Ginger Chicken Stuffed Zucchini

Flipping through one of my grandma's microwave cookbooks that she authored, I found a recipe for stuffed zucchini. Her recipe calls for ground beef, cheese, corn, and bread crumbs. I decided to use her recipe as my inspiration for my next featured recipe. But, of course, I had to put my own creative twist on it, plus make it low-cal, low-fat & low-carb. 

Ginger Chicken Stuffed Zucchini 

2 medium zucchini 

2 oz sliced mushrooms (measure about 1/2 cup and then chop)

2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

1 oz jarred roasted red bell pepper

8 oz (1/2 lb) ground chicken

Salt & pepper, to taste

1. Cut washed zucchini in half lengthwise. Place 4 halves in 8"x8" microwaveable dish. Microwave on High, uncovered, for 6 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, chop onions, mushrooms, and red bell pepper, and add to a microwave-safe bowl. Add raw, ground chicken and ginger paste. Season with black pepper & salt (to your preference). Set aside. 

3. Once the zucchini finishes in the microwave, take each half and scoop out the zucchini pulp using a melon-baller or small spoon. Make sure to leave at least a quarter inch "wall" on all surrounding sides so zucchini resembles a long bowl. Set aside zucchini bowls. Chop zucchini pulp and add to ground chicken mixture, and stir to combine.

4. Cover bowl (with ground chicken mixture) with saran wrap. Microwave on High for 4 minutes. 

Remove from microwave and stir to crumble meat. If you notice any chicken that is uncooked, return to microwave, and microwave an additional 1-2 minutes, until cooked through. 

5. Once cooked, drain chicken mixture of excess liquid (I actually put my meat in a strainer to press out all the liquid that I possibly could). 

6. Return zucchini bowls to 8"x8" glass dish. If zucchini has released any excess water, blot each zucchini half with a paper towel to remove excess water.  Evenly distribute and "stuff" each zucchini with chicken. Press down gently, if needed, to keep chicken from falling out of zucchini. Microwave, covered, for 3 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Makes 4 stuffed zucchini halves. May serve each half as a light dish or side, or serve 2 halves as meal. 

Step 1:

Step 2:

 Step 3:

Steps 5 & 6:

Plated and drizzled with homemade Sriracha-Ranch:

Make this your own!

Change the ingredients to make it a different way. Get creative!

•Maybe omit the ginger, and top this with 1/4 cup marinara sauce and serve each stuffed zucchini alongside a serving of whole wheat pasta. 

•Maybe omit the ginger and mushroom, sprinkle in some cumin, and top with cheese and salsa during Step 5. 

IIFYM

Nutritional Info:

For 1 zucchini half:

For 2 zucchini halves: