Nothing’s better, in our book. Tomatoes provide us with more of the ten most important vitamins and minerals than any of the other top ten fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States. Add the element lycopene to the picture and you have one of the hardest working cancer fighters there is.
We’re getting near the end of garden season and many of us are looking at bumper crops of tomatoes this year, thanks to the really long hot summer in some parts of the country. With this in mind, we consulted one of our favorite, out-of-print cookbooks from 1981, The Farmer’s Cookbook, for some incredible tomato recipes. So while we got ‘em fresh, let’s gobble them up!
Tomato-Avocado Pita Sandwiches
5 medium tomatoes, sliced
¼ cold pressed virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp basil, crushed (unless you grew some in your garden, in which case…duh…use it!)
1/8 tsp pepper
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, mashed
3 Tbsp green chili, diced
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion, minced
½ tsp garlic salt
6 pita breads, halved
1 C alfalfa or bean sprouts
¼ C green onion, sliced
¾ C Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese, grated
Place tomato slices in a shallow dish. Combine olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake well; pour over tomatoes. Cover tomatoes and let stand at room temperature for 1 hr. Combine avocado, chilies, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, and garlic salt; blend well. Cover and chill.
To serve, spread inside of each pita bread half with 2 Tbsp avocado mixture. Spoon in about 1 Tbsp sprouts. Add 2 to 3 tomato slices, 1 tsp green onion, and 1 Tbsp cheese. SO good!
Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes
8 tomatoes (about 2 ¾ lbs)
1 ¼ C peas (10 oz)
¾ C (3 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 C butter, melted
¼ C packed parsley sprigs
1 Tbsp dried basil, crushed (UNLESS you grew fresh, in which case, you use it!)
1 clove garlic, sliced
¼ C walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Core tomatoes. Scoop out insides. Chop pulp and set aside; discard seeds. Turn tomato shells upside down on a paper towel to drain. Combine peas, Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley, basil, and garlic in a food processor or blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Fold in chopped tomato pulp and walnuts. Place tomato shells in shallow baking pan. Spoon pea mixture into shells. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 min. Scrumptious!
Tomato-Zucchini Parmesan
1 C (8 fl. oz) tomato sauce (Have you ever made your own? Although a little time-consuming, it’s easy)
¾ C (6 oz) tomato paste
¾ C onion, finely chopped
2 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
4 C (1 ½ lb) zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 tomatoes, cored and sliced
½ C Parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz. Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese, sliced
Preheat oven to 375º F. In a medium saucepan, combine tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion, Italian herb seasoning, garlic, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 15 min., stirring occasionally. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer half of the zucchini, tomatoes, sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Place jack or Cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 min, or until zucchini is tender. Can substitute yellow squash for zucchini or mix squashes. This is also tasty with fresh corn, cut off the cob, mixed in. Lots of possibilities here. Play around with this, and if you come up with something great, send it in so we can share it with the tomato-loving world!
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