| Fun and festive, these zucchini boats deliver an "eye | | | | The video below shows you it's as easy as 1-2-3... |
| candy" quality that help make eating your veggies a | | | | Ingredients (Serves 4) |
| bit more exciting. They're also the perfect "whole | | | | 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil |
| foods" side dish to dress up ho-hum grilled chicken or | | | | 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped |
| fish. I originally had a similar recipe for zucchini boats | | | | 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise |
| but for this recipe I decided to use goat cheese, | | | | Sea salt, to taste |
| instead. I swapped cheeses because goat cheese is | | | | Ground black pepper, to taste |
| easier to digest than feta cheese. Even though a | | | | 1/3 cup goat cheese |
| surprising 25% of the American population is lactose | | | | 1/4 cup pine nuts |
| intolerant, most lactose intolerant people can still | | | | 3 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes packed in extra |
| digest goat cheese without any problems. I made the | | | | virgin olive oil, chopped |
| switch to goat cheese so more people could enjoy | | | | 1. Preheat the broiler. |
| the recipe, but I think I actually like the taste of the | | | | 2. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large oven-proof |
| goat cheese even better than the feta cheese. So | | | | skillet (such as a cast iron skillet) over medium-high |
| that swap worked out well! | | | | heat. Add garlic and sauté briefly, until garlic just |
| I also added sundried tomatoes and an extra special | | | | starts to turn a nice golden brown. |
| pine-nut "crumb" topping. The pine nuts not only add | | | | 3. Season zucchini with salt and pepper to taste. Add |
| a fabulous richness but I recently learned pine nuts | | | | zucchini to the skillet with the garlic, pressing the |
| contain pinolenic acid, a special type of fatty acid that | | | | zucchini into the skillet lightly with your fingers. Cook |
| triggers the release of an appetite-suppressing | | | | the zucchini 2-3 minutes, or until it just begins to |
| hormone called CCK. So, even though pine nuts | | | | caramelize on the top. |
| contain a lot of fat, it's a good kind of fat that is | | | | 4. Flip the zucchini and cook an additional 2-3 minutes |
| actually very helpful if you are trying to control your | | | | on the other side. Remove the skillet from the heat. |
| appetite and lose weight. Pine nuts are also | | | | 5. Place the pine nuts in a mini food processor; |
| exceptionally nutrient-dense and rich in protein. And, | | | | process for 15 seconds to make "crumbs". |
| they make a fabulous substitute for those junky | | | | 6. Spread the goat cheese on top of the zucchini. |
| breadcrumbs made with refined flour! Anyway, the | | | | Top with sun dried tomatoes. Sprinkle pine nut |
| end result is a super simple, extra healthy, visually | | | | crumbs on top. Broil the zucchini boats about 2 |
| impressive and very tasty dish you are sure to love. | | | | minutes, or until goat cheese is melted. Serve warm. |