It's tomato time on the farm and our slicers are just begging to be stuffed. This recipe utilizes so many fresh ingredients that are in season right now- and gives us both a main course and a side dish.

Stuffed tomatoes are super versatile, so let this recipe be your canvas. Add some ground meat or beans for a protein boost, top with breadcrumbs or your favorite cheese. I like to enjoy this veggie forward meal while appreciating all the abundance that we have during the peak of our farming season. 

The stuffed tomatoes may be the star, but the vinaigrette that is made with the discarded bits might be my favorite part of the meal.  I make his over and over using cherry tomatoes whenever I need a quick and savory salad dressing.

Ingredients
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6 large slicer tomatoes
1-2 summer squash or zucchini, diced small
1 bell pepper, diced small
1 cup of cooked and cooled rice or your favorite grain like quinoa or farro
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika 
1 tsp ground corriander
1 bunch of basil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1 bag of salad greens 
2 cucumbers, thinly sliced into half moons
salt & pepper to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Warm a frying pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add the diced pepper and summer squash and season with a pinch of salt. Let this cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the dried herbs.  *add whatever herbs you love!* Cook for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften but still have some texture. 

2. As the vegetables cook, prepare the tomatoes by cutting a thin slice from the tops and carefully scooping out the core/pulp. You can gently cut around the inside of the tomato, to make this easier, but try not to cut into the walls of the tomato. Reserve the tomato tops and about 1 cup of the tomato pulp and add to a blender. 

3. Blend the tomato for about 30 seconds- you'll use half of this tomato "juice" for the stuffies, and reserve half for the vinaigrette. 

4. In a bowl, combine the cooked and cooled rice, sauteed vegetables, and tomato "juice" *now is a great time to add a cup or so of beans, cheese, or your favorite cooked protein* Taste the mixture now and adjust the seasoning to your taste.

5. Stuff each tomato with the filling, gently packing in as much as you can and mounding even more filling over the top. *here's where you can top with breadcrumbs or cheese!* Arrange stuffed tomatoes in a baking dish and cover with foil. 

6. Bake for 30 minutes covered- optional- uncover and broil at the end to toast the tops, especially if adding cheee.

7. While the stuffed tomatoes cook, make the tomato vinaigrette. Blend the tomato "juice", garlic, red wine vinegar, honey and a handful of basil leaves together until smooth. Slowly drizzle in about a quarter cup of olive oil to emulsify the dressing. Keep blending until smooth!

8. Assemble the side salads by adding sliced cucumber to mixed greens. Toss with the tomato vinaigrette and serve with the stuffed tomatoes. 

​Each year I get into obsessions with certain foods as they come into season. It’s always my way to use up as much produce as possible when it’s fresh. This spring with all my lettuce I’ve been making caesar salads. Each time I make it, I use the same dressing - but I always mix up the produce and crouton bread. Fresh crouton are so quick and easy to make and very underrated. You should definitely start making your own. I’ll tell you about how I prepare each of the components, but please use whatever ratio of dressing, greens, and bread chunks that you like. This vegan caesar salad dressing is great for folks with allergies and comes together in just a few minutes.

Caesar Dressing 
4 Tbsp vegan mayo, sour cream or tahini
2 Tbsp chopped green olive or capers 
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp mustard 
1/2 Tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce  
garlic powder to taste
TONS of black pepper
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Add everything to a bowl and whisk together. I like to add a lot of fresh black pepper to set it off.  The olives, lemon, and soy are all pretty intense so I say DO NOT add any salt salt. This is great in salads but you can also use it as a spread on sandwiches. 
​

​The Greens
Any type of lettuce works. I have been using tender white silesian and this red romaine. If you have them, use some fresh herbs or mix in some spinach. Use whatever you have and like, just make sure to wash and dry it well. To add more crunch to sort of wilty lettuce, I’ll soak it in a bowl of water for awhile and then spin dry. 

I like to keep my caesar salads to just a few simple ingredients, but this makes a really good background to things like radishes, snap peas, or whatever other fresh salad things you like. ​

​Crouton Crouton
I always make croutons out of whatever types of bread that I have laying around. Sourdough is a classic, but I really love making them out of english muffins, naan, hamburger buns… literally whatever you have. In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you can have them ready to go in. Here’s what you need: 

This makes enough for 4 big, dinner-sized salads- I use about 1 serving of bread & 1 tsp of olive oil per person. 

4 pieces of bread- english muffins, buns, or slices. 
4 tsp olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder
herbs/spices like oregano, basil, thyme, chili powder (choose whatever you like or skip it) 
salt & pepper
​
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Chop your bread into bite-sized cubes and add to a bowl. Warm up your oil in a pan and add minced garlic. Cook gently for a few minutes until garlic is fragrant, then add whatever seasonings you like. Toss your bread cubes in the oil and spread out on a lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes. It may take longer depending on the type of bread you use, just give them a check every few minutes. Remove when they are golden brown and crispy.

Early spring brings a variety of new textures, colors and fresh flavors to our plates. Try this lovely and refreshing Radish and Bok Choy Salad.

Radish and Bok Choy Salad with Tahini Dressing

Ingredients: Salad
1-2 heads bok choy washed/chopped into small, bite size pieces 
1 bunch radishes trimmed/washed and sliced lengthwise

Ingredients: Dressing 
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 
1 Tbsp dijon mustard 
2 Tbsp tamari 
1 Tsp olive oil 
1/4 cup water (to be added last)

​Method: Toss the radishes and the bok choy in a salad bowl, set aside. Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together, adding the water last to reached desired consistency. You may need a little more if your tahini is thick, and less if the tahini is thin. You can pre-toss the salad with dressing or dress each bowl individually. 

​Try arugula or spinach and Ggreen Onions or Chives in this Seasonal Greens Frittata:

Add half the greens and let them wilt slightly. When the pan has enough room, add the remainder of the greens. Stir well and reduce heat. Add the cheeses to the top of the greens.​​

Wish together the eggs, milk, chives and pour over the top of the cheese and greens in the pan. 

Place the cast iron skillet in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Tips: Often times the first piece can be challenging to remove from the skillet. Allowing it to cool properly will eliminate some of the difficulty. This frittata heats up great the next day in the toaster oven, or tastes great cold too! Experiment with the greens you use, as new ones come into season. ​

This Asparagus and Arugula Risotto is another healthy way to enjoy the spring harvest.