Fresh Stuffed Tomatoes – or the day California Tomato Farmers saved the day!
Life has a twisted sense of humor sometimes…
You see, I was one of the lucky few that got selected by the fine folks over at California Tomato Farmers to try their delicious fresh tomatoes and create an original recipe that would really showcase the freshness and tastiness of their beautiful field grown fruits
Of course, they provided me with a sample of their precious crop. The goods were to be shipped to me all the way from sunny California where they’d had a chance to grow under the hot California sun, an environment that is so very well suited to growing tomatoes.
The precious shipment was initially scheduled to get here early in July, but there had been some delay, so I got them mid-July instead. Just in time for that memorable week-end where, you might remember, I was stuck without power for a little over 45 hours after a major storm hit the entire province of Québec.
Great. Now that was JUST GREAT! Exactly what I needed.
How was I supposed to come up with a decent recipe when I barely had any food to cook with, no running water and had to open the fridge as little as possible if I was hoping to save the little bit of food that I had left in there? Thank goodness AT LEAST I have a gas range!
Initially, I figured I would wait it out and hopefully, the power would be back soon enough for me to work on this assignment.
But it seems like faith saw things differently. It soon became clear to me that I would have to make do with the situation and come up with some kind of idea as to how to make tomatoes shine under less than ideal life circumstances.
Since I had to use whatever food I had in the fridge (which really wasn’t much) I started making a mental list of what I had in there and came up with a plan!
Not just any plan… A brilliant plan.
And, you know what?
California Tomatoes might very well have ended up saving the day that day, after all!
For take a look at the delicious dinner I got to enjoy that night!
A few hard boiled eggs mashed together with a creamy ripe avocado, to which I added a few pieces of crumbled bacon. I stuffed all of that into some fresh tomatoes which I’d emptied out, garnished the whole thing with a few spears of asparagus, and I got dinner that was so fancy, you’d never guess that it was an “emergency meal”.
In fact, I think it would make a very suitable appetizer for a romantic dinner for two.
Mind you, maybe it’s the candlelight setting that I was forced to use that night that planted the idea into my mind… but still, you gotta admit this looks highly elegant and refined. Wouldn’t you be delighted if your loved one to served this to you as a prelude to a delightful romantic dinner for the two of you?
Only seriously, this is so crazy easy to make, you’re probably gonna end up wanting to eat this all the time. Can you see what a fabulous breakfast this would be?
Simple, elegant, tasty and nutritious!
WIN!
Hey, who says you need to spend hours in the kitchen to come up with a fancy and delicious meal?
Nonsense. You don’t even need electricity.
All you need are a few California Tomatoes! 😉
Now before you go, California Tomato Farmers wants to give you a chance to win a cool serrated tomato knife and cutting board!
Want in on that?
Find out how at the end of this post…
Fresh Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 ripe medium California Tomatoes
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 4 slices pastured bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4" pieces
- 6 asparagus tips, very lightly steamed and cooled
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Cut-off the very top of the tomatoes and scoop out the flesh and seeds, being careful not to pierce the skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper in the cavity and drizzle a little bit of olive oil. Reserve.
- In a heavy skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until nice and crispy. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess fat. Drain fat in a separate bowl, keeping about a tablespoon in the pan.
- Add the spinach to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the avocado, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and mash with a fork or potato masher until smooth and creamy.
- Add the hard boiled eggs and mix them in with the avocado mixture, using your fork or masher, until well incorporated. Stir in the bacon, but keep a few pieces to garnish your stuffed tomatoes.
- Distribute the spinach between the 3 tomatoes and pack lightly.
- Fill the rest of the cavity with the avocado egg mixture.
- Garnish with the asparagus tips and the remaining bacon bits.
- Serve immediately, candle lights optional!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment telling us what recipe you like to make that showcases beautiful fresh tomatoes, or, if you’d rather have someone else cook for you, what’s your favorite recipe that uses fresh tomatoes.
