Stuffed Zucchini Boats

It’s that time of year when gardens and farmers markets are over flowing with this seasons haul. Zucchini is the unofficial vegetable of summer. With its bright green hue it dresses up any plate. They are healthy, delicious and hearty enough to be a meal. My favorite way for using up lots of zucchinis is to make Zucchini Boats. Slice a zucchini lengthwise, scoop out the middle area and stuff with your favorite fillings.

These work best when made from medium sized zucchinis but any work, just adjust your filling amounts. Zucchini Boats are delicious, healthy, cute and creative. The possibilities are endless when deciding what to fill them with. Use your imagination. Here are some of our favorites…..
The cooking instructions are the same for every boat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Start by slicing 4 zucchinis lengthwise and scoop out the center so you leave about a ¼ inch. Line a baking sheet with foil and sprinkle with olive oil. Once filling is placed in zucchini, place a sheet of foil on top of boats and bake for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes are up, remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Buffalo chicken
– 4 Boneless skinless chicken breast
– ½ cup hot sauce
– ½ cup lite blue cheese dressing
– 1 package (8oz) of low fat cream cheese
– 2 cups reduced fat cheddar
– ½ cup shredded carrots
– 1 tsp. garlic powder
– ¼ tsp. of salt
– ¼ tsp. of pepper
Cook chicken breast, let cool. Set aside carrots. Shred chicken and combine with all the other ingredients. Mix together well and fill boats. After they are out of the oven top with shredded carrots.

Taco
– 1 lb. of ground turkey or lean ground beef
– 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning
– 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 red pepper, diced
– 1 sweet onion, diced
– ¼ tsp. salt
– ¼ tsp. pepper
– 1 tsp. garlic powder
– 2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar
– ½ cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 cup of salsa
Brown turkey or beef, add seasoning according to packet. Let cool. Set aside salsa. Mix all other ingredients together and fill boats. Once out of the oven, top with salsa.

Greek
– 1lb of ground chicken
– ¼ cup Greek dressing/marinade
– 1 cup crumbled feta
– 1 cup diced tomatoes
– 1/4 cup banana peppers, diced
– 1/2 cup red onion, diced
– ¼ tsp. pepper
– ¼ tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. garlic powder
– 2 tbsp. black olives, sliced
Cook ground chicken with dressing/marinade. Set aside tomatoes. Mix remaining ingredients with cooked chicken. Fill boats. Once out of the oven, top with diced tomatoes.

Pizza
– 1 ½ cup pizza sauce ( make sure it is not high in sugar or sodium)
– 2 cups reduced fat mozzarella cheese
– 2 tsp of olive oil
– 1 tsp Italian seasoning
– ¼ tsp. pepper
– ¼ tsp. salt
– 1 tsp. garlic powder
– Your favorite pizza toppings ( mushrooms, onions, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, pineapple, lean ground beef or chicken )
Spread pizza sauce over zucchini boats, sprinkle with seasonings, top with cheese and toppings. Drizzle olive oil on top.