Cheesey Stuffed Tomatoes

 

I've commented a few times about the recipe swaps I've been happily participating in.  A few weeks ago, I ran a grilling swap, and when I saw this submission, knew I'd be making it soon.

They were so absolutely delicious, I can't even describe it.  They were just like my mom's fried tomatoes, but without the frying.  So much healthier!  I served these with grilled corn, and had I been thinking, I'd have also made mashed potatoes.

You have to make these.  They're so great and fresh and delicious, and YUM!



Cheesey Stuffed Tomatoes courtesy of The Novice Chef

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup of your favorite breadcrumbs
2 tbl butter, melted
8 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Parsley for garnish

Directions:

Slice off top of tomato, hollow out (leaving 1/2 inch thick shell), and chop pulp and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, butter, basil, salt and pepper. Next stir in cheese and tomato pulp. Fill each tomato shell and then wrap each tomato individually in foil.
Grill, or bake (at 400 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is completely melted. Garnish with parsley and serve hot!

A Novice Chef Blog Original

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

 

A few years ago, it seemed everyone was nuts for Meyer Lemons.  At the time, I had no idea what they were, but after reading up on them, I was intrigued.

Fast forward to the other day, when we were in the "awesome" grocery store, and I happened to spot a bag of them.  Of course, I no longer remember all the awesome things I then wanted to make.  I turned to the internet and let my fingers do the walking.  One recipe I found was this one from The Novice Chef.  Sounded delicious, and since we were all home for breakfast today, I made them.

First, I didn't realize we didn't have any raspberries.  Luckily, I found a bag of frozen strawberries leftover from berry picking in June.  I sliced them up and tossed them right in still frozen (I read somewhere, I think in Cook's Illustrated, that doing so helps stop the berry's colors from running into the cake).

The flavors were really nice and light; somewhere in my research, a blogger said it was a nice combination of summer from the berries and winter from the Meyer lemons.  It did take a longer time than I expected to get these cooked, probably because of the berries inside.

So, if you find yourself with a Meyer lemon and some berries, make yourself some pancakes!

Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes

from The Novice Chef

Printable Recipe

You will need:

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

zest of 1 Meyer lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup fresh raspberries

oil or butter for cooking

In a small bowl rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until pale yellow and fragrant.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and butter.  Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir until just combined.  The batter may be a bit lumpy.  That’s better than over-mixing the batter.  Fold in the berries with a few strokes.  Not much stirring necessary.

Heat a griddle pan or a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add a teaspoon of oil or a dab of butter and heat through.  Add 2 heaping tablespoons of batter to the pan.  Heat until bubbles form and start to pop.  Carefully flip over and cook through.   Place cooked pancakes on an oven proof plate and let rest in a 200 degree F oven while you fry the rest of the pancakes.

Top pancakes with maple syrup.

Adapted from: Joy The Baker