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry””; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) To enter without commenting, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents (excluding Quebec) age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 8/6/2013 – 8/31/2013
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71 Comments on “Fresh Stuffed Tomatoes – or the day California Tomato Farmers saved the day!”
That’s how you turn an emergency situation into a success: right on Sonia! And what a success, indeed. Is it possible to make tomatoes look more delicious than that? Don’t think so…
Oh btw, I love how the asparagus make the tomatoes look like they have antlers or something. Super cool.
Haha! I especially like the one where it looks like the asparagus tips are on fire…
As for making tomatoes look delicious, I think you did a spectacular job with your Tomato Avocado Bunless Burgers! I was thinking pretty much the same thing when I saw that post. The tomatoes look so darn good that you kind of even forget about the meat. And to make one forget about the meat is no small feat, my dear! 😉
Great post! I think this would make a great packed lunch dish if you left out the asparagus (I can’t see myself carrying tomatoes with asparagus sticking out of them in a backpack on the bus!)….
BTW your link to the tomato farmers does not work….
And I did blog about it… see here http://salixisme.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/a-fantastic-tomato-recipe-and-a-give-away/
As for my fave tomato recipe – I fill hollowed out tomatoes with either tuna salad, chicken salad or egg salad… they are great for packed lunches for the kids for school and me for work…
LOL! I totally agree that the asparagus would have to be carried “on the side”…
LOVE the idea of stuffing the tomatoes with tuna or chicken salad. Will definitely be giving this a try. I’m thinking smoked salmon and eggs would be spectacular, too! Thanks for the inspiration!
p.s. I’ve been sent a new link to replace the old one, so all should be working now. Thanks for notifying me!
For a nice simple sandwich , grill some garlic naan bread until crispy, spread on some cream cheese then top with sliced tomatoes. Simple and tasty.
What a great recipe, and I love the addition of the smoked paprika, what a great secret ingredient to this dish. Absolutely love tomatoes and avocado so this is one that will end up on our plates shortly.
Love the look of this recipe! I’ve been wanting to try stuffed tomatoes for a really long time, but a lot of the recipes I’ve seen all include ground beef or sausage, which I’m not a huge fan of…will definitely be bookmarking this one, thanks!
Since tomatoes are in season, I would make a beautiful caprese salad featuring heirloom tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese! Of course, you can’t forget the basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil 🙂
That looks awesome Sonia. Funny enough Tom made his first whole30 dinner this week too. I was just not in the mood to cook so he stepped up and made me beautiful stuffed tomatoes! I was entirely impressed with his effort and these look really good too… I’m gonna show it to him and hint that it might be good for next time too…:)
Sometimes beautiful things come out of necessity and unwelcome situations and you have created a very tasty dish.
What a great idea for using tomatoes. Actually, based on the nutrition information, this would make a beautiful light lunch for me. If I were going to make a recipe with tomatoes, this would be it. This recipe sounds like it really showcases all the ingredients, plus it looks really pretty. I think that the power failure, despite the hardship you had to go through, was a blessing in disguise. 🙂
What a great idea! It’s so simple but I love caprese salad with fresh tomatoes! Yum!
it’s cheesy but my favorite recipe for fresh tomatoes are fresh bread, light mayo, cheese and tomato sandwiches
nannypanpan@gmail.com
I like to make tomato watermelon sorbet, it sounds odd, but it’s a refreshing treat in the summer.
runningmatey at Hotmail dot com
I’m loving the sound of that, Mari… Tomato and Watermelon work real well in a salad, so I don’t see why a sorbet wouldn’t work. I’ll have to give that a try !
https://twitter.com/LuckyDuckyToo/status/368122888408150016
runningmatey at Hotmail dot com
I love to use the tomatoes from my garden for salsa and fresh marinara
I love to take a beautiful fresh tomato and stuff it with shrimp salad.
I posted a tweet too!: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/368502480063057920
I love using fresh tomatoes in my vegetarian lasagna and tacos
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/368786298279968768
My favorite recipe including tomatoes is Tortellini-and-Tomato Salad, delicious!
