One more day of tomatoes to go…

I’ve been wanting to try some stuffed tomatoes so instead of searching for a recipe, I decided to use what was fresh in the frig.  I kept the recipe simple; some rice (I used wild rice) along with whatever veggies I had which turned out to be some onion, zucchini and yellow squash, some kale, and fresh herbs.  I decided not to add any meat and instead made this as a simple side dish but you could definitely add some ground hamburger or pork and make it the main course. I sauteed the veggies, added the rice and then carved out the tomatoes and stuffed them.  Add some cheese, like feta or mozzarella or change up the spices and add some curry or turmeric to give it more of an Indian theme.  This version would also do well with some jalepenos.

We served the tomatoes with some grilled chicken, sliced cucumbers and a few leftover green beans.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Summer

4+ medium-sized tomatoes (you could do more tomatoes as I had some leftover rice mixture which will be leftovers tomorrow.  I added the inside of the tomatoes that was scooped out to the rice.)
1 cup rice (wild or brown) (plus two cups water, wine or chicken broth)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
½ small zucchini, diced
½ small yellow squash, diced
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls chopped kale
fresh herbs
1-2 tablespoons crushed almonds
Grated parmesan

Directions:

Saute onions for 4-5 minutes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then add zucchini, yellow squash and garlic. Cook for another 4-5 minutes then add the rice and liquid.  Cook down till just a little liquid remains (about 30 minutes) and then add the kale and let it cook down for another 4-5 minutes.  Meanwhile cut tops off tomatoes and carve them out with a spoon or melon ball scooper without puncturing the sides.  Add the almonds and herbs in right before you stuff the tomatoes. The rice should be al dente (just about done, but a little firmness to the rice). Stuff the tomatoes and top with grated parmesan cheese (or feta would be nice too).

Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are soft, but not mushy. Serve warm.