Zucchini "Pizza" Boats


OK. Someone in vegan blog land posted a veganized version of this recipe, originally from theKitchn.com, but I cannot for the life of me find who it was! Anyway, thank you!! I have made these twice in the past week, so to say they were a hit in our house is an understatement. Of course, I switched things up a bit from the original post, using vegan cream cheese and Daiya in lieu of Teese. The boyfriend swears they are like little pizza slices, crispy and gooey all at once. All I know is that they are freaking tasty! Hope you like them too! 

Serves 2 as a main course, 4-6 as a side


Ingredients
4 small to medium sized zucchinis
Follow Your Heart vegan cream cheese (or any other soft, white vegan cheese)
1C grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
8-12 small green olives, pitted and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh basil, sliced thinly
Breadcrumbs (I used Panko...as usual)


Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut zucchinis length–wise and scoop out about 1/2 inch of the very center squash...gently! If you scoop too hard, the zucchini wil break (like mine did). Your indentations will be small and it doesn't have to be precise, just enough so you can squish some cheese and olives in there. Drizzle the hollowed squash with a little bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, until squash gives a little to the touch.


Remove par-baked zucchini and dot with tiny spoonfuls of cream cheese and halved grape tomatoes. Squish olives into the soft cheese. Do your best to get as many of these items onto the zucchini as possible. Drizzle with a teensy bit more olive oil, sprinkle fresh basil slivers and bread crumbs generously over the top. Don't be shy here. Drizzle a little more olive oil, season again with a bit of salt and pepper.


Increase the oven heat to 450°F and cook for another 10-15 minutes. When bread crumbs are golden and cheese is melted, the zucchini boats are done. If you're serving these as a main, an heirloom tomato salad or a little bit of brown rice or quinoa works well. Last time I made a little brown rice pasta corkscrews mixed with garlic, Parmela and oil. YUMM-O!

Comments

  1. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. The vegan cheese issue rears its ugly head again! I really want to try this ... and I really hope I like it. It looks SO good.

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  2. It's such a small amount of "cheese". You could even skip the Daiya and just use the cream cheese. It would still be just as good! If you get a chance, pick up some Parmela at Rainbow. It's a nut version of shake on parm and it is fantastic!

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  3. It is REALLY good! Like I said, I've made it twice in the past week already! :D

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