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/369653350888796160
i love green tomatoes with orka
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/371335700668354560
I like to make chicken salad with tomato wedges.
I’d make Caramelized Onion, Green Bean, and Cherry Tomato Tian which uses fresh cherry tomatoes
Tweet
https://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/371725357012877312
I personally only like cooked tomatoes. But my hubby loves it when I make BLT’s with fresh tomatoes from my parent’s garden.
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/371788779758964737
https://twitter.com/karinaroselee/status/372482705474076672
i love to make margarita pizza
I just love this recipe. You really outdid yourself. My hubby would go crazy for this.
I was making tomato recipes for weeks with all the tomatoes they sent. It was such a riot. I don’t think I’ve ever had that many tomatoes at one time.
HAHA! Don’t I hear you, Kim! I was really surprised that I managed to eat every single one of them (by myself, that is…) 🙂
One of my favorite recipes with fresh tomatoes is a middle eastern salad. It has been a family favorite for years. A nice side of lentils and rice makes the meal complete.
I love the stuffed tomato recipe. I have never tried it like this. I am definitely gonna try it. or maybe add some crab in too ..so yummy
I would use tomatoes to add to macaroni and cheese
i’d like to make this recipe it is so creative and it looks beautiful really great for a dinnter party. I love fresh tomatoes on just about everything.
I love using fresh tomatoes. We have tons of different types growing in our garden. We use them for so many different things. It may seem basic but my favorite almost daily way I use them are for mater sandwiches. I spread a little mayo on cold bread then slap on the tomatoes. I like pickles & kettle chips on the side with it. Sometimes I’ll make a grilled cheese & put tomato on it. Simple but very quick & delicious.
I love adding fresh tomatoes to my sandwiches.
I would like to make homemade salsa or put them in a salad. I would make it myself for my family.
I would make either a BLT or a taco salad. I love tomatoes on a BLT and tomatoes with avocado in a taco salad.
tweet: https://twitter.com/pinklady705/status/373685755677114370
Your dish looks fabulous.
I want to make a tomato soup
I make stuffed peppers and fill them with beautiful plump tomatoes out of our garden. They give the stuffed peppers so much more flavor and I love the deep red of the fresh tomatoes.
https://twitter.com/laurallee56/status/373770360971218944
I love pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil & balsamic vinegar & garlic, yum!
My favorite dish to make with tomatoes has to be one that goes with one of my favorite foods….bacon. A good old bacon and tomato sandwich…easy and tasty.
there is nothing better than a BLT with a fresh tomato
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/373774302203494400
My favorite recipe that uses fresh tomatoes is Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad
tomato sauce
the stuffed ones
id make Tomato Stack Salad with Corn and Avocado http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tomato-stack-salad-50400000122469/
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/373818272304488450
I like to stuff tuna salad in a fresh tomato
I like to make homemade sausage pizza with Alfredo sauce and fresh tomato slices on top. It’s delicious!
love tomatoes any which way I can get them yummy
I would make Macaroni Salad with fresh tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, fresh peppers, and fresh onions straight from our garden.
i love my mom’s famous tomato sauce for spaghetti
I love fresh tomatoes on my sandwich.
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/donnak4/status/373876401314607104
I like guacamole with fresh tomatoes.
I love tomatoes in a BLTwith mayo and I get my kids to eat them by adding them to salads
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/373938809898938368
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I like making a tomato salad with oil, vinegar some onion and Italian spices.
jofo120 at yahoo dot com
I’ve always loved tomatoes stuffed with tuna or chicken salad. Now I’m going to have to try the egg and avocado. It looks and sound delicious.
Pizza Margherita.
I have a lovely recipe for stuffing the tomato with crab. It’s delicious.
I love, love, love to stuff tomatoes; I often use quinoa or brown rice with left over roasted vegetables. What I can’t achieve is the ‘left over bacon’ to put in there – everyone eats it all!
I posted a tweet too: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/452867624909963264