Stuff It!

Need a way to increase your intake of vegetables ... fiber ... nutrition? Try stuffing it ... vegetables, that is! Nature has provided us with the most amazing bowls!

Rather than eating a baked potato dripping with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper, try ...

Twice Baked Potatoes

Scrub two large Idaho potatoes. Pop them into a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. They’ll be done when the potato ‘gives’ a little when you give it a squeeze. When cool enough to handle - I never wait long enough - cut it in half the long way and scoop out the potato into a large bowl leaving about a quarter inch inside the skin. Smash the potato gently. Add a bit of plain yogurt, a little butter and a little salt and pepper. While the potato is still quite warm, add:

• fresh chopped spinach and stir to wilt, then add ...
  
• cooked broccoli
• cooked carrots
• a can of drained black beans

Stir until blended - leaving it as lumpy as you like it - add some low-fat cheese - mozzarella is a good cheese to use, though you can use feta, bleu cheese or whatever you like and spoon back into the potato halves. You will have to pile it pretty high though sometimes I keep the leftovers in a plastic container for my lunch the next day. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese, if you want, and some paprika and pop back into the oven until heated through.

Serves 4 people or 2 if you use the twice baked potatoes as a main dish ... which I often do!

There are endless variations to these potatoes ... what’s your favorite?

Stuffed Zucchini

• 3-4 large zucchini
• 1 pound ground meat (I usually use beans instead of meat)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 eggplant, peeled and diced
• 8.5 oz sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano,
• A splash of balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Cut a thin slice of the top of the zucchinis and scoop out the inside of the squash leaving the shell. Diced scooped out zucchini and place in a large bowl.

Drizzle the insides of the squash with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. While the squash shells are in the oven, start browning your ground meat, when the meat is almost brown, add the onions, eggplant, and diced excess zucchini, and cook until the eggplant is soft.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Pull the shells out of the oven and stuff them all as full as possible with the meat (or meatless) mixture. Put the stuffed zucchinis back into the oven and bake for another 30-40 minutes. You may need less time for smaller zucchinis.

Stuffed Peppers

•     Vegetable-oil cooking spray
•     1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
•     2/3 cup couscous
•     4 large bell peppers, mixed colors
•     2 tsp olive oil
•     1/2 cup chopped onion
•     6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
•     6 oz yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
•     1/2 tsp fennel seeds
•     1/2 tsp dried oregano
•     1/2 tsp salt
•     1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
•     15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•     4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350̊F F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Boil trimmed peppers for 5 minutes, then drain them upside down (Note: I usually skip this step as I like my peppers a bit crunchy.)

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and chickpeas.

Using a fork, scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Place peppers upright in the baking dish and fill them with couscous. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Read more about this recipe.

Stuffed Eggplant

• 2 eggplants
• 1 onions, chopped finely
• 1 zucchini, chopped chunky
• 1 -2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup pasta sauce
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ cup green olives, sliced
• 1-½  teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 ounces monterey jack cheese or 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375̊F.

Trim the stems from the eggplant, and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the pulp from the center of each half, leaving about a half-inch shell.

If your eggplants are large, soak them in a quart of water with an added tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes to remove any bitter flavor.

Remove the eggplants from the brine and rinse off the salt then pat them dry.

Cube the pulp into a medium dice. Place a large saute pan over moderate heat, then add the oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, zucchini, pepper, and cubed eggplant. Cook, stirring until very tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, olives and seasonings and heat through.

Lightly spray the cut edges of the eggplant with nonstick cooking spray, then spoon a quarter of the mixture into each shell. Top each eggplant with a quarter of the cheeses. Place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.

You can add other vegetables like mushrooms, hot peppers, shredded carrots if you've got them.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggplant is hot and the cheese is bubbly.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Stuff your favorite salad into a fresh tomato! Cut the top off a tomato, scoop out the pulp (you can save it for chili or spaghetti sauce) and fill with your favorite chicken salad ... or tuna salad ... or salmon salad ... or pasta salad! The variations are endless!