Ariel's Stuffed Veggies

My lovely friend Ariel made these for us at a dinner party she hosted for a few friends. Simple, filling and delicious - the best part is that you can use almost any veggies you like for the filling! This recipe makes enough for 6 people as a side or appetizer, but it is very easy to amend for different size groups.

Ariel's Stuffed Veggies
4 medium sized zucchini
1 small carton of button mushrooms
1/4 c heavy or whipping cream
1/2c bread crumbs
olive oil
garlic, minced
1/4 c onion, minced
1/4 c fresh Parmesan cheese

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds of the zucchini leaving just over a half inch of zucchini (sort of shaped like a boat). Clean the mushrooms with a damp washcloth, and remove the stems by grasping near the top and twisting while pulling away. Mince half of the removed zucchini "guts" and all of the mushroom stems.

Add one turn of olive oil to a hot pan and sautée the minced onion, garlic, zucchini and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the juices cook down. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and put into a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the cream slowly until you get a thick, paste-like consistency (think thick oatmeal). Add the Parmesan cheese.

Brush the outside of the vegetable boats with a small amount of olive oil, and use a spoon to fill them with the stuffing. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt, pepper and Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350º

Notes/Substitutions: If you don't have (or in Jordan's case, don't like) mushrooms, you can use any number of different veggies as a filler. In the picture above, I used minced red bell pepper and it was quite tasty! You can also play with the breadcrumbs in this mix - you can up the flavor with Italian breadcrumbs, and for passover, we made a Kosher version with crushed Matzoh!