 (mcg) 0.1