This recipe is brought to you by Mushrooms Canada.
We're slowly coming out of a long Canadian winter hibernation and signs of spring are starting to show themselves. There's no doubt we're all pretty happy about that!
It's also that time of year where we start thinking about ways to lighten up the heavier comfort food dishes we crave during winter. One great way to do this is by blending mushrooms into your dinners. You can chop them up fine with a knife or food processor and mix them in with ground meat like beef, chicken or, in the case of this recipe, turkey! They'll lighten up your meal, add an extra serving of veggies to your dish and, they'll make your grocery dollar stretch further. Button mushrooms are a great way to add bulk and flavour to Meatless Monday dinners as well!
Denise from Sweet Peas and Saffron put the "blend and extend" concept into action when she created the recipe for these Chipotle Turkey Mushroom Zucchini Boats for us. It's a great dish to transition into spring, packed with flavour and lots of veggies. Picky eaters won't even notice all those vegetables when they see the melted shredded cheese sprinkled on top!
- 200g/7 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and ends trimmed
- 6 medium-sized zucchinis
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 0.5 lb ground turkey
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup corn kernels
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 chipotle pepper, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1.5 cups shredded cheese
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Add the mushrooms to a large food processor and pulse until they are small uniform pieces.
- Slice zucchinis in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scoop the insides out of the zucchini, leaving about half a centimeter around the skin. Chop the zucchini insides into small pieces and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and ground turkey, and cook for 5 or so minutes, until no pink remains in the turkey.
- Add the mushrooms, chopped zucchini flesh, cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook for 5 or so minutes, until mushrooms are cooked through.
- Add the corn kernels, lime juice, adobo sauce and chipotle pepper. Stir to combine. Remove the pan from heat.
- In a 9x13 inch baking dish, arrange the scooped-out zucchinis.
- Spoon the turkey/mushroom mixture in. Top with cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and zucchinis are cooked through.
Filling can be made a day ahead of time.
More Recipe Ideas
We have even more recipe ideas to help you can blend mushrooms into your traditional comfort food dishes and lighten them up for spring!
Marvellous White Button Mushroom Recipes
By Food Bloggers of Canada
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Italian Meatball Soup With Spinach
By Food Bloggers of Canada
[Italian Meatball Soup With Spinach](http://strawberriesforsupper.com/italian-meatball-soup-spinach/) packs a protein punch and extra veggies by blending mushrooms and beef from Christina at **Strawberries For Supper**
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Lentil and Mushroom Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
By Food Bloggers of Canada
[Lentil and Mushroom Stuffed Sweet Potatoes](http://www.occasionallyeggs.com/2016/02/lentil-and-mushroom-stuffed-sweet.html) from Alexandra at **Occasionally Eggs**.
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Asian Lettuce Wraps
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Lighten up [Asian Lettuce Wraps](http://www.blendandextend.ca/portfolio/asian-lettuce-wraps/) with a mixture of mushrooms and ground beef with this recipe from **Mushrooms Canada**!
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Miracle Chili (Nightshade Free)
By Food Bloggers of Canada
For anyone with a nightshade allergy, chili seems like a no-go - until you try Cristina at **I Say Nomato's** version: [Miracle Chili](http://isaynomato.com/nightshade-free-miracle-chili/) with a blend of beef, mushrooms and sweet potatoes!
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Mushroom Fried Quinoa With Greens
By Food Bloggers of Canada
For a great lightened up twist on Chinese takeout packed with nutrition and greens, try this [Mushroom Fried Quinoa With Brown Rice and Greens](http://infinebalance.com/mushroom-fried-quinoa-brown-rice-greens/) from Trish at **In Fine Balance**.
For more mushroom recipes, visit our Mushroom Recipe pinterest board.
Thanks to all the FBC Members who contributed to this post!
Thanks to Denise for creating this delicious recipe for us. Denise lives in Calgary with her son and husband, and shares easy and healthy dinner recipes on her blog Sweet Peas & Saffron.
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Yummy! These zucchini boats are such a great idea. I’ve been on a huge zoodle kick lately, so maybe I’ll cool it on the zucchini noodles and try a boat instead! Pinned for later! 🙂