Sara Novak
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Often times the presentation of vegetarian meals can look more like a side dish than a main course but by stuffing vegetables they turn into the center of attention. You can stuff a wide variety of vegetables and once you get the idea it's pretty simple. I made stuffed tomatoes with some end of season local yellow tomatoes. But tomatoes are the least presentation-friendly vegetable for stuffing because they shrink while baking and their skin doesn't remain firm. But taste-wise they are likely one of my favorites.
Some other easy vegetables to stuff are acorn squash, butternut squash, onions, and of course, peppers. I recently had a cheese plate at a local wine bar that featured an elegant take on stuffed onions with purple onions stuffed with a stronger more stinky blue cheese that held up perfectly to the onion.
Squashes and pumpkins need to be roasted before they are stuffed but softer vegetables like tomatoes and onions don't need to be roasted first.
The original recipe included chicken but I substituted the chicken for 2 cups of protein-rich quinoa. I also used rosemary instead of basil because I had already used most of my basil in some of my recipes from last week. The rosemary is also an incredibly fragrant and warming herb to me.
Stuffed Tomatoes
2 cups cooked quinoa or 1 lb chicken if you're so inclined
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb. strong cheese (blue, cheddar)
1 tbsp basil, chopped
8 mid sized tomatoes
½ cup grated mozzarella
Method
1 Sauté chicken, onions, and garlic until chicken is nearly well done. If you substitute quinoa, add 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa in a rice cooker. Fluff when done cooking.
2. Stir in strong cheese and basil.
3. Core tomatoes and hollow as much as possible without penetrating outer skin.
4. Spoon the mixture into each tomato, top with mozzarella and bake in 375 degree oven until cheese browns on top. Serve hot or cold.
Local to: I'm in South Carolina but you can likely find the cheeses, onion, tomatoes, basil, and garlic in most parts of the country. I used a Split Creek Farms cheese from Anderson, S.C. and a Happy Cow cheese from Pelzer, S.C. The quinoa was not local but I got it from the bins at the natural foods store and I used reusable bags as well.
This recipe is from The 100 Mile Diet website. Don't miss The 100 Mile Challenge on Planet Green.
100 Mile Challenge: Recipes
More on the 100 Challenge:
The 100-Mile Challenge: The Participants
The 100-Mile Challenge: The Story
It Takes Two Baby! Make Decadent Crème Fraîche or Cream Cheese With Two Ingredients
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