Meghan Barnes Registered Dietitian
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Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats!

8/28/2017

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There are so many reasons to love squash, whether the summer or winter types! One reason is that you can stuff them with delicious foods ;) Zucchini’s especially don’t have much of a flavor to them and therefore pair very well with whatever you’d like to stuff them with. I took all of your suggestions, but ultimately chose Italian Style.  And let me tell you they were delicious! Mmmm…
I used ground turkey and added diced mushrooms and peppers in a garlic infused olive oil (I try and avoid most high FODMAP foods too out of necessity). Pre-baked my sliced and de-seeded zucchinis. Mixed in some basic low FODMAP marinara sauce and stuffed them, then topped with some part-skim mozzarella and baked in the BBQ for about 20 more minutes.
You don’t just have to use meat, it could be meatless too! Other options would be all cheese bake or maybe even a lentil/vegetable baked zucchini. You could even go Mexican and add black beans and spices! The options are endless J

​Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini
1 lb                                   Ground turkey, or beef, lean
1 cup                                 Button Mushrooms, chopped
1 bulb                               Garlic, crushed slightly
1 whole                             Red pepper, diced
2                                       Large, similar sized zucchini (or 3 medium sized)
1 (24 to 26 ounce) jar     Marinara Sauce (or make your own)
1 tsp                                 Black pepper
1 tsp                                 Italian Seasoning
1 tsp                                 Crushed red chili flakes
½ tsp                                Salt
1 tbsp                               Olive oil
2 cups                              Mozzarella cheese grated, part skim
¼ cup                                Parmesan cheese (if you have it)
 
1 – Wash the zucchini, cut length-wise and scoop out the seeds/flesh. Place in a baking dish with about ½-1 cup water. Bake in BBQ or oven (400°F) for about 20 minutes, or until zucchini is starting to become soft, then remove from heat.
2 – Meanwhile, crush garlic clove slightly and let sit in olive to infuse. (If you do not need to avoid garlic due to IBS, then dice and cook in oil). Place oil in a well heated pan on medium-high heat. Cook ground turkey until brown. Drain excess grease.
3 – Add in mushrooms and peppers and cook until tender.
4 – Add about 2 cups of marinara sauce to mixture and stir. Set aside.
5 – Pour rest of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
6 – Sprinkle about ¼ cup mozzarella cheese in bottom of each zucchini boat. And divide the turkey mixture between each zucchini and top with remaining cheese. Place back into baking dish.
7 – Bake in oven/BBQ for another 15-20 minutes until cheese has melted, then on broil until cheese has browned. Remove and serve!
This recipe served 6-8 people (depending on appetites).


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What’s the difference between plain yogurt and sour cream?

8/23/2017

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This question was asked of me last week, as it would seem that some people don’t know the difference. So let me explain.

Sour Cream: is considered a dairy product as it is basically fermented cream with lactic acid bacteria. This bacteria actually is what makes the cream sour and thickens it. Traditionally, it was much higher in fat than the common sour cream that we buy at the store, which companies use a thickening agent to help make it creamier. High fat sour cream (about 20%M.F.) is still usually made with cream, but the lower fat versions are made more with milk than cream.  It’s not very high in protein or calcium.

Yogurt: There are 3 kinds of yogurt; Balkan-style/Set-style, Swiss/Stirred or Greek Style.

Yogurt is also a dairy product made by using fresh milk that is fermented using yogurt cultures, lactic bacteria. The bacteria is added to heated and pasteurized homogenized milk then incubated. The difference between Balkan and Swiss is the Swiss Style yogurt is stirred prior to the incubation process, unlike Balkan. As for the Greek Style yogurt, the yogurt has been made from milk that has been strained or having the water removed, this makes it creamy.

Now, for Skyr. This is the traditional yogurt of Iceland and quite similar to Greek Style, the only difference is that Skyr is always made with non-fat milk, unlike Greek Style, where it can be made with either non-fat or fat containing milk.
Greek Style and Skyr have been popular for a while now due to their higher nutrient content and their ability to replace sour cream in recipes.
​
I like to use either Greek Style or Skyr in Tex-Mex recipes, dips or when making a cream sauce (i.e. Stroganoff). Which do you prefer to use, sour cream or plain yogurt?
​

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    I work as a Dietitian and definitely walk the talk. I love to cook and help people get back to being healthy again. 

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