Quinoa and Parmesan Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes

Last week we had one of those Indian Summer dinners that made my mouth water and my senses tingle with joy. The main course, Baked Balsamic Agave Chicken, was succulent and flavorful. We munched Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes on the side. And we capped off the dinner with these delicious Quinoa and Parmesan Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes. These are easy to make, ridiculously healthy, and absolutely perfect to serve on the side of a some sort of grilled masterpiece of an entree. Nosh. Nosh. Nosh.

There is something magical about simple ingredients combined in the right proportions. These tomatoes are bursting with flavor, and the flavor of these little beauties is enhanced by roasting them. Simple, real, whole food, minus all of the junk and gunk that come in those supermarket pre-packaged foods. Oh yeah. Music to my ears. Or tongue. Whatever.

Start with a cup of cooked quinoa. I have described cooking quinoa in previous posts. A note on purchasing this amazing grain and "perfect" protein. It can go on sale in the bulk bins at certain stores (Sprouts, Sunflower Market, Whole Foods), but at the regular grocery store, it is generally sold in small boxes and can be on the pricey side. I prefer to buy mine at Costco, in this 4 pound bulk bag (and it's organic), for around $8. At $2 a pound, it is a great price, and beats the $4.99/lb price in the bulk bins any day.

Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper to your quinoa.

Process 2-3 slices of whole wheat bread in a food processor, until the bread is crumbled and of a fine consistency.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the quinoa, and drizzle one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the mixture. Mix well to combine. You will probably have extra filling. You can stuff additional tomatoes if you wish-I only made three for two of us, and froze the extra filling to use in another batch later.

Wash three medium-sized, fresh tomatoes.

Use a small paring knife to cut a round section out of each tomato  I sort of cut a cone shape into the tomato, and then scooped it out using a spoon. Clean out the inside of the tomato, but don't scrape too deeply and puncture the bottom or split the sides.

Beautiful!

Stuff each tomato with a few spoonfuls of the quinoa mixture. Top each one with a teaspoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in a small glass dish at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. until the skins of the tomatoes have started to split, and the cheese has toasted slightly and is golden brown.

Top each tomato with a few leaves of shredded fresh basil. Serve as a side to a delicious entree, slice open, and enjoy!

Quinoa and Parmesan Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

-1 cup cooked quinoa

-2-3 slices of whole wheat bread, processed into breadcrumbs

-1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

-3-4 turns of fresh black pepper

-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

-3 teaspoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-Fresh basil

1. Season quinoa with salt and pepper. Process bread slices into breadcrumbs. Mix with quinoa. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix well.

2. Cut a cone shaped section out of the top of each tomato. Use spoon to hollow tomatoes out. Discard innards of tomato. Stuff each tomato with several spoonfuls of filling. Sprinkle each tomato with a teaspoon of freshly grated Parmesan. 

3. Place tomatoes in a small glass dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the skins have begun to split and the cheese has turned golden brown. Top with shredded fresh basil. Serve with an entree and enjoy!