Mexican zucchini boats

Filled with the easy goodness of quinoa and black beans, smothered with spicy enchilada sauce and baked to perfection. Sound good? That’s what Mexican zucchini boats are all about. This easy, no fuss recipe delivers the enchiladas flavor you crave resting on tender baked zucchini for the satisfying comforting experience we all deserve.

Make a quick enchilada sauce

Super-easy enchilada sauce calling. I used a quick foundation of vegetable broth with tomato paste with a bit of garlic mixed with chili powder, smoked paprika and oregano. To bring a bit of creaminess and slightly cheesy flavor, add a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast and you are saucing in minutes. The great bit about this sauce it that it can simmer on low while you cook that quick quinoa and prep everything else.

Quinoa and beans – MFEO

That’s code for ‘made for each other’ and when it comes to a protein punch, beans and quinoa happily deliver it. When I’m creating recipes and I’m thinking no fuss, quinoa immediately springs to mind. It’s just too easy and quick to prepare to be denied. Now, if you find quinoa a bit bitter, I’ll let you in on the big secret to perfect quinoa – rinse it. It’s that simple.

How to cook quinoa

If you struggle to get quinoa that fluffs up, try cooking it with the lid off. That cuts out the steam factor in the cooking process, so the quinoa holds less of the moisture. Cooking quinoa is a lot like cooking rice. You want to use a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to liquid. I simply rinse the quinoa, toss it in the pan, add the water, stir, let it come to a boil and then simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. If you have one, try to use a pot with higher sides so that you don’t have a splash-over. No time to waste cleaning the stove.

Quality indicators

I used a can of black beans for this recipe. Turns out, when it comes to beans, not all cans are created equally. We often hear about quality and certainly brands want us to be loyal, but what exactly does the elusive term quality actually mean?

When you start staring at the shelves of beans, you want to start with the label. It should tell you everything. If it doesn’t, try another can. You want just beans, please. No added sugar or salt. The American Heart Association has easy advice here – look for beans that contain no or low sodium.   Salt is used to preserve beans and other canned vegetables (and sometimes fruit), so brands that have no salt are going to expire more quickly. Just a thought that when you read the label, check out date, just to be sure. That’s rarely a problem because most canned foods have an extremely long shelf life.

BPA (bisphenol A)

There has been increasing concern about BPA which is found in plastics and some cans. Some research has demonstrated that BPA can have health risks to children and potential links between BPA and blood pressure. As concern has increased amongst the public, so has the demand for BPA-free products, including cans. If you have concerns about BPA and can’t find canned goods, there are often options to find glass jars, although you may want to consider if the lids contain trace BPA. Often, as the Guardian reminds us, there is a dilemma between the good things you want, like low or no sodium or organic versus the container your beans are stored in.

Preparing zucchini boats

Zucchini halves serves as the vessel for the filling and sauce. It’s really easy to prep because all you need to do it trim off the ends, cut them in half and make your boats. I found that using a teaspoon is particularly helpful for this. You want to be sure that you just scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh, leaving the ends with enough that you keep the filling from falling out over the end.

Prepping the zucchini should take about 10 minutes at the most which is just enough time to prep the onion and green pepper. I only used half a green pepper for this recipe, but if your pepper is small, use the entire thing. Your aim is to not overpower the filling.

Learning curve

This is super-easy recipe that doesn’t taste like it. That said, I learned a practical cooking tip – get the straightest zucchinis you can find. It won’t change a thing about the taste, it’s just easier to fit them into your baking dish. I never thought twice the first time I tried this recipe, but let’s not complicate our comfort food my making the source too difficult to fit into the pan.

Comfort food starts here

That feeling of well-being you can experience after eating something that not only tastes good and leaves you satisfied, but make you feel better. That’s my idea of comfort food. I have to admit that Mexican zucchini boats surprised me at how good they made us feel after having them. Possibly it was the slow release of energy (carbohydrates) from the fiber of the beans, quinoa and zucchini. What I can say is that eating something really delicious that is highly nutritious is a high I can definitely live with – and live better with.

Because there’s just not enough comfort sometimes, I made my go-to avocado salsa. It’s the same one I use for white bean chili with polenta fries. The result is always the same. Just the right burst of crisp, fresh and spicy to make a special dish even more special.

Final thoughts

Food is complicated. At least for me, it’s always been filled with complications and trade offs. It’s tension between getting a quick fix from something unhealthy with making something that will keep me feeling good or what’s in the can with the can itself. The balancing act is always present, but perhaps we can take at least one ball out-of-the air, maybe trade hummus for a chocolate bar and put at least one ball on the table. Peace.

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