The Love (Zucchini) Boat

Girl On Top Catering (my biz) is still working one on one with sponsored marathon runner Dan  Czerwonka to create healthy meals to best benefit his training for the upcoming SF Ultra Marathon. One of our recent dishes was so wonderful I couldn't keep it all to myself and had share; get ready to make a Zucchini Love Boat!

Did you know that zucchini...

• Has 10% of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.
• A one cup serving of zucchini contains over 10% of the recommended daily amount of magnesium, a mineral proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Along with magnesium, the potassium found in zucchini helps lower blood pressure.
• Zucchini is high in the vitamins C and A, as well as folate, which all act as powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress that can lead to many different types of cancer.

And the best of all for our running friend the vitamins C and A not only serve the body as powerful antioxidants, but also as effective anti-inflammatory agents. And that is a great aid in recovery after runs. So basically this summer squash is a tasty, healing, and vitamin packed vegetable that should find its way onto your kitchen table ASAP. 

**source: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-zucchini.html**

This most recent Farmer's Market I went to had zucchini's the size of arm, and I thought to myself "self, let's get a couple of these and make some zucchini boats!"

So for your eating pleasure...

Zucchini Love Boats

(serves 4-6)

Gluten Free

Ingredients: 

2 LARGE zucchinis (or 3 medium)

1 large heirloom tomato (finely chopped)

1 red bell pepper (seeded and finely chopped)

1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely)

1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pepper to taste

Spinach Cheeze Filling

1 cup cashews

1 1/2 cup packed spinach

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup veggie broth

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic (pressed)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Toppings (optional):

The Basil Sun Dried Tomato Cashew Cheeze  from An Heirloom Affair: http://delishdishchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/07/heirloom-affair.html
1-2 tablespoons dried parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step one on this enjoyable healthy quest is to cut the ends of your zucchinis off, and then cut them in half long ways. Once they are open get a spoon and carve out the insides of the zucchini. Make sure you leave enough of a wall all around the zucchini boat so that your filling won't spill out, and not to thin so the zucchini boats don't break. Take all of the carved out insides and place them in a bowl. Add all the other veggies and stir together to make sure the flavors mingle. Set aside.

The Manfriend wanted a fork to in the shot to show how big the zucchinis are :)

Next get your spinach cheeze filling ready to roll. Place all the ingredients in your blender or food processor and blend together until a nice creamy texture is achieved. At this time you can also make the other cashew cheeze for the topping as well. Or if you plan dinners ahead of time maybe you have some left over from the Eggplant Stack (that's what happened in my kitchen, and I needed a new tasty vehicle to use for my leftover cheeze!)

Now it is assembly time... place your boats in a baking dish. I used a 9x13 casserole dish. Spoon the veggie filling into the zucchini, but not too much because there is more to come! Then pour the spinach cheeze filling over the veggies, and then put more of the veggie filling on top of that. At this point you can add The Basil Sun Dried Tomato Cheeze on top and then sprinkle parsley over everything.

Pop these beauties in the the oven for 20 minutes, take them out let them cool for 5 minutes and serve. You and your lucky recipients will be munching on a meal filled with vitamins, iron, protein, fiber, and more!