Cinco de Mayo: Yellow Squash and Red Pepper Quinoa Boats
A Green Lemonade Favorite
Posted May 5th, 2011 by noelle | View Comments
In celebration of Cinco de Mayo here is a fun figure-friendly, naturally cleansing meal to enjoy this evening. This recipe is a favorite here at Green Lemonade.
This dish features some delicious roasted yellow squash as well as some crunchy, nutty quinoa. Haven’t tried quinoa (KEEN-wah) before? Consider checking it out. This small, protein packed, quick cooking whole grain is delicious in salads, as an alternative to rice (more easily digested by your body leaving more energy and time for slimmg work) and even when you are craving a warm breakfast in the morning.
In this recipe I also add some sautéed peppers and a dollop of crème fraiche just to finish off the Mexican inspired theme for today. While the directions may look a bit time intensive, it couldn’t be easier to make and the ingredients store well for future use.
Yellow Squash and Red Pepper Quinoa Boats
Serving Size: 2, ~360 calories per serving
Ingredients
2 medium yellow squash, sliced in half length-wise
1 red pepper, sliced, seeds removed
½ cup quinoa, dry
1 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of crème fraiche (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Better-for-you ingredients
Learn more about the better-for-you ingredients in this recipe:
- Quinoa is loaded with protein and fiber. Fiber is crucial in a cleansing diet. Learn more about quinoa here.
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Take squash, scoop out the seeds and place them face down into a roasting pan. Place them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Then, place 1 cup of water and quinoa in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower the flame to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 6 – 12 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. Turn off the flame when there is actually a touch of water still on the bottom of the pot. Otherwise, the quinoa starts to stick to the bottom. At this point remove the quinoa from the heat, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil (learn more) to a frying pan. Add the peppers, salt and pepper and sauté them for a few minutes. You want a caramelized finish on the peppers. Turn off the flame when the peppers are ready.
With the quinoa now cooked and the peppers sautéed, remove the yellow squash from the oven. With tongs place the yellow squash halves on two plates – seed side up.
Prior to adding the quinoa and red peppers to the yellow squash boats, take the quinoa from the pot and pour it into the frying pan with the caramelized peppers (the flame is off) and mix the two together. Add the quinoa and red pepper mixture to the yellow squash boats in equal amounts. Top with crème fraiche (or guacamole) and serve!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
