Stuffed Zucchini with Brown Rice, Ground Beef, Red Pepper, and Basil

It was a beautiful day.  The weather was cool and we could be outside without dying from the heat.  We started painting the garden sheds and then moved onto an assortment of other projects, the windowbox, a beachchair re-do, weeding - a very relaxed randomness.  Tim decided to try a couple new recipes along with steaks we had in the freezer.  We now make and jar that Charred Red Pepper Sauce as a stock sauce in our basement so there are several jars of that ready for steak or chicken.   The stuffed zucchini was really good.  It could have been a meal on it's own but we overeat on a regular basis - yum very good.

Stuffed Zucchini

2 large or 4 small round zucchini ( or use regular shaped zucchini)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb. very lean ground beef
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp chopped garlic or garlic puree
1/2 tsp  ground fennel seed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut stem and flower ends off zucchini, trimming off the smallest possible amount of the skin and taking care to cut it off evenly, since this will show.  Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then using a pointed teaspoon or melon baller, scoop out and discard most of the zucchini flesh and seeds, leaving an even 1/2 inch of flesh attached to the skin.  If your zucchini are rolling around a lot, you can cut a thin slice on the bottom side of each to make them sit up.  Microwave zucchini 3-4 minutes on high.

Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute chopped onions and peppers until they are just starting to soften, about 5 minutes.  (They will cook more in the oven, so they don't need to be fully cooked at this point. )  Remove onions and peppers to large mixing bowl, then add ground beef to hot pan and cook until starting to brown.  When meat is about half cooked, season with italian seasoning and ground fennl and add garlic,  and continue to cook until meat is well browned, breaking it into small, pieces with the side of your turner.  Remove cooked ground beef to mixing bowl.

Add cooked brown rice, chopped basil, Parmesan cheese, and chicken stock to meat and vegetable mixture, and gently combine.

Choose a roasting pan with slight sides, just big enough to hold the zucchini.  Spray pan with nonstick spray or a light misting of olive oil. Stuff zucchini with stuffing mixture, packing in as much as you can into each zucchini, and mounding it up as high as you can, until all stuffing is used.

Put zucchini into roasting pan, putting them close together so they hold each other stuffing side up.  Roast uncovered 20-30 minutes, until zucchini is tender crisp, and filling is hot and slightly browned.  Serve hot.

This will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave.