Stuff My Mom Makes I

As I've probably mentioned here before, my mother isn't much for cooking; as far as I can tell, when she's not having company, she lives on coffee, soy patties and granola bars. When we come to visit, takeout Chinese is traditional for the first night, and generally we visit my grandparents another night. That leaves at least one night, however, when it is necessary to cook something. If nothing else, it gives us an excuse to visit Wegmans, where I can drool over the miles of cheese (one of these days I really will bring a cooler along on the trip) and whimper about how unfair it is that her grocery store has daikon and mine does not.

This is one of the recipes she makes for us sometimes. It's a little heavy on the cheese, but good. She leaves out the almonds, which none of us care for, but I'm sure other nuts could be used instead.

Cheese and Almond Stuffed Zucchini

3 medium zucchini

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 c finely chopped onion

1 tsp salt

6 oz cream cheese in small cubes

1 1/2 c finely chopped almonds

1/2 c bread crumbs

7 oz grated Swiss cheese

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out and reserve the centers. Saute the onion in the oil until translucent. Ad salt and chopped zucchini pulp, and cook until soft. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese and cover for several minutes.

In a bowl, mix almonds, bread crumbs, Swiss cheese, and spices. Add the cream cheese mixture. Fill the zucchini shells and place them in an oiled 9x13 baking pan. Add water to about 1/4 inch. Tightly cover the pan, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes to brown.

From New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, which suggests serving it on a bed of rice alongside Artichoke Heart & Tomato Salad.