Zucchini Enchilada Boats

Have you heard of Punchfork?  It's like Pinterest meets Betty Crocker.  Well - WAY better than Betty (no offense!).

It's like an online recipe catalog.  Pure awesomeness.  Basically it's a photo of a great dish and when you click on it, it links to the recipe and credits who posted it.  It's totally addictive.  The recipes range from healthy to the opposite, as well as fun, complicated, or super easy.

I've been finding my favorite recipes and then pinning them into my Wanna Try Recipes repository.

I'll admit - I usually amend the recipes to make sure they fit our food requirements...but darn is it a fun way to find new ideas!   I can look for hours!

Today, I found these fun Zucchini Enchilada Boats.  An old nanny stopped by last week and brought us a 2 foot zucchini that we weren't sure what to do with (especially since the kids don't like Zucchini). I had it figured for the compost bin.  But alas - I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  OMG.  That's all I can say. The photo below is only 1/2 of the zucchini.  And Mike and I split one of them for dinner (I will dream of eating the other half for lunch tomorrow as I sleep tonight!).

As I mentioned, my kiddos don't eat zucchini (knowingly) so I put the "stuffing" into an organic whole wheat tortilla (still looking for a 'best' option of these) and Kaelyn loved it.  Andrew was fine as long as he closed his eyes and made a game of it. Once he saw what was inside he couldn't get past it.  What is WITH the kids who have issues with how food looks?  Drives me insane.

Here is my recipe.  It's pretty similar to the original.

Ingredients

• 4 medium to large zuchini
• 2 (about 8 oz total) small zucchini
• 1 package or jar of enchilada sauce
• 8 oz cooked shredded chicken breast 
• 1 t crushed coriander
• 1 t sea salt
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup diced green purple or red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp enchilada sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Topping:

• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (organic raw milk or grass fed)
• chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Directions

Place chicken in oiled glass dish.  Season with salt and coriander. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Boil a pot of water.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick. Chop the additional smaller zucchini to use in your stuffing.

Drop the zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 2-4 minutes, depending on how thick they are; remove from water.

In a large saute pan, heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add chopped zucchini, spinach, and cilantro; season with salt and pepper and cook about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, water, and enchilada sauce and cook a few more minutes, then add in chicken; mix and cook 3 more minutes.

Place 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large (or 2 small) baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up. Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup chicken mixture, pressing firmly. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of the stuffed zucchini boats.

Top each boat with 1 1/2 tablespoons each of shredded cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.

Top with scallions and cilantro for garnish and serve with greek yogurt if desired.

The stuffing is so good you could mix it with quinoa, top a salad, eat it with chips, etc... It's very versatile. Easy to make extra and freeze for another time...or even make on Sunday night to use later in the week.

Keeping it real! Kathy