ORANGE GINGER SALMON AND QUINOA STUFFED PEPPER AND ZUCCHINI MEDLEY

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Remove the salmon (on the planks) from each package and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes (note – this will be less than package directions and salmon will finish cooking in the filling). Reserve any juices left in the salmon packaging to squeeze into the quinoa filling later.

Remove the skin from the salmon filets and place it in a large deep skillet, fatty side down.  Cook the skin for 2-3 minutes until the skin is very crispy.  Remove and chop into small pieces. Set aside with the par-cooked salmon filets.

Cut the peppers in half from the top down (through the stem).  Remove the stems and seeds, leaving the shell intact with the stem.  Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (enough water so the peppers and zucchini will be fully immersed when you add them to the boiling water).  Place pepper ‘cups’ and zucchini halves in the boiling water and cook until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 8-10 minutes.  Reserve ¾ cup of the ‘pepper water’ and set aside.  Remove peppers and zucchini from the pot and drain, upside down, on 4 layers of paper towels on the counter.

Combine the quinoa, reserved ‘pepper water’, ¼ cup of the orange juice, and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a large non-stick saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot.  Cook for 15 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the ‘germ’ has popped out of the quinoa.  Let rest for 5 minutes in the pot before stirring (this will make fluffy quinoa).

Heat the olive oil in large deep skillet.  Add the leeks, garlic, and ginger to the pan.  Cook until tender and then add the sliced carrots to skillet.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently, about 6-8 minutes until the carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.

While the carrots cook, use a small spoon to scoop the flesh out of each of the cooked zucchini halves, leaving a shell about ¼ – ½” thick.  Press the zucchini flesh firmly between paper towels to remove most of the moisture.  Chop the flesh into small pieces and add it to the pan and stir to combine.

Add the quinoa, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper, and the remaining ¼ cup of orange juice to the pan.  Crumble the salmon filets into the pan in large bite-size pieces and add any remaining juices from the salmon packaging.  Gently toss everything together until well mixed.  Remove from heat.

Add the crumbled goat cheese and toss gently.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with non-stick spray.

Place the pepper and zucchini shells onto the baking sheet, cavity-side-up, and season the cavities with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Scoop the quinoa and salmon filling mixture into the peppers and zucchini to fill each shell.  Sprinkle shredded Swiss over the tops.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and lightly browned.  Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Delish and sooo good for you too!