One

Once upon a time, long ago (well, not that long ago) when I first became a vegetarian the choices for vegetarian foods and recipes were few and far between and not nearly as abundant as they are today. However, I ran across a vegetarian cookbook that I lived by, it was called the Moosewood Cookbook. Today, the cookbook has grown into a chain of Moosewood Restaurants!

One of my favorite recipes in the book was called “Zuccanoes”. It was made out of a zucchini, cut and stuffed to look like a canoe. My son, who was three at the time, quickly made these ‘canoes’ not only his favorite meal; but his favorite toy too!

“Zuccanoes”
4 med zucchini
1-2 tbls Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cups minced onion
1 1/2 cups rice
1/2 cups minced almonds lightly toasted
1/2 lb chopped mushrooms
3 tbls lemon juice
6 medium cloves of garlic, minced
black or cayenne pepper
any combination of dried herbs (parsley, basil, dill, thyme, marjoram)
1 cup grated cheese or cheese substitute (pick a flavor!)

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise, scoop out the insides and set aside for later, leaving 1/4″ rim so that the canoe stays intact.

Heat olive oil and saute onion and salt over medium heat until onions are soft.

Mince zucchini innards and add to the onions with the mushrooms and turn up the heat. Saute for about 8 mins, stirring continuously to let the liquid evaporate. Stir in the garlic and remove from heat.

Stir in the rice, almonds and lemon juice. Add herbs and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill up the zucchini shells with mixture and tops with cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve hot and steamy!

I would decorate mine to look like a boat by adding a flag (made with a toothpick and a slice of cheese substitute), it made it more entertaining for my son!

Happy boating!

~Wind

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