tomatoes | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Tag: tomatoes
- Hummus Dip with Tobbouleh, Feta, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Tzatziki
  
  Posted at 12:00 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 6th
  Easy summertime entertaining is my philosophy for summer parties. I love put together easy make a head dishes so I can relax and enjoy my guests. During the summertime with abundant produce at Framer’s markets I just love creating delicious healthy food. Keep all the ingriendants my hummus dip ready for an impromptu get together or to bring to a friends home for a barbecue.
  
  Hummus Dip with Tobbouleh, Feta, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Tzatziki
  
  1 container prepared Hummus*, I like garlic
  
  1/2 cup prepared Tabbouleh Salad*
  
  1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
  1/4 cup chopped english cucumber
  
  1/4 cup chopped feta
  
  1/4 cup prepared Tzatziki*
  
  sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for garnish
  
  Mound hummus on serving plate. Top with tabbouleh, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta, then drizzle with tzatziki. Garnish with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Refrigerate. Serve with pita bread or crackers.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  * I use Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods brand for the hummus, Tabbouleh and Tzatziki.
  
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  Posted in Appetizer, Barbecue, vegetables,easy,, Easy recipes, entertaining, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Vegetarian | Tagged Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, cucumbers, feta, hummus, Tobbouleh, tomatoes, Tzatziki
- Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce
  
  Posted at 1:19 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 29th
  Cooking and good food is in my blood. Both my grandmother and mother were accomplished cooks who could combine a few ingredients into a memorable feast that you would never forget. I learned from both these exceptional women that their love of cooking for family and friends was their secret ingredient that flavored their dishes better than any expensive seasoning or ingredient. Being of Italian heritage, tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and pasta were the basis for many of the meals they cooked when I was growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. The Delaware Valley before all the housing developments was rich land with farms that went for miles. My grandmother and mother’s summer season gardens overflowed with the most beautiful fresh produce perfect for making Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce. I’ve attempted to create the flavors from one of their signature dishes. Both women never used a recipe they just added a pinch of this, a dash of that magically creating breathtaking food!
  
  Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce
  
  1 pint cherry tomatoes
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  
  2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  
  1/4 cup pesto sauce*
  
  12 oz of fresh linguine
  
  1 tablespoon butter
  
  Preheat oven 425F. Place the first six ingredients in a baking dish ad roast for 20 minutes until tomatoes are hot and bubbly. Cool. Add pesto sauce to tomatoes; stirring until combined. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup water from pasta. Place pasta in large bowel toss with 1 tablespoon butter and reserved water. Add tomato/pesto sauce and toss again. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
  
  Pesto Sauce
  
  4 cups packed fresh basil
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 cup pine nuts
  
  2 cloves garlic
  
  1/2 parmesan cheese
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  Combine basil, oil, pine nuts, and garlic in a blender. Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil. Add both cheeses and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Freeze unused pesto.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, pasta, vegan, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinner | Tagged Easy recipe, farm fresh, pasta, Pesto Sauce, sunday dinner, tomatoes
- Farro Stuffed Eggplant
  
  Posted at 5:42 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 20th
  I just love the end of the summer produce with all the unbelievable varieties. Eggplant is one of my favorite veggie with all the wonderfully different types in not only farmer’s markets but at local grocery stores. I found these great round eggplants that just shouted stuff me. You can stuff eggplant so many different ways. With these round beauties I went for a simple stuffing using eggplant, scallions, garlic, basil, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and farro. Farro, an Italian grain gives a nutty like favor to the stuffing. I serve these eggplants as an main dish with salad and fresh baked bread.
  
  Farro Stuffed Eggplant
  
  2 round eggplants
  
  1/4 cup olive oil
  
  1 bunch scallions, sliced, white part only
  
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
  red pepper flakes
  
  2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  
  1 large red pepper, shopped in to small pieces
  
  1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
  1/2 cup farro, cooked according to directions
  
  Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Slice tops of eggplant and discard. Cut out the pulp of the eggplant. Using a spoon scoop out remaining pulp making a bowl out of the eggplant. Chop eggplant pulp into cubes then place the pulp in a colander; sprinkle with salt. Also sprinkle salt inside eggplant bowl, both set for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant pulp and bowls with water patting dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in medium sauteing pan add scallions cooking on medium for a few minutes then add garlic. Cook just until you can smell the garlic, add red pepper flakes and basil. Continue to cook for a minute then add red peppers and tomatoes. Cook for five minutes stirring to keep the veggies cooking evenly. Then add farro stir to combine. Remove from heat cooling for 15 minutes. Stuff eggplant with farro filling. Place in prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, light dinner, Side dish, vegetable bake, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged easy, Eggplant, farm fresh, farro, tomatoes, vegetarian
- Simply Delicious Cucumbers and Tomato Salad
  
