Magic Zuchinni

Yep, it's that time of garden again...zuchinni trying to take over the world, one bush at at time. I've tried a lot of innovative recipes over the years, everything from zuchinni jam and pickles to face mask (NOT a pretty sight).

I've decided, through trial and error (there have been a few...), that it's best to not try to disguise the green bats, but to use them as they are meant - vegetables.

This is one of my favorite ways to 1) use a not-too-large zuchinni and 2) use up left-overs.

I slice the zuc length-wise, scoop out whatever seeds (there won't be many, very small cavity at this stage), and make a long "well" down the middle. Then I nuke the two halves for one minute, maybe a little more, until they are medium soft when lightly prodded with a fork. Do NOT punch all the way through (go ahead, ask me why I know this important fact).

NOTE: if you DO have a large zuchinni, (and you know the one I'm talking about - it was well-disguised under that big leaf), do the same cut-and-scoop process but put it on a baking sheet instead of nuking it (it won't fit in the microwave, doncha know), cover it with foil, and bake it at 350 degrees for maybe 15 min. or so, or until the fork test works. This one is for when you will be feeding a crowd, or at least the whole family!

Then I drain the "juice" that has formed in the bottoms (that's actually one of zuchinni's better characteristics - they are moist), put them in an oven-proof dish, and rummage in the frig for what can go in the hole.

This time it was a cup of left-over rice-onion-hamburger mixture. Fill the hole heaping, then throw on a few slices of cheese, bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the cheese starts to bubble, and wah-la! You'll like it, honest. And don't be afraid to try different "stuffings". In fact, left-over stuffing works great, too! As long as what goes in is already cooked, this is a FAST all-in-one meal!

Mom really liked it. But she likes Pineapple Zuchinni Bread even better. I take that back. What she likes better is "spice cake with pineapple and grated zuchinni added". It's a mystery to me how it ever got to be labeled "bread". I guess the zuchinni puts it in the realm of "healthy food" - just like "carrot" bread. Ha. But it IS tasty...and I cut the sugar waaaaaaay back...and use olive oil....

Like I said - stick to the veggie version, it's a lot healthier.