Stuffed Zucchini

Sometimes you have odds and ends in your refrigerator and they somehow come together to make a masterpiece. 

This is one of those times. 

This is what you will need for 2 (sizable) portions:

• 1 large zucchini (South of the James Farmers Market $1.50)
• 1/2 package of soy chorizo (Trader Joes $1.99)
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese 
• 1/2 cup of diced onions
• 1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced 
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, diced (or 1/4 cup of diced sweet bell pepper)
• 2 TBSP of ketchup
• 2 TBSP of olive oil 
• sour cream
• dash of salt and pepper 

What you do:

• preheat oven to 350F
• cut the zucchini in half length-wise and scrape out the seeds so there is a large space to put the filling
• brush or spray zucchini with olive oil
• bake in oven on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes until soft
• while that is baking saute onions, pepper and sweet potato in olive oil, salt and pepper 
• once soft, add thawed soy chorizo and saute until consistency is similar to cooked ground beef. 
• stir mixture in with ketchup and shredded cheese cheese
• remove zucchini from oven and set oven to "broil"
• carefully add mixture to spaces in the zucchini half's where the seeds used to be
• sprinkle with more cheese if desired
• put back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes or until cheese is melted
• allow to cool and top with dollop of sour cream! 

(Drop the cheese and sour cream and this recipe is dairy free,

 vegan, gluten free and nut free.) 

This recipe has perfect balance! Sweet from the sweet potatoes and ketchup, spicy from the jalapeno peppers, savory and zesty from the soy chorizo. This is an inexpensive, robust and warm fall meal. 

For those of you eager to get autumn started-Enjoy!