Stuffed Tomatoes (A Quick After Work Meal!)

Many times when I get home from work I have no desire to make dinner. Wait, I take that back, I never have a desire to make dinner when I get home from work. Let's face it, I work around food all day long, and many times I cook and bake while at work, and when I get home between 6pm and 7:30pm all I want to do is sit on my butt. However, I know that in order to eventually raise children I will have to learn to just suck it up and prepare a good dinner on most nights, so I might as well practice now, right!? I'm lucky Nick is always willing to help (always as in most of the time).

I like to prepare proteins (fish, chicken, lean beef) over the weekend and then freeze them so they are ready to be incorporated into my random meal creations during the week. I let the proteins thaw in the fridge during the day, then use them in my "quick meals" in the evening. The other day I used this summer's bounty of fresh tomatoes from our garden to make stuffed tomatoes;

Simple Stuffed (Homegrown!) Tomatoes

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes
6 T dry minute brown rice
1/2 avocado
3 tsp hot sauce
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t dried or fresh basil
1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I omitted this from my own)
Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste

3 ounces grilled chicken
OR
3 ounces grilled salmon




Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) Hollow out the tomatoes and put the flesh into a bowl

2) Mix the flesh of the tomato with the spices, hot sauce, and soy sauce in the separate bowl

3) Add 2 T of the rice to each tomato

4) Add the tomato flesh/spice mixture to the tomatoes, filling the tomato a little under half-way full

5) Add about 1/2 T EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) to the bottom of a a glass baking dish

6) Place the filled tomatoes in the dish and cook for about 40 minutes

7) Add the cooked chicken or salmon and avocado and cook for another 10 minutes.

8) Take out of oven and shave some fresh parmesan on top and drizzle with the rest of the EVOO

9) Let sit for ~10 minutes to allow extra juices to soak into rice and tomato.

*** Serve this in a bowl as it will likely be watery, yet delicious!! ***

Nick added extra rice to the top of his.

Sorry, bad picture, the lighting is never good at 8pm...

Estimated Nutrition Facts
(Serving Size: Two stuffed tomatoes, with chicken)

QUESTION: Have you tasted any homegrown tomatoes this year?? What are some of your favorite tomato recipes? I would love to make tomato soup, do you have any good recipes to share?