Ever feel that you are running out of meal ideas with certain foods?  That happens to me sometimes so I try to step back and think about different ways to use that certain ingredient.  The last thing you want to have happen is that you get bored with a great food.  The food of choice today is “Tomato“.  I never used to like tomatoes but as I grew older I have found a new love for them.

I am not a huge fan of the tomato on just any given deli sandwich however but I do love tomatoes roasted, in sauces and on certain sandwiches with cheese.  I just compiled a simple list that I came up with on ways I like to use tomatoes.

Hopefully they will spark your interest to try them.

7 Ways to Use Tomatoes

1. No-Cook Pasta Sauce – In a large bowl combine several chopped tomatoes, a clove or two of minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil to coat tomatoes. Add hot pasta and toss to coat pasta. Bits of fresh mozzarella can be added – they will get a bit melted  when tossed with the hot pasta. At the very end you can add red chili flakes, basil, and freshly shredded Parmesan are all tasty additions as well.
2. Grilled Tomatoes – Slice the tomatoes nice and thick, coat with a little olive oil – season with salt and pepper and grill for 4 mins on each side.  Yum!
3. Toasted Tomato and Pesto Sandwich – Spread two slices of your favorite sandwich bread with your favorite pesto (need a favorite? try this pesto), top one pesto-ed slice with several meaty slices of tomato, sprinkle with salt, sandwich, and enjoy!
4. Simple Salsa – Make your own fresh salsa by tossed chopped tomato with your choice of the following: minced red onion, minced garlic, finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chiles. Add salt to taste. A splash of red vinegar can be tasty, too.  Another addition can be some fresh avocado as well.



5. A Kicked Up BLT – This is a classic with a twist.  This takes a little bit of effort but is so worth it.  I like to take two slices of a thick homemade bread, toast it, top with a little butter and a nice piece of cheddar cheese. After that I add the fresh romaine lettuce, juicy red tomatoes and crisp bacon.  I top it with freshly ground pepper and enjoy!



6. In a Salad – Any salad of your choice – tomatoes are a great addition. Keep it simple and dress it just before serving.
7. Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice - This one is a great fun recipe on a cool day.  Scoop out the insides of the tomato.  To prepare the filling use cooked rice, oregano and ground beef ( or you can omit)  Top with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

So there you have it!  My top 7 ways to kick up the regular tomato.  Let me know if you have any other great ways to kick up the tomato in the comments section.  I will be back tomorrow - Have a great Wednesday.

I am off to New York… and will blog from the BIG Apple on Friday!

Take care

zesty

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Why did I write wake up in the title…. I think it was more for me.  I am a little sluggish today but things will change.  It’s Friday!  Whooo Hooooo.  Alright, enough shenanigans and let’s get right to the serious parts.

Ever have basil pesto?  Of course you have… did you love it?  I am assuming so!  Well last week on our camping expedition we experimented, of course, and made some cilantro pesto because well we didn’t have basil but we had cilantro.

Genius, I know!  Am I impressing you yet?  I didn’t think so.  Well well well, I knew I loved cilantro in all things such as salsas, chutneys, with lime and fish but you make a pesto with this stuff and you will be over the moon.  I paired it with the black bean burgers as a condiment and well – the crowd loved it.

It had a nice bite to it but the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts were such a nice balance.  At one point I thought I could smear this on the side of the camper and eat it.  The recipe is super simple.  Here is the low down.

The recipe below assumes you have a food processor. But all I had at camping was a blender.

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese ( cut into 1/2 inch pieces ) ( I only had grated )
• 1 Clove garlic
• 2 Cups fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. lightly toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 Tsp. salt

Method

1. With the machine running, drop the cheese down the feed tube and chop about 10 seconds. Remove and reserve.
2. Chop Garlic, then add cilantro and pulse about 20 times ( Scrape down sides).
3. With the machine running, drizzle Olive Oil down the tube and process until mixed. (Scrape down Sides)
4. Add pine nuts, reserved cheese and salt and pulse until nuts are chopped.
5. Let sit and store in a jar
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: As you build the pesto, make sure you taste it along the way. If you find it needs more salt, add some extra cheese and a little pinch of salt. If it is too thick and not blending/mixing properly add a little olive oil. Experiment and have fun!

Give this a try, I am confident you will like it.  Have a super weekend and I will touch base with you on Monday from the “WINDY City”.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Hopefully everyone had a fun weekend regardless of where you are in this world of ours.  We had a fun family weekend, including a spur of the moment trip to Halifax ( which means I get to go to Costco ), a trip to the pool for swimming lessons and of course a family outing to the grocery store.  So Mrs. Zesty and I are really caught up in the show Dexter.  Do you ever watch it?  It is very interesting, demented and overall disturbing however we keep watching the next episode on the dvd box sets.  We completed season oine Saturday night and rented season 2 last night.

On Saturday, I made a large batch of spicy chicken legs, cheese quesadillas and a large serving of sweet potato fries to relax on the couch and watch Dexter.  Sounds good right?  Well I must say the food was yummy but guess what?  You cannot relax when you watch Dexter.  It is too intense – I find myself propped up at full attention and usually in an ackward position for the entire 53 plus minutes of the episode.  I need to know if you watch Dexter and feel the same way as us.

For the chicken, I wanted something full of flavor with a little heat.  To do that, I combined a few tablespoons of Basil Pesto, and some homemade sweet chili sauce.  The results were very “WOW”.  We easily ate 4 chicken legs each and the only thing left were the bones.

Ingredients

• 10 Chicken Legs
• 3 Tbsp. Basil Pesto
• 1 Tsp. Hoisin Sauce
• 1/3 Cup Sweet Chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 2 Garlic cloves ( crushed)
• Black Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
2. In a large roaster, place the chicken legs in pan after ensuring they are patted dry.
3. In a bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix together.
4. Pour over chicken rubbing it in gently with a spoon.
5. Cover pan and roast for 2 hours.
6. In the last 30 minutes, remove the cover and let the legs get crusty and brown.
7. Top with a slash of lime and a bit of ZEST.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Normally I baste the chicken through out the process to add extra flavor but in this case the pesto has a high oil content so I avoided basting in this particular case.  I counted on the crust of the chicken to provide all the flavor.

Back to back spicy dishes in the winter really make me smile.  Not overly hot but the hint of heat help warm your insides.  The Spicy Pasta Shrimp from last week would go very well with some of this left over chicken as well.  Substituting chicken and shrimp is something I do all the time depending on what I have on hand.  I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day and I will definitely see you on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty