4 large zucchini
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup cooked rice
One quarter cup fresh parsley, chopped
One half tsp. paprika
Dash of ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Par boil zucchini in water for about 10 minutes and set aside to cool. Scoop out pulp and set aside. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain off any excess fat. Add zucchini pulp and cook for several minutes. Add rice, parsley, paprika, nutmeg, lemon juice and salt and pepper and cook several minutes more. Stuff each zucchini with ground beef mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes. If you don't want to use ground beef, you may substitute pork, lamb, or chicken. You may also leave out the meat all together and substitute 1 cup of bread crumbs.

The Skinny: Use the leanest ground beef you can find. We did not use fat-free cheese but you might be able to get away with it.

Broccoli with Toasted Sesame Seeds

2 pounds broccoli
One quarter cup butter
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Cut off the bottom inch of the stems, the peel the stems and cut into thin slices. Blanch broccoli by placing in a saucepan and covering it with water. Bring water to a boil and cook for just a couple of minutes until broccoli is crisp tender. Drain off water and add butter, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic to the saucepan and cook for several more minutes. Add toasted sesame seeds and salt and pepper. You may toast the sesame seeds by placing them on a baking sheet and placing them in the oven on 400 degrees for several minutes until they turn golden brown.

The Skinny: Use low sodium soy sauce.