Vegan
(4 Servings)
1 cup Quinoa
1 3/4 cup Water
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder (divided)
4 "8 Ball" Zucchinis
4 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted (divided)
1 Maitake Mushroom cluster, pulled apart into pieces
4 Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
1 small Shallot, julienne
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 cup Pinot Griego (or any white wine)
10 Shishito Peppers, sliced into rounds, with seeds
Salt/Pepper
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 475°F.
In a small sauce pot put the quinoa, water, onion powder, 2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cook about 20 minutes.
Cut each "8 Ball" Zucchini in half and gut the inside with a spoon to make 8 zucchini cups. Reserve the inside zucchini meat. Rub them with a small amount of the melted coconut oil to evenly coat the inside and outside. Season well with salt, pepper, and about 1 tsp of the garlic powder, put on a small sheet tray and set aside.
Give a rough chop to the reserved zucchini meat, set aside.
Put a large sauté pan on high heat with 3 tbsp of coconut oil. Once the pan is hot and the oil is viscous, add all the mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute, then add the shallots.
Sauté until the mushrooms and shallots are slightly caramelized. Add the reserved zucchini meat with the basil and paprika. Next add the white wine and then turn down the heat to a medium-low heat and cook until the wine is reduced down, almost until the pan is dry. Season well with salt and pepper. Then add the sliced shishitos and sauté. Once the shishitos are bright green, less than a minute, turn off the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl fluff the quinoa with a fork and add the mushroom zucchini mix, put aside.
Put the zucchini cups in the oven for exactly 5 minutes. After the zucchinis come out of the oven put them on a serving plate and spoon them with the mushroom quinoa mix.
You will most likely have extra stuffing for leftovers depending on the size of your zucchinis. Enjoy!
