Stuffed Zucchini

The inspiration behind this dish was the simple fact that at the time I was getting horribly bored of making a sauté consisting of tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, and soy meat. Although a delicious combination, it gets a little old and there are only so many ways you can add this veggie or that veggie to try to change it. When I was in my soup craze I found a lot of recipes that encouraged you to carve out whatever squash you are using and serve it inside the gourd, so I thought hey, why not, and started scooping out the middle of the zucchini. Before I knew it I had perfect little boats just deep enough to pile on heaping spoonfuls of my previously boring combination to make a delicious, and quite attractive looking meal. The trick I found is to use a ½ teaspoon to carve out the filling. Start in the center and start shallow. Carefully work your way out and down.

You’ll get the hang of it after a making your way through one half…just be patient. That’s my biggest piece of advice! The great thing about this technique is that you can apply it to any smaller vegetable if you want to stuff it. A new one I tried recently, for example, is twice baked fingerling potatoes. Delicious and perfect for an appetizer fit for your fingers.

Obviously you don’t have to stick to the ingredients I used here, but I would at the very least recommend the binding layer of cheese to hold it in. When you’re cutting through the zucchini after it’s been taken out of the oven things can get messy, so this light but vital layer helps each bite be deliciously even!

1 can corn, drained

1 package Smart Ground (or your favorite soy meat/meat product)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1 small red pepper, diced

16 cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ cup quinoa

½ cup salsa

1 tsp chili flakes

3 large zucchini

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients with a small amount of oil until warm.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut zucchini in half and hollow out with a ½ teaspoon-

-When cutting in half find the place where the zucchini sits flat and turn 180 degrees and cut down the center. Don’t be afraid to shave off the bottom to make sure there is an even surface.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes.

Take out and sprinkle a layer of cheese on top; bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.