First of all I want to apologize for the picture, it was taken by my mobile phone :)
This is a dish inspired from a traditional one, in which usually the zucchinis are stuffed with rice, ground beef and they are served with the classic Greek Egg and Lemon sauce (I will also post that recipe soon). In this lighter and vegan version, I use mushrooms instead of meat and I’m serving the zucchinis with Greek Yogurt which is just the perfect companion to rice..
Ingredients
8 -10 fresh light green medium in size zucchinis
1 cup rice (preferably Italian style but I also use basmati pretty often)
1 cup fresh white or shitake mushrooms cut into small pieces
2 onions, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 tablespoons chopped dill
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 cup olive oil
Warm water
Salt and a lot of pepper
How to make
Cut the ends of the zucchinis and using a small spoon remove their pulp and keep aside. You can cut them in half if you think that hulling them whole is challenging. If you want you can do those lines - marks that you see on the skin of the zucchinis using a fork. Discard the seeds but keep some of the seedless pulp. Using a pan over medium-high heat add the olive oil and when it’s hot add the onions. When the onions are soft but not colored, add the mushrooms and then carrot, zucchini pulp, dill, mint and parsley, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 -3 minutes and add the rice. Stir so the rice absorbs all most of the flavorful juices and add the lemon zest. Add 1 cup of water and stir for a minute.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool down for 15 minutes.
Using a teasoon, stuff the zucchinis and place them in a wide pot. Try to place them tight together as close as possible. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and pour some hot water so it reaches the middle of the zucchinis, Add Salt and pepper.
Put a plate on top of the zucchinis (we need the weight, don’t worry your dish wont brake) and cover with lid.
Cook on medium heat for one hour with the lid closed, but check in 30 minutes to make sure that the food has enough water.
Serve two zucchinis per portion with the Greek yoghurt on the side.
Enjoy!!!