So, if you’ve been following me and my page long you may have noticed that I have a tendency to develop recipes that fit into one of two categories: foods that are stuffed with other foods and things that have been miniaturized. The reason for this is simple: I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. I’m not sure why I do it to myself, but I love to scroll through the endless collections of trendy, cute and downright crazy recipes on Pinterest. I recognize that I will never ever eat a dessert made out of Oreo Coookies again as long as I live and I probably won’t ever be the type of mom who makes a three tiered “Oh The Places You Go” themed birthday cake, but I love to look at the pictures because they are fun and cute and beautiful, and then I take that inspiration back to my kitchen and set out to prove to the world that you don’t need food coloring, bread crumbs or sugar to make food look cute and fun. Real food can be just as fun and it actually nourishes your body!

These stuffed zucchini are super easy and really delicious, especially with the sauce. This sauce recipe has really nice ooey gooey texture that is similar to melted cheese which really adds to the experience of these little beauties. I’m sure I will be referencing this sauce recipe often in the future. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy making beautiful, Pinterest worthy, real food so that we can show the world that healthy food and its wonderful healing effects are worth some attention!

Stuffed Zucchini (AIP/Paleo):

Ingredients:

4-6 Large zucchini

1 lb ground beef

1 cup plus 2 TBS of dairy free white sauce (see recipe below)

5 medium mushroom caps, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic , minced

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan cook your ground beef and break into small crumbles. In a large mixing bowl combine your mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and oregano. Cut the stems off of your zucchini and then cut them in half length wise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of the zucchini creating a boat shape. Chop up the insides of the zucchini and add it to the mixing bowl. Add your ground beef and 1 cup of sauce to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place your zucchini boats into a large glass baking dish and spoon your filling into the boats. Sprinkle the tops of the boats with a tad more salt and oregano if desired. If you have extra filling spoon it into the dish around the zucchini. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Drizzle the rest of your sauce over the tops of the zucchini, serve and enjoy.

Dairy Free White Sauce Recipe: (AIP/Paleo)

Ingredients:

3 TBS coconut Oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 TBS arrowroot powder

¼ cup of white wine or bone broth

1 14 oz. can of full fat coconut milk

¼ tsp sea salt

Directions:

In a medium saucepan melt your coconut oil over medium heat. Add in your garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in your arrowroot powder whisking continuously. Whisk until the sauce thickens. If it doesn’t thicken enough add in more arrowroot. Pour in your wine or broth, followed by the coconut milk. Whisk continuously until it thickens and add in your salt. If for some reason the arrowroot leaves lumps in the sauce pour it into your food processor and blend until smooth.