And it was time again for my boyfriend to cook - and as always it was delicious. He wanted to do a light dinner and found this great recipe for stuffed tomatoes on "Diethood" - food blog. He adjusted and modified the quantity of ingredients for 2 main dish servings and used a boxed quinoa from NearEast (flavor "Roasted Red Pepper & Basil") that actually uses a blend of quinoa and brown rice.
Ingredients (for 2 servings)
- 4 big vine Tomatoes
- Salt - to taste
- 1 boxed Quinoa (e.g. NearEast - flavor "Roasted Red Pepper & Basil")
- 3 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- Salt and Pepper - to taste
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 -3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese - grated
Preparation
1. Quinoa:
Follow the box instructions to prepare the quinoa: Mix 1 3/4 cups of water with the quinoa and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, bring to a boil. Add the spice sack and mix well. Let boil for about 15 minutes. Then cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff up the quinoa with a fork.
Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan, add the fresh spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for a 2-3 minutes till it wilts. Mix in the garlic and parsley and cook for another 1-2 minutes, remove from the stove. Add the quinoa to the spinach mix and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Prepare the tomatoes. Slice the top end (with the stem) at about 1/2 inch off. Remove the seeds and hollow out the inside. Place the tomatoes open side up on a baking form. If they do not sit flat, cut a very small layer on the bottom off to create an even surface. Sprinkle salt in the tomatoes, be generous. Fill the tomatoes with the quinoa-spinach mix. Bake the stuffed tomatoes for 20 minutes.
Mix the parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Now, sprinkle the cheese mix on top of the tomatoes and bake for another 5 minutes till the cheese is melted and crispy. If the cheese is not golden brown and crispy after 5 minutes, put the tomatoes under the broiler for another 3 minutes.
Serve 1-2 tomatoes per person and add a side salad with a vinaigrette.
Follow the box instructions to prepare the quinoa: Mix 1 3/4 cups of water with the quinoa and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, bring to a boil. Add the spice sack and mix well. Let boil for about 15 minutes. Then cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff up the quinoa with a fork.
Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan, add the fresh spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for a 2-3 minutes till it wilts. Mix in the garlic and parsley and cook for another 1-2 minutes, remove from the stove. Add the quinoa to the spinach mix and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit. Prepare the tomatoes. Slice the top end (with the stem) at about 1/2 inch off. Remove the seeds and hollow out the inside. Place the tomatoes open side up on a baking form. If they do not sit flat, cut a very small layer on the bottom off to create an even surface. Sprinkle salt in the tomatoes, be generous. Fill the tomatoes with the quinoa-spinach mix. Bake the stuffed tomatoes for 20 minutes.
Mix the parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Now, sprinkle the cheese mix on top of the tomatoes and bake for another 5 minutes till the cheese is melted and crispy. If the cheese is not golden brown and crispy after 5 minutes, put the tomatoes under the broiler for another 3 minutes.
Serve 1-2 tomatoes per person and add a side salad with a vinaigrette.
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