Melted Tomatoes

I have so many green tomatoes still on the vine!  Since the hot days of summer seem to be winding down, I don't think that I will be getting many more ripe red ones.  Guess I will have to find a good recipe for green tomatoes.  Do you have any to share?

I actually didn't even have enough tomatoes to make this recipe and had to (gasp) buy some at the grocery store!  That has not happened all summer.  Thankfully the store had some tomatoes grown on a farm in the next town over, so they were fresh and tomatoey-tasting!

This is an easy, quick-prep meal.  However, it takes a long time to cook in the oven.  If you have 15 mins to do the prep and 1-2 hours to spare before dinner, then no problem.  Otherwise, save this for a weekend or a special occasion! 

Melted Tomatoes
recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:
2lb medium tomatoes, cut up (about 7 cups)
3 T olive oil
1/4 C snipped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Preheat over to 300 F.  Place tomatoes in an even layer in a 3 Qt baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil and salt and pepper. 

Bake, uncovered for about 1.5-2 hours or until tomatoes are slightly dried and soft.  Cool about 15 mins.

So yummy!  I served it with Green Onion Chicken, but I forgot to take pictures of that :)

p.s. I'm linking up to About A Mom's blog hop and the blog hop at Happy Hour Projects!

Fast Summer Dinner

When we got home from vacation last week, the last thing I wanted to do was cook.  But I also didn't want to get take-out or go to a restaurant.  What's a girl to do?

I settled on running in and out of the grocery store really quick.  I promised myself that I would just grab the things that I needed to make a really fast meal.  Ten minutes in the store - tops. 

But then I saw cherries on sale.  Oh, and seltzer.  And yogurt!

So it took me 20 minutes.  But it was worth it.  I was able to get chicken, corn and fresh mozzarella for that dinner that night, plus some things for breakfast in the morning.  More than enough to hold us over until I went to do a big shopping trip.

So what did we eat?  Italian seasoned chicken, corn on the cob and tomato salad.  It's nothing special, and I didn't follow a recipe, I just threw it together.

grilled chicken with grilled peppers on top, corn, tomato and mozz salad

The corn was easy: I just boiled it.  The chicken was simple too: I sprinkled a dry packet of Italian Salad Dressing mix onto 2 lbs of chicken, and grilled until done. 

The tomato salad (often called a caprese salad) was also easy.  This is probably my most favorite summertime salad.  And what made this one even better was that the tomato was from my garden! 

Summer Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
1 tomato
1 small package fresh mozzarella
4-5 basil leaves
olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions:
Slice tomato and mozzarella.  Layer the slices of tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves. 

First I layer tomato and then mozz

And then I add the basil between the tomato and mozz.  I tear the leaves if they are too big.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

What is your favorite summer salad?  Do you have a go-to recipe for the days that you don't want to cook but take-out isn't an option?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Tofu Stack Ups

I'm always looking for new tofu recipes since tofu stir fry can get old pretty fast.  And I am always trying to find recipes that do new things with the tofu since marinating it and grilling/broiling it can also get pretty fast!

So when I saw this recipe for Tofu Stack Ups in Better Homes and Gardens, I thought it looked interesting enough to try!  Plus, it did something new with the tofu - the recipe called for breading the tofu in cornmeal.  That blew my mind since it didn't even occur to me that you could bread tofu.

Clearly I am a tofu novice!

Tofu Stack-Ups
recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:

2 ears fresh sweet corn

2 12- to 16-oz. pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and sliced

2 medium green tomatoes, sliced (AFC note: I used red tomatoes)

Lime wedges

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions: 

1. In a large saucepan, cook corn, covered, in boiling salted water for 7 minutes. Drain. (AFC note: I don't salt the water, I read somewhere that it draws moisture out of the corn)

2. Meanwhile, slice each block of tofu horizontally into 4 slices. In a shallow dish combine cornmeal, chili powder, and salt; dip tofu into mixture to coat.

3. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook tofu in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Remove tofu from skillet; add sweet pepper and green tomatoes and cook in remaining oil about 3 minutes until tomatoes are heated through and lightly browned and peppers are crisp tender.

4. Cut corn from cob. Place one slice tofu on each of four serving plates. Top with half of the corn, peppers and tomatoes. Top with remaining tofu slices, and remaining corn, peppers, and tomatoes. Serve with lime wedges and fresh cilantro leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Verdict:  I loved the tofu covered in cornmeal.  It added a nice crunch!  However, both the Husband and I agreed that it could have been more flavorful.  Anyone have any suggestions on what they would add?

Updated:  I'm linking up to Mangoes and Chutney's Fat Camp Friday!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"Shriveled" uploaded to Flickr by Tamara Burross

Have you ever bought a package of grape tomatoes only to have them shrivel up within 2 days?  So annoying, right?

To bring your shriveled tomatoes back to life, try sauteing them in some water, broth, or even white wine over medium-low heat.  They should plump up quickly.  Unfortunately you won't be able to use them in salads, but you can use them in a pasta dish!