Zucchini Boats and Carrot Coins featuring Country Crock ~ Give Away

Tweetvar fbShare = {size: ‘small’,}         
(function() {
var po = document.createElement(‘script’); po.type = ‘text/javascript’; po.async = true;
po.src = ‘https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js’;
var s = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);
})();

I totally see the appeal of fresh veggies at a farmers’ market for foodies. You can go in there and pick up whatever you find, and then decide what to make for dinner.

I however need a plan, and a recipe as a backbone, I’m not good at taking something and just creating on the fly, but with the determination to be flexible I headed to the farmers’ market that is set up one day a week in our neighborhood. But by the time I got their last week, the pickings were pretty slim 🙁

So I headed to our grocery store, which typically has a pretty good selection of local produce.

Sure enough I managed to find some fresh zucchini and I also bought some carrots.  I used the carrots for a side dish and the zucchini I bought to make a fun veggie project with my daughter.

The Carrot Coins are super easy to whip up. A pound of carrots, peeled and cut into rounds. Place in a microwave dish with 3 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of Country Crock, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt.

Cover the dish with a vented lid or plastic wrap. Microwave for 8 minutes, stirring halfway. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

The Zucchini Boats were so much fun to make! They were inspired by a recipe in A Very Veggie World by Clare Crespo, and is a special edition of The Crock Country Chronicle, Country Crock’s destination for veggie news.

This is how we made ours:

Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis
2 tablespoons of Country Crock Spread
1 cup cooked rice
onion salt and garlic salt to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
carrots for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise. Place all four pieces in a microwave dish or bag that allows for steaming. Steam the zucchini for 5 minutes in the microwave.

When cool enough to touch, scoop center of zucchini out, leaving some on the sides and bottom to allow for a ‘boat’ structure to hold the filling.

Cut up the scooped up zucchini. In a microwave safe dish mix, place the diced zucchini, rice, seasonings and Country Crock and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

Put your zucchini ‘boats’ on a cookie sheet and fill them with the rice mixture, pressing it in to fill as much as possible.

You will likely have leftover mixture. I filled up some silicone cupcake liners to bake what we had leftover. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with the shredded cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.

While the zucchini boats are baking, make “sails” out of the carrots and attach them to toothpicks. When the zucchini boats are done and you remove them from the oven you can add the ‘sails’ to the boats.

We actually tried floating them, but they were too heavy. Good thing we caught them before they got water logged!
_________________________________________________________________________________

With 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter, adding Country Crock to your veggie dishes is a perfect way to keep your meal healthy, delicious, and loved by the entire family!

Country Crock wants to hear about your favorite summer veggie moments – and to help you discover them they are offering my readers the chance to win a Summer Veggie Appreciation Basket that includes: a basket perfect for toting summer veggies, cooking tools to help you prepare and cook your summer veggies, a copy of A Very Veggie World by Clare Crespo – a unique recipe book full of fun and whimsical inspiration, and so you can top your veggies, a coupon for a free tub of Country Crock.

…