Zucchini with carrot-cheese filling and vegetable couscous

Immanuel.Kocht - vegan & vegetarian with Lutz Fohgrub

Zucchini with carrot-cream cheese filling and vegetable couscous

This dish is vegetarian and easy to prepare. The dish serves four. The stuffed zucchini and couscous can also be served with a fresh tomato sauce.

The Health Factor:

Zucchini are rich in fiber, minerals, potassium, vitamins A and E, and healthy carbohydrates. Vegetable couscous is a colorful, tasty and easy to digest dish. It’s quick and easy to prepare, so it’s ideal as a weeknight dinner or a small snack during the day. Leftover vegetable couscous can be combined with a yogurt dressing to make a grain salad.

Allergy sufferers please note:

The zucchini contains lactose, and the couscous contains gluten and celeriac.

Ingredients for the stuffed zucchini (vegetarian):

2 medium zucchini

150 g carrots

120 g cream cheese

80 g grated Emmentaler cheese

1 tbsp. virgin olive oil

salt

pepper orange seasoning (or black pepper)

Ingredients for the vegetable couscous (vegan):

300 g couscous

350 ml vegetable broth

50 g green or French beans

50 g carrots

50 g celeriac

50 g leek

50 g red pepper

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

40 g red lentils

1-2 cloves garlic

20 g fresh ginger

¼ bunch fresh mint

½ bunch fresh cilantro

salt

cinnamon

sweet paprika

freshly ground black pepper

To prepare:

To prepare the vegetable couscous, wash the green beans, chop off the ends, and then cook for about ten minutes in lightly salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Peel the carrot and celeriac, and dice finely. Slice leek into thin rings. Peel and dice garlic and ginger. Bring vegetable broth to a light boil. Pour couscous in bowl and add simmering vegetable broth, stirring so that it does not clump. Boil red lentils for about three minutes in salt water, drain, and set aside. Heat olive oil in pan over light heat. Sauté garlic, ginger and celeriac lightly, without letting them brown. Next add the diced carrots, the sliced leek, and the diced red pepper and green beans, one after the other. Season with salt, pepper and sweet paprika to taste. Add couscous and cooked red lentils to the vegetables and mix well. Season with cinnamon to taste. Wash the fresh mint and cilantro, and shake dry. Chop finely and use as garnish right before serving.

For the stuffed zucchini, heat the oven to 160° Celsius. Use the convection setting, if available. Peel carrots and grate finely. Wash zucchini and pat dry with paper towels. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Lightly oil casserole dish with olive oil. Place the four zucchini halves in the casserole dish and salt lightly.

Place cream cheese, grated carrots and grated Emmentaler cheese in a bowl and mix. Distribute the cream cheese and carrot mixture onto the salted zucchini halves, and lightly sprinkle with pepper orange seasoning. Bake at 160° Celsius for approximately 12 minutes in the preheated oven using the convection setting.