(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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I stuffed them with chopped roasted red pepper, the chopped stems of the mushrooms (you saved those, right?), parmesan and mozzarella, garlic and oregano.  I grilled them for about 10 minutes on medium and then browned them a bit under the broiler to give it that nice, golden brown toasty look (totally optional.)

This is one of of those, “what do I have in the fridge” recipes?  Here are a few ideas to get you pumped:

Strictly Vegetarian

• Roasted red peppers, Gruyere and basil
• Chopped onion, celery and garlic (saute in a little oil first)
• Roasted garlic, white wine and breadcrumbs
• Sun dried tomatoes and ricotta
• Sauteed spinach or chard with goat cheese
• Hummus and feta
• Cucumbers, tomato and ricotta
• Pico de Gallo and Queso Fresco
• Apples, walnuts and blue cheese
• Mesculin (add AFTER grilling) and lemon vinaigrette

Carnivores

• Crab, onion and cream cheese
• Sausage, tomato and basil
• Shrimp, parmesan and Alfredo sauce
• Bacon, potato and Cheddar
• Chicken, oregano and Kalamata olives

On the side, a cheap, fresh, cheap, tasty, did I mention CHEAP salad?  Remember that fresh market I visited?

They said it couldn’t be done.  I fed a family of four a healthy meal for under $10.  (OK, THAT’s been done.) But I fed mine and they actually ATE it!  Ha!  Take THAT!  (Shadow boxes around room.)  Who’s your mama now?!

(Please support your mama now by Digging this post!)

(9 votes, average: 4.78 out of 5)

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So I’m walking through the store and these tomatoes catch my eye.  Ugly Ripe Tomatoes are touted as having “just-picked” flavour out of season.   Nothing compares to the taste of a just-picked tomato so I had to try it.  I shelled out $3.40 for two tomatoes (!) to make a salad.  It has Ugly on the label so as not to confuse it with the Supermodel Tomato (which, sadly, has anger issues.)

You’ve got to feel sorry for these tomatoes.  They got teased by the Cheerleader Tomatoes, passed over by the Jock Tomatoes, laughed at by the Stoner Tomatoes and were consigned to lonely weekends at home eating Haagen-Dazs.  (Not that I’m the tomatoes are bitter.)

Truth time.  Do they taste like vine ripened, still warm from the sun tomatoes?  Not really.  But they’re definitely better than the artificially-red rocks that usually pass as tomatoes in the produce section this time of year.  So they really livened up this easy salad.

CHOPPED UGLY SALAD

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (or about 1/2 cup of chopped roasted red peppers from a jar)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 c. crumbled feta
1/2 c. light extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbl. chopped oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

(I’m pretty sure you don’t need the instructions, but here they are.)  Mix the veggies and olives.  Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper.  Pour over.  Best if chilled for a couple hours but you can eat it right away if you’re starving.

Take that, Cheerleader Tomatoes.

(Like would you totally, like, StumbleUpon! this post?  Thanks! You’re, like, the best! )

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We interrupt this recipe for a commercial break. I’m not paid by these people…honest. But you simply must try Maldon Sea Salt. It’s not in in any stores close to home where I live so I got mine at Amazon for like $6.

Sounds like a lot when you can buy this stuff for under $2 but believe me, there’s no comparison. I mean, just look at this salt! It should be illegal for salt to look so pretty.

This stuff is so good my youngest daughter is always trying to dip her finger in it and eat it when I’m cooking. It will make a difference in recipes where there are few ingredients like this one. For baking or soups where it dissolves, I’d use regular Kosher salt. But for seasoning? Sprinkling on eggs, chips, grilled meat, salads or even melon, um, boy! This stuff is fantastic. Click here if you don’t believe me.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

**Your kids will devour these if you give them some ketchup to dip ‘em in.

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Yes, I hear you whining in that little kid voice… spinach!? Yuck!! Why do I have to eat it?! How come SHE always gets to leave the table first? It’s not fair! How many bites do I have to eat? Gross!!

But we’re adults now. And if you’re not, you should be outside playing, not wasting your time on the computer like us adults! Go on, git!

OK, now that they’re gone, here are some facts you may not know about the super veggie.

• Birds Eye was the first company to advertise “frozen spinach” in the edition of the 1949 Life Magazine. The advertisement depicted a pretty woman, wearing pearls, reading a book and having a cup of coffee. She had time to do this because the Birds Eye spinach was cleaned, cut and ready for heating. - Spinach Sensations
• Recent studies show that spinach can lower the risk of ovarian cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and other diseases.
• Spinach has been declared SAFE to eat by the CDC for many months now so don’t you be using that as an excuse not to get that green goodness in you.
• Popeye was right. It really is a power food. Spinach is high in Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin A, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin B2 and iron.

Ok, so now that we’ve established WHY you should eat it, let’s talk about how.

Basically there are two groups:

• Those who hate spinach.
• Those who dislike it.

Just kidding. I LOVE the stuff! Seriously. And if you don’t care for it, you probably haven’t tried it in some great recipes. Spinach is one of those great foods that can be easily added to “fun” foods that your family will eat.

Don’t think so? Try spinach on/in:

• Pizza
• Salads
• Tacos
• Spaghetti
• Scrambled eggs
• Casseroles
• Quesadillas
• Instead of lettuce on hamburgers and sandwiches
• Tortilla rollups (turkey or ham with apples, spinach and a touch of mayo)

Once you’ve done that, move on to something more daring such as:

• Spinach Tortillas
  
  
• Creamed Spinach
• Spinach Pesto
• Spinach Manicotti (with a trick way that will save you months off your life!)
• Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d’Epinard (aka Macaroni & Cheese with Spinach)

Try that last one and you’ll be able to brag to your mother-in-law that you have educated your child to love French cooking.

Blessings and health!