Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Rice

A simple side dish of fiber filled brown rice, a good serving of cottage cheese and deliciously sweet pan roasted cherry tomatoes. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup cottage cheese

10-12 black olives, halved

1/2 tsp dry oregano

2 cups cherry tomatoes

pinch of sugar

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 tsp dry minced onion

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

In a deep skillet heat olive oil to medium high then add the tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. After 8-10 minutes the tomatoes will start to burst. Add garlic for 1 minutes. De-glaze the pan with a little water or broth. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir all together. Transfer to a microwave safe baking dish and heat through in the microwave. Serves 4 

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Summer Tomato Cheese Toasts

Summer tomatoes are at their peak right now. And this no fuss lunch highlights them!

Ingredients:

4 slices bread (whole wheat, sourdough, Italian, even just plain white bread)

1 large tomato, sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsps olive oil (spicy if you've got it!)

garlic powder and oregano to taste

1 or 2 sliced marinated artichokes, dried with paper towel

2 tbsps crumbled feta

fresh basil to garnish 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 1 side of bread with oil and sprinkle garlic powder and oregano. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Then add a big slice of tomato, mozzarella on top and then sliced artichokes and feta. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes then garnish with basil and enjoy. Serves 2

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Cheesy Tomato Noodle Soup

Just throw everything in the oven and in 30 minutes you've got an easy peasy cheesy noodle soup! 

Ingredients:

2 tbsps cream cheese

3 slices (Kraft) processed cheddar cheese

3 slices Monterey Jack cheese (or your fave)

1 1/2 cups extra broad egg noodles

1-2 tsps minced garlic

3/4 cup 10% cream

2 cups chicken broth

2 dozen cherry tomatoes

1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tsp dry oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Oil a 10" baking dish. Take the cheese slices, alternating processed cheddar and Monterey Jack, and make a stack. Dollop the cream cheese on top of the cheese stack and place it in the center of the baking dish. Distribute the egg noodles all around. Pour in the cream and broth, then top with garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano, salt and pepper.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted and the cheese is ooey gooey! (Yes, that's a technical cooking term 😉)

Stir it together and ladle into bowls.

Makes 2-3 servings

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Fresh Tomato Butter Sauce

Just a simple, satisfying weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

9 oz/250g spaghetti 

1 lb tomatoes (I used 2 large)

4 tbsps butter

1/3 cup shredded parmesan

2 tsps minced garlic

fresh basil or parsley

pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of sugar

salt and black pepper to taste

Garlic Peas (optional):

Heat some frozen green peas in a small saucepan with olive oil, dry basil, garlic powder and salt to taste.

Grate the tomatoes on a box grater. I took a thin slice off the bottom, then grated the whole thing right up to the top. Only this bit of peel and stem were left to throw out.

Melt 3 tbsps of butter in a medium saucepan and add the garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar. Gently warm 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt and black pepper and bring up the heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Start to cook the spaghetti. 

Whisk the parmesan into the sauce little by little until fully incorporated. (Note: Don't use powdered parmesan from the grocery store. It will clump.)

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water then drain the rest. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce and add the remaining 1 tbsp butter, fresh basil or parsley, and check salt and pepper for taste.

Serve as is or topped with garlic green peas.

Serves 2

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Blistered Tomato and Tortellini Soup

Garden tomatoes are at their peak and what better way to use them then in a fresh tomato soup!

I was gifted this beautiful cookbook from a dear friend and written by The Food Gays ... every recipe looks delicious! Also, their food photography hints are so interesting. (I can sure use help in that department!!) Anyways, I took the liberty here of adapting their Blistered Tomato Soup to include tortellini. It was amazing 😋

Ingredients:

10 medium tomatoes

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tsp dry thyme

1 tsp dry rosemary

1 tbsp avocado oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 tsps minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

a few grinds of pepper

a pinch of sugar

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

350g package cheese or beef tortellini 

Fresh basil and rosemary to garnish

Cover a baking sheet with foil (to make clean up way easier!) Core the tomatoes and cut and X in the bottom. Place them bottom side up on the baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and rosemary then roast in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes. After 30, broil them for an additional 15-20 minutes keeping an eye on them so they don't brown too much (read burn!) but just get a nice char to the skins.

Heat avocado oil to medium in a soup pot and sauté the onions for 4 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 more minute along with the salt and pepper. Reserve one tomato and add the rest with all their juices, a pinch of sugar and the broth to the soup pot. Simmer about 10 minutes then add the parmesan cheese.

