Food : Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Hi!

Melanie here.  I am so excited to join such a wonderful team, here at Pink Peony Style, created by my great friend Danya.  Danya and I share a love of good food that just so happens to be gluten free.  I enjoy making food that tastes so good, you or your family will never guess that it's gluten free {and healthy!}.  My favorite things to create in the kitchen are classic Greek dishes with my now healthy, g-free twist.  I'm thrilled to share my best recipes with you and I look forward to connecting with you here, on my blog, Facebook or twitter.  

Okay, enough about me.  Here's a recipe so intriguing, it really doesn't need an introduction. {Although it does involve eating flowers.}

Have you ever eaten flowers?  No, I'm not talking about those edible ones you buy at the grocery store in plastic containers.  I'm talking, strolling through your backyard {or your neighbors!} and being drawn in by such beauty that you had to take a nibble.  I can remember picking little yellow flowers in our backyard as a child and one day, the thought came to mind to taste the tiny yellow beauties.  I had never tasted something so bright and lemony!  We often think of flowers as being great additions to face and body potions, so why not share the love with our taste buds?  

Kolokythanthoi Yemistoi, or stuffed squash blossoms as they are called in Greece, is a traditional Greek appetizer usually stuffed with a combination of ground meat, herbs, and minced vegetables.  Both my husband and my father remember their Greek mothers gathering and stuffing squash blossoms from their gardens and filling them with a hearty meat filling.  

Last week, when I picked my squash blossoms, I didn't have any ground meat to make the traditional filling.  However, I did have some leftover quinoa in the fridge, so my recipe making wheels started to spin!  I soaked my zucchini blossoms and began to create the filling {which came together rather quickly since the quinoa was already cooked.}

Once I had my filling made, I began to stuff the blossoms. Since I had soaked them in water already, they were quite tender and easy to fill.  I simply laid them out, and one flower at a time, I gently lifted a petal and snipped the pistil or stamen from the inside.  Then I stuffed the bases with a small amount of filling and set them in a glass dish until I had finished stuffing the others.

Now that they were stuffed, they were ready to cook.  In less than 10 minutes I had the most delicate, savory appetizer.  I seared them for a few minutes in coconut oil on each side, for a total of 9 minutes.  {You could stuff them and keep them in the fridge until your guests arrive as they cook up fast.}  The flowers become tender, the filling becomes warm and each bite welcomes you into Greek appetizer heaven.  {Adding feta cheese to them is completely necessary if you can tolerate dairy.}

Quiona Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

No squash blossoms?  No problem.  Simply use this filling to stuff mushrooms, artichoke buttons, or place of scoop of filling onto broiled eggplant.  Don't plan on there being any leftovers - these cute little blossoms are addicting {and not just to women...my husband ate his faster than I ate mine}.

Ingredients

- 18 Squash Blossoms {or whatever you plan to stuff}

- 1/2 Onion, chopped

- 1 Carrot, peeled & chopped

- 1 Stalk of Celery, chopped

- 3 Mini Sweet Red Peppers {or 1/2 of a large red bell pepper, chopped}

- 1 Cup Spinach, Arugula or other quick cooking green {optional}

- 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

- 1/2 C Quinoa, cooked

- 2 T Fresh Dill, chopped

- 1/4 C Cranberries, finely chopped

- Salt & Pepper {to taste}

- 1/2 Lemon

- Coconut Oil

1. Combine onion, carrot, celery, red peppers, spinach, garlic, quinoa, dill, cranberries, salt, pepper and lemon juice into a bowl.  Mix until blended.
2. Lay one squash blossom flat on a napkin and while gently opening one petal while stuff 1/2-2 teaspoons of filling into each blossom.  Be careful not to over-stuff.  Twist top of flower blossom and lay in a dish until all blousoms are filled.
3. Heat a 10 in skillet to medium heat and add 1 T coconut oil.  Reuce heat slightly and add stuffed squash blossoms 8-9 at a time.  
4. Cook blossoms a few minutes on each side, turning every few minutes to cook all sides evenly.  {Mine were in the skillet for a total of 9 minutes.}  
5. Once cooked through, place on a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Enjoy! 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.  I would love to hear about your experience with making your own Quinoa Stuffed Squash Blossoms.  {Have you ever incorporated flowers into a dish?  If so, what?}

Stay tuned for more recipes and don't forget to enter the PPS giveaway.

- Melanie


This post linked with Friday Foodie Fix.

GF Stuffed Mushrooms

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!  Oh how the days fly.  We celebrated my cousin's 30th birthday on Saturday and of course, I had to find a simple yet fabulous gf recipe to share.  For some reason stuffed mushrooms were on the brain, but I have yet to make them without bread crumbs.  By now, you know I love a challenge, so I decided to hunt for a good g-free stuffed mushroom recipe.  I found my inspiration here, but decided to make it my own.  They turned out delish if I may say so myself!  A winning party recipe for sure.  

G-Free Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

24 Whole Fresh Mushrooms

2-3 T Butter, Melted

1 T Olive Oil

1 T Minced Garlic

1 (8oz) Package Cream Cheese, Softened

1/2 C Cooked Sausage Crumbles

1/2 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese (reserve a little for topping)

1/4 C Green Onion, Chopped (reserve a little for topping)

1/4 t Ground Black Pepper

1/4 t Onion Powder

1/4 t Ground Cayenne Pepper (use sparingly if you don't want to have a little kick)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Melt butter and spoon a small amount into each cup of a mini muffin pan.  (A baking sheet will work, but a muffin pan holds the mushrooms perfectly, keeping all of their insides, well, inside.  If using a baking sheet, spray it with cooking spray and shave a small amount off the bottom of each mushroom, this will help to keep them stable.)  Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel & carefully break off stems (setting stems aside in a small bowl to be chopped) & set mushroom cups upside down into the muffin pan.  Chop stems extremely fine, discarding any tough spots.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet.  Fry until mushrooms are browned.  Add cooked sausage crumbles (if not cooked, cook in a separate pan before adding to the mixture) & fry until most moisture has been absorbed.  Set aside to cool.
3. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder & cayenne pepper.  Fold in chopped green onions (leaving a few behind to top your mushrooms). 
4. Once cooled (can still be warm, just not hot), fold mushroom/sausage mixture into cream cheese mix. 
5. Spoon mixture into a ziploc bag & trim tip off, pipe into mushrooms.  
6. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and green onions & bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are golden.
7. Let cool & ENJOY!

*Mushrooms can be made a few days in advance and baked just before you need them.  

{Clean & remove Stems}

{Melt Butter & Spoon into Muffin Tin}

{Place Mushrooms into Pan}

{Sauté garlic & chopped mushroom stems & add cooked sausage}

{Make Cream Cheese Mixture}

{Pipe into Mushroom Caps}

{Top with Parmesan Cheese & Green Onions}

{Bake till golden brown}

{Enjoy!}