Ingredients for the zucchini and stuffing:
6 medium zucchinis
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup organic short grain brown rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup raisins plumped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Ingredients for the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin seed
2 tablespoons honey
1 (2-inch) piece stick cinnamon
1 (32 ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
To prepare the zucchini, cut stems off with a paring knife. Remove the inside creating a hollow center (leave approximately 1/4-inch thick shell intact). Wash zucchini thoroughly and cut in half.
Heat olive oil in a medium pot until hot. Add onion and cook over low to medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add rice and stir over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, stir well, and then add water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and cook until done over low heat, approximately 45 minutes. Once the rice is cooked let it cool slightly and stir in the raisins and pine nuts. Cool completely.
To make the sauce, heat olive oil until hot in a heavy bottomed pan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add cumin and honey and stir until it starts to cook. Add stick cinnamon and tomatoes. Simmer until reduced by about a third. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the chopped mint.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff zucchini halves with rice mixture. Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with half of the tomato sauce. Place the zucchini straight up on the tomato sauce and leave a little room between each zucchini so that you can ladle plenty of the remaining tomato sauce around them. The sauce should come 3/4 of the way up the zucchini. Bake until the zucchini are tender but not soft, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.