Nomz o' Clock: Zucchini Boats


 
snack time! 

D & i are tryin to spend more time in the kitchen and we're trying to eat healthier. because you know, having too many burgers have made us gain a couple of pounds. yikes! also, we've become really bored with our eating routines--which usually consist of going to el pollo loco or eating chips and hummus. so when my college buddy Kane (who runs the My Fresh Bite instagram) posted this photo i decided to give it a go because it looked so easy and yummy!

prep time: 10 minutes , cooking time: 15 minutes
ingredients:
  • 4 organic zucchinis (these were small btw)
  • 1 tomato (yes 2 are pictured but i only used 1!)
  • 1/3 of a crimini mushroom bag (also called baby bella mushrooms)
  • 1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • shredded mozzarella cheese (i just grabbed some from the bag, so just eyeball it)
  • 1 tbs tapatio hot sauce (optional, we love spicy so this gives it a little kick)
  • 1/4 tbs thyme (totally optional, you could probably add parsley if you want)
  • pepper  

1. cut all of your zucchinis in half, chop your tomatoes into slices and cut those into fourths 
2. preheat your oven to 375° F
3. place zucchinis on baking sheet (we foil our baking sheet because we're too lazy to have to deep clean it every time) and brush all tops with olive oil
4. sprinkle pepper to your liking on the zucchinis (we use the rainbow peppercorn grinder from trader joe's because it smells amazing! seriously, freshly ground pepper has changed my life)
5. sprinkle thyme generously (this is totally optional, i just like the way it smells)
6. add cheese to your liking 
7. add your toppings. feel free to mix them up or just individually decorate each zucchini with its own set of toppings. if you have any leftover toppings you could just toss them in on the empty space of your baking sheet
8. sprinkle with hot sauce 
9. pop in the oven for 15 minutes (depending on oven baking times some might take longer than others, i would say 15 minutes is good time to at least check on them. if you can stick a fork in the zucchini and it's too hard then leave it in for a bit longer. or you know you could eat them like that too if you like the crunch)
10. let them cool off a bit and then enjoy! yay!

a side note on hot sauce:
if you are using that fake tabasco sauce then you and i cannot be friends. for the sake of all things holy throw that garbage out and go out and get yourself some real hot sauce. drive to the nearest mexican grocery store or heck i think even your regular grocery store will have it in the mexican food aisle. if you can't find it you can totally order Tapatio online so no excuses. seriously, your taste buds will thank you.
...but if you're not that into tapatio or you're silly and can't find it, then there's always Valentina, Cholula, or my personal absolute favorite La Guacamaya (this one is tougher to find at regular grocery stores & i might be totally biased about it because it's from Sinaloa, la tierra natal, duh), just don't buy tabasco, that's basically all vinegar you're eating. gross. 

adios!

6 comments:

  1. OMG your hot sauce rant killlsss me! Miguel pretty much gave me the same rant when he moved in. So now we have tapatio & valentina (which I just sourced!!) and El Yucateco which is the shiiiiit.


    BUT if you're ever tryna make homemade chicken wings, tabasco ALLLL THE WAY.

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    Replies
    1. duuude i gotta look up el yucateco sounds yummy already. and i totally DISAGREE with you about tabasco for homemade chicken wings. ive made them without that nasty garbage, just add some vinegar. no tabasco in my house EVER, that shit isn't even mexican, made it lousiana PSSHH.

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    2. POST THE RECIPE and i shall follow. miguel's sitting next to me and laughing at alla this btw ps totally gonna try these zucchini boats. yummmm

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  2. dude i feel ya marlen, that zucchini is so tricky because you just never know what to pair it with! you can have all of my hummus and chips! i'm so over it!

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