Courgettes filled with mushrooms, brown & wild rice

feta with a cashew crumb

Courgettes are an amazing vegetable, full of vitamins; C,B and K.

I’ve made these including feta cheese but equally as delicious if you leave the feta out you can enjoy a great plant-based dish.

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the courgettes)

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium courgettes

½ onion finely chopped

55g brown and wild rice (cooked with a veg stock cube)

100g button mushrooms thinly sliced

1 tsp PG (Parsley and Garlic puree)

olive oil

1 fresh Lemon (rind and juice)

1 tbls Fresh parsley chopped

sea salt and black pepper

feta cheese (optional) – leave out if plant-based

20g cashew nuts – whizzed to a crumb in the food processor

Method

• Pre heat the oven at 180 (gas mark 4)
• Heat a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil
• Add the chopped onion and PG
• Cut the courgettes length ways in half and spoon out the middle the middle
• Chop and add to the onion mixture, once onions are cooking through
• Add in the mushrooms and cook the mixture on a gentle heat until the onions are transparent, and the mushrooms are cooked.
• Remove from the heat.
• Put in the zest of half the lemon and then a big squeeze of lemon juice too
• Add the cooked rice together with a pinch of sea salt and a crack of black pepper to that mixture and combine well
• If you are going to use feta add it now, if plant-based leave it out.
• Lay the courgettes on a piece of baking paper on a baking tray
• Fill the courgette cases with the filling in each half of the courgette
• Sprinkle each with the cashew crumb
• Place in the oven covered over loosely with a sheet of baking paper
• After 15 minutes remove the paper and continue cooking until they are crisp and golden, making sure the courgettes are cooked through (approx 12-15 minutes).
• When ready remove from the oven and squeeze some more lemon juice just before serving.

Enjoy with a crispy salad as a light lunch or dinner.

A really good recipe that can be made ahead and simply popped into the oven when you’re ready to eat.

Delicious served cold too!

Enjoy.  My plant-based friends – I’m sure you’ll agree having a recipe as versatile as this is a good one to have in your repertoire!

Jo x