Reboot - Meal - Stuffed Zucchini

By BlueSchmoo

Ingredients

• 2 Large Zucchini, Split and seeds scooped out
• 2 medium carrots peeled and minced
• 1 Celery Stalk, Minced
• 3 Dried Shitake Mushroom Caps
• 1/8-1/4 Cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 1 1/2 Cups Boiling water
• 1 Medium Shallot Minced
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/3 - 1/2 Cup Cooked Wheat Berries (or grain of your choice)
• Dry homemade bread crumbs (optional for crunch)
• Drizzle of Olive Oil to mix with bread crunbs to facilitate toasting
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I am not a fan of super salty food so season at your own discretion)

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

1. Prepare an appropriate sized baking dish that will fit the Zucchini, spray it with no stick spray, Soak

Dried mushrooms in enough boling water to cover keep submerged for about 20 mimutes, I used about 1

1/2 Cups (used soaking liquid for gravy - OPTIONAL) Pre-Heat Oven to 350 degrees (I used my NuWave oven so no

preheating necessary)

2. While the mushrooms are soaking, Place a 10" skillet over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, add the

shallots and cook stirring occasionally adding the 1/4 tsp Salt until they begin to brown slightly about 5-7

minutes, add carrot and celery and cook for another 3-4 minutes,

3. Drain the mushrooms reserving soaking liquid. Mince the mushrooms and add to the skillet, and cook for

another 2-3 minutes, stir in the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant 30 seconds to 1 minute, add

Pepper and more salt if needed.

4. Strain the mushroom soaking liquid through a fine sieve to remove small piecs of grit, Using about 1/4

cup of the soaking liquid deglaze the skillet scraping up all the browned bits. Turn off the heat and stir in the

cooked Wheat berries.

5. Place the hulled Zucchini in the prepared baking dish, sprinkle on Salt and pepper to taste, then fill with

the stuffing mixture, some may spill over, this is not a problem, Add 1/4-1/3 cup of the soaking liquid to the

baking dish this will help keep Zucchini moist while baking.

6. Cover the baking dish tighly with foil and place in preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, remove

foil check for tenderness after 30 minutes, If using mix the dried bread crumbs with a small amount of olive

oil to slightly dampen them, sprinkle on the Zucchini and place back in the oven until nice and brown

another 5-10 minutes.
______________________________
OPTIONAL - Mushroom Gravy
I used the the remainder of the reserved soaking liquid for gravy, Place soaking liquid is a small saucepan

and heat gently, I whisked Whole Wheat Pastry flour into the liquid using a very fine strainer, or you could

use Wondra flour the strainer helps it disperse evenly, whisk to blend and then heat through until desired

thickness is reached I probably used about 1 tsp flour in this step, amounts will vary depending on thickness desired. Salt and Pepper to taste, serve over Zucchini and Mashed Cauliflower/Potatoes (cook 1/2 Cauliflower 1/2 potatoes then mash together).