Zucchzilla

My co-worker brought me this giant zucchini! I just had to take a picture of it and share it with you all. It was grown in her friend's back yard. I go a little crazy for fresh produce, farmers markets and good food in general. This giant zucchini, which I have named "zucchzilla" has inspired the recipe below. I hope you like getting stuffed :)

Below is a picture of steak, salad, and stuffed zucchini dinner. I omitted ground turkey to make it a lighter side dish. We already had steak as the main protein. Still it was very flavorful.

Stuff it! Zucchini
• 4 large zucchini- cut horizontally & in ½
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ red onion, chopped
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp Italian herb blend (thyme, basil, oregano)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried red chili flakes
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 cup shredded 2% mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 c spaghetti sauce


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rectangular deep baking dish w. non-stick.
2. Coat outside of sliced zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper
3. Bake seasoned Zucchini in deep baking dish for 10-15 mins until inside is slightly tender
4. While Zucchini bakes, Sautee onion, bell pepper, garlic powder, herbs, chili flakes, and ground turkey until brown, set mix aside
5. Cool baked Zucchini, scoop out seeds & a little of the inside flesh with a spoon ** Don’t tear zucchini skin **
6. Mix zucchini seeds & flesh with ground turkey mix, add mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, and egg white. Mix ingredients well.
7. Divide the mixture generously into the zucchini halves. Return filled zucchini halves into baking dish and place side-by-side.
8. Spoon spaghetti sauce over zucchini. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 10-15 mins.

* You can modify this recipe in countless ways, For a Mexican twist: replace the Mozzarella cheese with Mexican blend, use taco instead of Italian seasonings, add black beans & corn to the ground meat, and top with salsa instead of spaghetti sauce.

Souper Lunch!

My very first post on this blog has to be of my favorite soup. It is a version of a popular Thai soup called Tom Ka Gai. If you like citrus, ginger, and coconut flavors you will fall in love with this soup. I cant get enough! My version of this soup has a ton of veggies to make it more filling. Im having it for lunch today. If you try it please let me know what you think. Enjoy.

Awesome Coconut Soup

1 large chicken thigh cubed
1/2 can coconut milk
1 box fat free chicken stock
2 cups water
4 inch piece ginger peeled and cubed
1 stalk lemon grass (bruised & cut in 2inch)
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 lime peels (make long peels)
3 limes juice
3 Thai chilies diced
4 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp salt
1 tsp siracha
1 red bell pepper diced
1 can baby corn (quarter each corn)
1 handful small broccoli florets
1 handful cubed carrots
1 cup chopped bok choy
1 handful lima beans
1 handful small frozen peas in pod
10 baby portabella mushrooms diced
10-15 medium raw shrimp cubed
5 sprigs cilantro

Protein prep:

1. Marinate chicken in 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp of Lime juice.
2. Marinate shrimp in same marinade and set aside. Keep shrimp and chicken separate.

Soup Base:

1. Pour chicken stock, water, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, lime peel, lemon grass, Thai chilies, ginger, and coconut milk into deep cooking pot.

2. Bring soup base to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Taste liquid. Add salt if needed. Add water or coconut milk to adjust soup thickness and flavor to your taste. Add 1 tsp siacha for more heat. Remove lime peels.

3. Reduce heat to medium high and add marinated chicken, baby corn, bell pepper, bok choy, carrots, and broccoli. Allow soup to soft boil for 5-7mins.

4. Reduce heat to medium add frozen peas, lima beans, mushrooms, and shrimp cook for 5 mins. Remove ginger and lemon grass pieces.

5. Serve in large bowl. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!!