Don't Rock the {zucchini} Boat.

Last night I took a chance in the kitchen.  

Lately I have been trying to cut the fat...vis-a-vis cutting the carbs.  

By the way...I {heart} carbs.  

{sniffle sniffle}

Here's another thing...I don't really love veggies.  It's not that I'm against them, but I just don't prefer them. But I know I need to eat more of them, so this recipe was an attempt to get more veggies in me. 

I was surfing around on one of my favorite sites...it's a very {P}interesting site. I found a recipe that inspired me to try something...stuffed zucchini boats.

Here's how it went down...

Grab 2 medium zucchinis.  

 Maybe just a bit smaller than that.  Actually, this is what happens when you give up on your zucchini plant...it makes monster zucchinis.  Fact: After about 15 minutes of  grating that bad boy I had enough zucchini for about 12 loaves of bread!  Not.Too.Shabby.

Give 'em a good scrub, cut off then ends and slice them in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scoop out the seedy part, creating a boat.
You'll put the filling the boat.

Place them face down on a shallow pan in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.  

Bake them on 350 degrees for about 15 minutes while you prepare the stuffing...

Then I made a mixture of meats, savory spices, and vegetables.

For 2-3 zucchinis (5-6 boats) I used a combination of...

1c. ground turkey browned with garlic and onion (I used minced/dried onion this time)

1c. browned Italian sausage

{I had the sausage for something else...
for a healthier version, just do a second cup of  ground turkey or lean ground beef, but be sure to season it with Italian seasonings.}

1/2-1c. sauteed mushrooms  

{I'm sure you could just throw the mushrooms in with the meat while it's browning to save yourself some time and dirtying another dish}

**you can get a creative as you want here...maybe throw in some tomatoes, peppers, turkey pepperoni, Italian croutons, whatever!**

1/2c. savory tomato sauce, marinara, or pasta sauce...again, whatever!

Note: This stuffing is a great "make ahead".  Brown 1lb. of each of the meats and some extra veggies and throw it in a freezer bag for another fast dinner!  

DING! 

 Zuchs are done!  Don't turn off the oven!

Drain the water from your pan and turn the boats right side up.

Fill each boat with the stuffing mixture.

Top off your boats with a sprinkle of mozzarella or whatever Italian cheese you like.

Back into the oven for 15 minutes to heat and melt the cheese.

DING! Here's what you have....

I wonder if my kids could be tricked into eating something that I called a "boat"?  Doubtful.  

You know, this would be a great summer dish when you can just grab a pair of zuchs from your garden!  

If you try the recipe...let me know what you think.

Love,
S