Taco Stuffed Yellow Squash/ Zucchini Boats

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One of my favorite bloggers for healthy lower calorie dishes is skinnytaste.com. She's very creative with her ingredients when coming up with great low cal. healthy recipes. I've made a few adjustments in the seasonings in this recipe because I thought it needed a bit more flavor. Seasonings don't cost you calories, but okay I added more cheese...  I'm using yellow squash instead of  zucchini, only because we have a bumper crop of yellow squash. 


Ingredients

• 4 medium (32 oz.) zucchini or yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup mild salsa or salsa to your liking
• 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
• 1&1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1&1/2 tsp.cumin    
• 1&1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 1 tsp. chili powder 
• 1 tsp. paparika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 tbsp bell pepper, minced
• 4 oz. can tomato sauce (I used a med. *homemade salsa instead)
• 1/4 cup water (I used *tomato juice instead)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese or more if you're a cheese lover like me

*sliced whole scallions, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, or any of your favorite taco toppings

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1/4 cup of salsa in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Using a small spoon, hollow out the center of the zucchini or yellow squash halves, leaving about a 1/4-inch thick shell on each half. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini or squash in small pieces and set aside about 3/4 to 1 cup to add to the taco filling. Drop zucchini/squash halves in boiling water and cook 1 to 2 minutes and remove from water.

Brown turkey in a large skillet, breaking up while it cooks. When no longer pink, add the spices and mix well. Add onion, bell pepper, reserved zucchini/squash, *salsa, and *tomato juice. Saute for an additional three minutes and cover, simmer on low for about 20 minutes. After cooking, I add a little cheese to the mixture to make it thicker, yummier, and easier to put in the cavity of the squash.

Fill the hollowed zucchini/squash boats, dividing the taco meat equally, about 1/3 cup in each. Top each with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and squash/zucchini is cooked through. *Top with toppings of your liking.

 Original recipe

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/07/taco-stuffed-zucchini-boats.html?_ziplist=disable