While the soup simmers cook the tortellini.

Blend the soup in a food processor then hand chop the reserved tomato and add that and the tortellini to the pot.

Garnish with basil and rosemary.

Soup's on!

Serves 4

Tomato and Tofu Pie

 A savory tofu filling is topped with fresh (garden, if you're lucky) tomatoes, basil and red onion ready to serve as a brunch item, bougie lunch, appetizer or light supper.

Ingredients:

pie dough for a 9-10" pie shell

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar (vegetarian) cheese

2-3 medium sized tomatoes, 1/4-1/2" slices

a few cherry tomato halves to fill in the gaps

fresh chopped basil and leaves to garnish

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 lb firm tofu, shredded

2 tsps worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp sodium reduced soya sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp smoked paprika

Roll out the pie dough. Lightly spray a 9" tart pan and place the dough in it. Poke several times with a fork then refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready place a sheet of parchment paper over the shell then sit a glass pie plate on top. This is my method since I don't have pie weights. Blind bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

Slice the tomatoes and place on a paper towel. Salt them on both sides and let sit 10 minutes before blotting dry.

In the meantime pat the tofu dry then shred. Or if it has been frozen and thawed, gently squeeze extra liquid out then shred. Mix with worcestershire, veg oil, soya sauce, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.

Mix the cheddar and mayo together.

Spoon the tofu mixture into the pie shell pressing gently, then spred the cheese/mayo mixture over the tofu. 

Top the cheese/mayo mix with 2-3 tbsps chopped basil followed by a layer of tomatoes, onions, salt and pepper. 

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.

And let sit 20 minutes before cutting.

I think it looks pretty awesome!

Fresh Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

The last hurrah for my garden tomatoes this year! It's only a small batch but it may be doubled if you have more tomatoes.  And the red pepper and garlic really pack a punch to enhance the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, quartered

1 red pepper, cut in chunks

1 small onion, cut in chunks

6 garlic cloves, left whole

2 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup beef broth (or more if you want a thinner soup)

Toss the tomatoes, red pepper, onion and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a baking pan. Place in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes. (This is also a good time to put another pan full of root veggies in the oven for supper!)

Then add the rest of the ingredients and run through a food processor. Spoon it all into a pot, heat and serve.

Makes 3 or 4 cups

Whole Tomato Salad

It's mid-September and our weather is still like mid-July!
Hot and sunny...perfect for tomatoes.  The plants just keep producing these juicy lovelies!

Here's another way to use this beautiful bounty of tomatoes!

Take a tomato and cut it into 6 wedges, but do NOT cut all the way through. Spread the wedges out gently then fill with whatever salad goodies you like.

I used chopped iceberg lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot, crumbled croutons and some feta cheese. Here it is before the dressing.

Then I drizzled on a little ranch to finish them off.

Pretty simple eh? 

Upside Down Tomato Pie

Always on the look out to try different tomato recipes at this time of year.

1 tbsp olive oil
a few thin slices of onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
couple drops Angostura bitters (optional)
Small tomato slices and cherry tomato halves
chopped spinach 
chopped sundried tomatoes
sliced black olives
black pepper

Crust:
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup olive oil

Garnish:
fresh basil and lemon thyme

Slice tomatoes, enough to fill a 10" pan and a few cherry tomatoes to fill in the spaces. Place them on a paper towel and cover with another paper towel to absorb some of the juices. Set aside for about 20 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a fry pan and lightly brown the sliced onion. I really didn't use much onion...didn't want to overpower the tomatoes in the pie.

Turn off the heat and add 1 minced garlic. Sprinkle the brown sugar, balsamic and Angostura. Stir and set aside.

Oil a 10" pie plate and arrange the tomatoes, fried onions and other toppings.  Here I used a little chopped spinach, a few snips of sundried tomato and some black olives. Finished up with a few grinds of black pepper. I think next time I make this I'll pack in a few more slices of tomato as they do shrink when cooking.

Next prepare the crust. Mix both flours, salt and the 2 minced garlic together in a bowl. Make a well and pour in the boiling water and olive oil. Stir until it comes together. On a dusted board press or roll out to fit the top of your pie (which will be the bottom).  Lift the dough onto the tomatoes and pierce with a fork.

Had to peek underneath : )

Bake at 400 F for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes then invert onto a plate. Garnish with basil and lemon thyme.

Adapted from http://www.bite.co.nz/