A very popular dish amongst Lebanese housewives. Recipes have been passed down from generation to generation with many twists and tricks.
This is one of my absolute favorite dishes. I love it so much that I am almost unable to stop eating before being as stuffed as these zucchinis
In order to maintain its delicious taste but at the same time make it healthier, I aimed to find a replacement for the rice – CAULIFLOWER
Rice is considered to be a “bad carb”, while Brown rice is a bit better, it still is a carb with both of these having the same amount of calories.
Keep scrolling down for the recipe and to see how I switched the rice with CAULIFLOWER – a much healthier ingredient.
Cauliflower is being used in many recipes to replace ingredients containing carbs like rice and flour. It is an antioxidant that is highly concentrated in vitamin C, magnesium, proteins, fibers, and potassium… among others. It protects your stomach from bacterial overgrowth.
Cut the hard core and stalks from the cauliflower and pulse the rest in a food processor to make grains the size of rice. Transfer to a clean towel or paper towel and press to remove any excess moisture, which can make your dish soggy.”
Another fun fact: One cup of cooked rice = 206 calories, while 1 cup of cooked cauliflower = 27 calories.
Number of servings : 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 white medium zucchini
- 1 small onion (minced)
- 2 glove garlic (minced)
- 125 g beef or lamb (minced)
- ½ Tbsp. coconut oil (canola oil, vegetable oil…)
- 1 cup 0% fat plain yoghurt
- ½ Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 cup cauliflower rice ( 150g)
- Salt, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin and dry mint
- 1 head tomato (chopped in small cubes)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Trim tops and small brown bases of zucchinis. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Using a vegetable corer, remove center from zucchinis, leaving a 5 mm shell. Place in water as you go.
- In a skillet at a medium heat, add coconut oil and minced onions than minced garlic until it’s translucent.
- Add the meat and the spices (salt, black pepper, cinnamon) and cook until it’s brownish and no longer pink.
- When the meat is done remove from heat add the cauliflower rice and mix well and set aside to cool a little bit.
- In a bowl mix the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp. water and mix well than add the yoghurt, cumin, salt, black pepper and dry mint. Whisk them very well!
- Transfer the yoghurt mixture to a medium pot, and stir the yoghurt. Don’t stop until it is warm enough or it will curdle.
- Pour over the zucchini and keep stirring on medium heat and bring to simmer.( approx. 10 minutes)
- Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the zucchini are soft and soaked with yogurt.
- Serve warm in a soup bowl.
- Enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL FACTS:
Serving Size: 1 zucchini • Calories: 94 • Fat: 7 g • Saturated Fat: 4 g • Carbs: 11 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 9 g • Sugars: 5 g