  Posted at 7:06 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 3rd
  I love fresh tomatoes right off the vine. Each year I buy a patio cherry tomato plant to enjoy the luscious taste of fresh tomatoes. I’m always amazed at the bounty of fruits that this little plant produces just for me to enjoy. So fresh and tasty I just want to pop them in my mouth as I pick the ripen tomatoes. Cucumbers and tomatoes are a wonderful combination of flavor and texture that goes perfectly together without adding too many other ingredients. For a easy, simple salad of cucumbers and tomatoes I just added a little fresh basil, feta, dressed with olive oil and lemon juice sprinkled with salt and pepper, so simple, so delicious.
  
  Ingredients
  
  1/2 cup lettuce, I used spring greens
  
  1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced
  
  1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  
  2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in slivers
  
  1/4 cup feta
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
  
  Place greens around edge of plate. Fill center area with cucumbers, top with tomatoes, basil, and feta. Combine olive oil and lemon juice, pour over salad. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged cucumbers, feta, fresh produce, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, tomatoes
- Easy sauteed fresh vegetables
  
  Posted at 2:17 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 26th
  Eat your vegetables your Mom always said and she was right! Veggies are so good tasting as well as good for you. Low in calories, fat, no salt, cholesterol or sugar. I love to just saute fresh seasonal veggies for a dinner. I just serve over greens, polenta, farro or any whole grain. I wonderful healthy satisfying meal.
  
  Sauteed Fresh Vegetables over Greens
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  1 large shallot, chopped
  
  Two red peppers, chopped
  
  8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms, I like baby portabella
  
  1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
  
  1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
  
  2 teaspoon capers
  
  1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
  
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
  2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  
  Fresh greens, I used a combination of kale and baby spinach
  
  Heat olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic cooking for about 2 minutes. Don’t brown garlic as it will become bitter. Add shallots continuing to cook for another 1 minutes. Next add the red peppers and mushrooms cooking for about 5 minutes. Gently combine tomatoes stirring for another 2 minutes. Add capers, olives, pepper and basil cooking for a few minutes. Place veggie mixture on top of greens.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, light dinner, vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinner | Tagged Mushrooms, olive, peppers, tomatoes
- Pine Nut, Tomato and Cucumber salad
  
  Posted at 12:32 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 10th
  Can’t get enough of salads, neither can I. Nor can I ever say no to delicious fresh picked tomatoes. Ah, this tomato and cucumber salad capture the essence of summer, cool, crisp and fresh. I’ve added a little spice and crunch to the mix creating a refreshing salad that compliments meat or fish.
  
  Ingredients
  
  1 pound tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
  
  1 pound gourmet cherry tomatoes, slice in quarters
  
  1 thinly sliced English cucumber
  
  1 tablespoon soy sauce
  
  1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  
  2 teaspoons olive oil
  
  1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  
  2 medium scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
  
  1 medium jalapeno chile, thinly sliced crosswise
  
  2 teaspoons toasted pine nuts
  
  1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  Preparation
  
  Arrange tomato and cucumber slices on a platter. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Drizzle dressing over tomatoes and cucumbers, and top with scallions, chile, and pine nuts . Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate until serving then drizzle with dressing.
  
  Enjoy!
  
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  Posted in Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, scallops, Side dish, vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged cucumbers, easy, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, pine nuts, salad, tomatoes, vegetarian
- Grilled Scallops with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
  
  Posted at 3:41 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jul 7th
  Grilled Scallops with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
  
  Quick and easy delicious meals are a summer staple in our house. No clean up just heat up the grill. Grilling scallops brings out the sweet taste of the sea. All I do is marinate the scallops for a half an hour to enhance the flavor, pick fresh cherry tomatoes, add just snipped basil, so easy, so good. Toss up a salad with fresh farm produce serve along with a wonderfully fresh loaf of artisan bread for the best of summer dinning, so easy, so good. We enjoy dinning alfresco on our deck just relaxing enjoying our meal as the evening sounds fill our backyard with the lullaby of nighttime.
  
