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Loaded Baked Zucchini

Ingredient List

1/2 cup Quinoa (uncooked)
1 cup Water
2 Zucchinis
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion (diced)
1/2 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey or grass-fed beef
1/2 Red or yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
1/4 cup Frozen peas
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Sea Salt (divided)
1 tbsp tamari, liquid aminos or coconut aminos
2 tbsp Almond Flour
1 1/2 tsp Nutritional Yeast

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place quinoa in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cover. Let simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir with fork and set aside.
Trim the ends off zucchini. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp using a teaspoon. Finely chop the pulp.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, turkey or beef, crushed pepper, zucchini pulp, bell pepper, peas, black pepper and half of the sea salt. Stir until meat is cooked through (8 to 10 minutes).
When meat is cooked, drain the skillet of excess juice and stir in tamari and cooked quinoa. Remove from heat.
Make “breadcrumbs” by combining almond flour, nutritional yeast and remaining sea salt.
Spoon meat and quinoa filling into the zucchini shells and top with almond breadcrumbs. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

**For a vegetarian/vegan option, omit meat and replace with 1 cup cooked lentils