My philosophy is...if you've got a surplus of something, create a new dish, which is exactly where these stuffed tomatoes came from. In the process of making a zucchini and chicken sausage casserole, I found myself with a lot of leftover orange zucchini. Naturally not wanting it to go to waste, I thought it could create a wonderful stuffing for the three ripe tomatoes I also happened to have lying around in the fridge. Improvising a pretty easy dish, it was success all around, including getting high marks on the healthy scale. I hope you get to try it at home and change it up in any way that suits you.
Fooditka's Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut in half and scooped out with a spoon (or your fingers)
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
1/2 large orange zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix the panko with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper.
Sautee the onions and garlic, being careful not to let it burn. Combine with the orange zucchini and cook for about 5-7 minutes until, soft and slightly golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Place stuffing into the scooped out tomatoes and top with breadcrumbs. Place all of this in a ceramic dish that has been slightly oiled.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
At a loss for what to make for dinner the other night, I was racking my brain for something appetizing, easy and kind of healthy too. A veggie dish came to my head naturally, as I don't cook that much meat at home, and rather turn to a veggie alternative for my weeknight meals.
I decided to make a butternut squash gnocchi bake, as I saw some nice looking (and pre-cut) butternut squash at the supermarket, and the rest of the ingredients I already had on hand, which was great. And even though gnocchi is far from light, I went heavier on the squash and sauteed it real nice with sweet shallots. I then topped the whole thing with fresh chopped parsley and tangy gouda cheese. It was delightful and made for good leftovers.
Fooditka's Butternut Squash Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients (serves 2):
1 package of store bought gnocchi (or you can also do fresh if you have time)
2 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbs of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of shredded gouda cheese
1 1/2 tbs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet until hot. Add shallot and sautee until it starts getting golden in color. Add the butternut squash, salt and pepper and sautee for about 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces get tender and browned on the outside.
In the meantime, make the gnocchi according to the directions on the package. When they're done and after the squash is cooked, combine the two in a lightly oiled baking dish and put the shredded cheese on top. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the top gets golden brown. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, and serve warm.
While I try to limit my pasta intake, when I do have it, I go all out. In the mood to make something hearty and colorful (hence the vibrancy of this dish), I found a neat little recipe on bonappetit.com for Creamy Fettuccine with Prosciutto, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Peas.
I immediately loved all the ingredients in it, as it contained tons of veggies and just a hint of meat from the prosciutto. Amending the recipe as I usually do, I substituted the cream based sauce for 1% lowfat milk and also substituted olive oil for butter.
My favorite ingredient in this was the asparagus, which came out fresh and crunchy, and the key is using a really good organic kind. I was also quite pleased with the prosciutto aspect, which I decided to roast instead of sautee, producing that deliciously crunchy texture. It tasted like smoky bacon, and that's just what I was going for. After I had a bowl of it, I was completely sated and content. Bon Appetit to that!
Everything But the Kitchen Sink Pasta (as I'm nicknaming it). Recipe courtesy of Bonappetit.com
Consisting of seeded cherry tomatoes, red onions, garlic, fresh rosemary and goat cheese, the frittata was an earthy, healthful and filling meal. We enjoyed it quite a bit after taking an active Zumba class prior to it. Even though we're all bread freaks in my family, I opted to pair the frittata with a simple side salad of baby arugula, tomatoes, rustic pieces of burrata cheese, topped with olive oil and pepper. Not only did it make for an elegant brunch, it was quick, easy and versatile. After completing the frittata the night before, I refrigerated it and popped it into the microwave for about a minute and a half before serving it. It totally did the trick and my guests seemed impressed. Pheewww...
Here is the recipe I followed. Instead of using cottage cheese, I substituted with 2 1/2 tbs of good quality goat cheese, and frozen mixed veggies were subsituted with fresh cherry tomatoes. It was yuuummmy.
Veggie Frittata Recipe
A bit stumped about what to make for dinner the other day, I opened up one of my favorite healthy cookbooks, Secrets of a Skinny Chef and found a good recipe for a healthy Southwestern frittata with homemade salsa. It sounded delicious and I had most of the ingredients on-hand so I went to it. However, I changed things a bit and substituted the contents with the veggies I received that day from my CSA. The "salsa" component was adapted too and I used a classic bruschetta recipe that I often entertain with. If you like less spicy flavors in your food, I think you'll appreciate it.
Overall, I was happy with the way it all came out, as it had a little bit of everything - heartiness from the frittata, freshness and acid from the salsa and some good ol' starch from the crusty bread. It definitely filled us up and went nicely with a glass of white wine. We saved room for dessert of course, and had some Slovak goodies that I brought back from my trip. I suggest having something a little sweet after this light dinner. Bon appetit.Skinny Veggie Frittata and Homemade Salsa (serves 2)
Ingredients:
Bruschetta Salsa:
3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, diced
2 tbs (or a small handful) of red onions, diced
1 tbs of parsley, choppedThe juice of 1/2 lemon or limeSalt and pepper to taste
Frittata:
1 11.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed4 egg whites
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain, fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup packed parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt2 tsp olive oil
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 handful of red onions, chopped
2 small red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Bruschetta - Mix all the prepared ingredients in a small- medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Incorporate thoroughly and taste to make sure that you like the flavoring.
Frittata - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir the beans, egg whites, eggs, yogurt, parsley and black pepper until well combined. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Coat with olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking (it will shimmer), add the onions and peppers. Reduce the heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peppers and onions soften. Then add the tomatoes and stir for about 3 minutes, until they soften but not break down completely.
Pour the egg mixture on top and decrease the heat to low. Sprinkle the eggs with cheese and cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes. Then place into the pre-heated oven for another 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through. Top each frittata with a spoonful of salsa (or serve it on the side like I did).