  Ingredients
  
  1 pound Sea Scallops
  
  Juice from 1/2 lemon
  
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
  
  1 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1 cup cherry tomatoes
  
  8 -10 basil leaves
  
  Place scallops in bowl. Combine lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt. Pour over scallops and toss. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  
  Heat grill. Place scallops in grill pan, add tomatoes and basil. Grill for 5- 8 minutes or until scallops are golden. Serves 4 people.
  
  Enjoy !
  
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  Posted in family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, light dinner, Main Dish, scallops, seafood | Tagged basil, easy, Grill, scallops, Seafood, tomatoes
- Tuscan Tuna Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
  
  Posted at 3:33 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 10th
  Summertime is salad time at our house. I love to use the fresh bounty from local farmers markets to create wonderfully fresh and delicious salads. What could be better on a hot evening than cool crisp greens covered with heirloom tomatoes then topped with Tuscan Tuna Salad. Just add fresh Italian bread, wine and fresh peaches for dessert. Now that says summertime!
  
  Tuscan Tuna Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
  
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
  2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
  2 tablespoon chopped basil leaves
  
  1 tablespoon chopped thyme
  
  2 (6-ounce) cans tuna in olive oil, drained I use Genova
  
  2 ribs celery chopped
  
  1 bunch scallions, chopped, white only
  
  1/4 cup chopped sweet grape tomatoes
  
  1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
  
  1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
  
  1/2 head lettuce, or field greens
  
  2 large heirloom tomatoes, one red, one yellow, sliced
  
  Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, basil and thyme in small bowl. In a medium bowl lightly chunk tuna then add celery, scallions, grape tomatoes, olives and capers. Toss with most of the salad dressing. Reserve 2 tablespoons.
  
  Line a plate with lettuce. Top with heirloom tomatoes, then drizzle with reserved salad dressing. Place Tuna Salad on top.
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  Posted in Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, light dinner, lunch, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged farm fresh, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, salad, tomatoes, Tuna
- Farm Fresh Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella
  
  Posted at 6:05 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 17th
  We New Englanders live for the summer months when all the area CSAs and farm markets products are local, fresh and available. Perfect for a vegetable lover and cook. Here is my problem, I get carried away by the bountiful beauty at my local Farmer’s Market going overboard with my purchases. I just can’t help myself, I’m like a kid in a candy shop! What to do when I return home with my bags bursting with all kinds of produce; Cook up all the veggie casseroles that just pop up in my brain. This week I was loving the large local tomatoes along with the deep purple eggplant. I picked up locally grown onions and fresh local mozzarella to finish creating my Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella. I just added olive oil with my home grown herbs for a flavor bursting veggie dish, quick, easy and delicious.
  
  Farm Fresh Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
  1 large eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced, salted*
  
  1 large vadalia onion, thinly sliced
  
  2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  
  8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
  
  1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a large 13″by10″ baking pan. Layer eggplant on baking pan. Drizzle with herb olive oil, then top with onion, drizzle herb oil, followed by 1/2 of the slice mozzarella. Continue to layer with tomato, remaining oil then the last of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with finely chopped basil. Bake for 45 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown. I then like to broil for a few minutes just so the cheese is bubbly.
  
  *To salt eggplant, peel and cut thinly. Place it in a colander, sprinkle generously with salt (don’t worry, you’ll be rinsing most of it off before you cook it) and let it sit for about an hour. Before using, thoroughly rinse the eggplant and pat it dry.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Casserole, Farm Fresh Produce, Main Dish, vegetable bake | Tagged Casserole, Eggplant, Mozzarella, tomatoes, vegetables
- Pan Seared Mediterranean Swordfish
  
  Posted at 11:38 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 26th
  Swordfish is a mild white fish that is easily prepared, delicious when seasoned with all different flavors. I like to try different styles of preparing swordfish but one of my favorite is to just pan sear with great spices, lemon, capers, olives and tomatoes reminding me of dinning over looking the blue Mediterranean sea!
  
  Pan Seared Mediterranean Swordfish
  
  Ingredients:
  
  two 1-inch-thick swordfish steaks, each about 6 ounces
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  1 tablespoon drained capers, chopped
  1 tablespoon water
  
  1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
  1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  4 thin lemon slices
  
  Preparation:
  
  Pat swordfish dry and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté garlic with crushed red pepper, stirring, 1 minute. Push shallots to side of skillet. Add swordfish and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn fish over and add lemon juice, capers, and water. Top with olives, tomatoes and lemon slices. Simmer mixture 3 minutes, or until fish is just cooked through. Serves two.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, Elegant, Fish, Main Meal | Tagged mediterranean, olives, swordfish, tomatoes
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