BLTC Stuffed Tomatoes

Wow, were these puppies delish.  A bit of labor prep-wise, but you can make them ahead of time and then just pop them in the oven 20 minutes before you're ready to eat.  These should be in a restaurant.  Mouth watering.

Bacon Lettuce Tomato Cheese Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 Large vine ripened tomatoes
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp panko
1/2 Cup shredded smoked Gouda/cheddar, shredded (in the deli section at Publix, round cut of cheese)
1 Small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tsp lemon pepper seasoning
3 Slices turkey bacon, cooked crispy
3 Handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa

Method:

1.  Cut top off tomatoes and scoop out pulp from inside tomato.  Strain the pulp to save the juice from the tomato.  (Place pulp in a strainer and press with a wooden spoon into a bowl).  Discard pulp.

2.  Wipe inside of tomatoes dry, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar.  Turn upside down on plate for 30 minutes to dry.

3.  Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add panko, tossing frequently to toast, do not let the panko burn!  Transfer panko to a bowl and let cool.  Stir in 1 Tbsp of the shredded smoked gouda.

4.  Cook turkey bacon (I microwave mine for about 4 minutes, then let cool, then crumble).

5.  In the empty skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and onions over medium heat.  Cook until translucent, then add in garlic, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and cook an additional minute.  Then add spinach, small handfuls at a time until it wilts.  Add quinoa and reserved tomato juice and stir until all liquid is absorbed.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in all remaining shredded smoked Gouda and all crumbled bacon.

6.  Preheat oven to 375.  Blot tomato cavities dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle again with salt and pepper.  Stuff tomatoes equally with mixture.  Prepare a 9x13" dish by coating the bottom with olive oil.  Place the tomatoes in the pan.  Season with more salt and pepper.  Bake uncovered 20 minutes.  Remove carefully with a slotted spoon.

BBQ Chicken Mexi Chopped Salad

Ok so I'm not the best photographer, but this salad really was delicious!  Adam and I absolutely LOVED it and it's so nice knowing the ingredients of the dressing since it's homemade. 

We grilled BBQ chicken the night before and saved a huge extra breast, so I used that in the salad.  You could also toss some rotisserie in some BBQ sauce to throw in the salad too.

This is a salad, so use the ingredients however you'd like.  I'm just going to tell you what I put in it.

Mini heirloom tomatoes
Corn
Black Beans
Shallots
1 1/2 Breasts BBQ grilled chicken
Mixed greens
Shredded lowfat cheddar cheese
1 Chopped and seeded jalepeno
Handful of crushed lime tortilla chips

Dressing:

Puree 1/2 Avocado, 1/2 Cup Plain Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lime, 1 Tbsp cilantro.

YUM!!!

Roasted Herbed Butternut Squash, Carrots and Broccoli

I received some fresh seasonal squash and broccoli in my organic buying club this week, so I decided to toss in some olive oil with fresh herbs and enjoy the fresh favors. This is simple, elegant and flavorful. My 21 month old son even ate this and he never eats veggies! Win win!

1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 small head broccoli, cleaned, stems removed and cut into florets**
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced**
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese (to top)

Preheat oven to 375. Toss all ingredients **EXCLUDING BROCCOLI AND GARLIC** together and roast, tossing every so often, for about 30 mins. Add in broccoli and garlic and stir. Roast an additional 10 mins.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.