Tomato season is here! It’s such a thrill to see masses of these lovely beauties ripe on the vine each morning and I truly delight in making my favorite fresh tomato recipes in celebration. This year, my stuffed tomatoes recipe has received a refreshing, tasty makeover thanks to my partnership with Moon Cheese and my participation in the Mom Blog Tour Natural Products Expo West.
I participated in Mom Blog Tour Natural Products Expo West (#MomBlogTourFF) on behalf of Wendy’s Bloggers. I received Moon Cheese products to facilitate my review, but my opinions and creative content are my own.
The second I spy the first blush on our tomato plants, an abundant dash of joy seasons my gardening soul. I’m so in love with growing tomatoes, I even developed a tomato growing equation to ensure I have enough for all my recipe and canning needs each year. As soon as they are ripe for the pickn’, I eagerly slice, dice and roast them in a variety of farm fresh recipes.
One of my all-time favorite, simple tomato-inspired recipes is traditional stuffed tomatoes. A little bit of breadcrumbs, rice, herbs, olive oil and garlic compliment the rich, earthy, savory complexity of a baked tomato so well that it elevates each mouthful.
Lately, I’ve been looking for bread swaps in my recipes, but hadn’t successfully found a good substitute for bread crumbs in my stuffed tomatoes until I discovered Moon Cheese at Natural Products Expo West. With their crunchy texture that results from the drying process, I suspected they would crumb easily and indeed, they do!
When I tested Moon Cheese products as a swap for my standard bread crumbs in my stuffed tomatoes recipe, I seriously wondered why I ever used bread crumbs before at all.
The crumbed Moon Cheese delivers a ridiculously-great flavor punch that even highly seasoned bread crumbs can’t compete with. Plus, they offer the same crunch and also the extra benefits of being high in protein, gluten free and a good source of calcium.
Pepper Jack Moon Cheese with its mild peppery kick and Moon Cheese’s newest product, Moon Cheese Crunchy Mix ‘Ems Tomato & Basil Pesto are top two faves to use for my stuffed tomatoes recipes. If you are feeling adventurous, use a little of both for an exceptional culinary experience.
Pepper Jack Moon Cheese and Moon Cheese Crunchy Mix ‘Ems Tomato & Basil Pesto are two of the delightful products I learned about when meeting with them at Natural Products Expo West. We also sampled and/or learned about:
- Cheddar Moon Cheese
- Gouda Moon Cheese
- Mozzarella Moon Cheese
All Moon Cheese products are made from 100 percent natural cheese that has undergone a special dehydration process which removes the moisture from the product but leave all the delicious flavor intact in a fun, crunchy form. With no additives, Moon Cheese is protein rich, gluten free, and terrific for people on low carb, Paleo or Keto diets.
You can eat them straight from the package and they are terrific as salad and soup toppers. If you want to experience Moon Cheese flavors in a delicious new way, give my Stuffed Tomatoes with Moon Cheese a try. Hope you enjoy this seasonal favorite as much as I do!
Stuffed Tomatoes with Moon Cheese
(serves 4)
(Printable version below)
4 medium size round tomatoes (such as Celebrity, Early Girl or Brandywine)
2-ounce bag Pepper Jack Moon Cheese (or your favorite variety of Moon Cheese or Moon Cheese Mix’Ems)
1 cups Basmati rice, cooked
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
Optional: Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 Tablespoon of (your favorite) Italian spice blend
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove stems from tomatoes. Slice tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out tomato pulp and seeds to form a “bowl”.
Tip: Rough chop leftover tomato pulp and seeds to use in a salad. Or mix with tuna for a light and refreshing snack.
Place tomato bowls in an 8×8 glass or ceramic baking dish.
Using a small food processor, chop Moon Cheese until fully crumbed.
In a small bowl, add rice, crumbed Moon Cheese, garlic, olive oil and salt, pepper and Italian seasonings (if desired.) Mix gently until all ingredients are full combined.
Spoon filling into tomato “bowls.” Add a good heap of filling to each tomato bowl but do not over-fill. (Filling should not be spilling over the tomato bowl into the baking dish.)
Bake stuffed tomatoes for 30 minutes.
Remove baking dish from oven, cool on baking rack for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Tip: If you have leftover stuffed tomatoes, they may be gently warmed in the microwave to enjoy the next day. They are also delicious when they are served chilled on top of a bed of greens. Just add a light vinaigrette and you will have an amazing lunch salad!
Ingredients
- 4 medium size round tomatoes (such as Celebrity, Early Girl or Brandywine)
- 2-ounce bag Pepper Jack Moon Cheese (or your favorite variety of Moon Cheese or Moon Cheese Mix’Ems)
- 1 cups Basmati rice, cooked
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- Optional: Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon of (your favorite) Italian spice blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove stems from tomatoes. Slice tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out tomato pulp and seeds to form a “bowl”.
- Tip: Rough chop leftover tomato pulp and seeds to use in a salad or to mix with tuna for a light and refreshing snack.
- Place tomato bowls in an 8×8 glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Using a small food processor, chop Moon Cheese until fully crumbed.
- In a small bowl, add rice, crumbed Moon Cheese, garlic, olive oil and salt, pepper and Italian seasonings (if desired.) Mix gently until all ingredients are full combined.
- Spoon filling into tomato “bowls.” Add a good heap of filling to each tomato bowl but do not over-fill to the point that the filling is spilling over the tomato bowl into the baking dish.
- Bake stuffed tomatoes for 30 minutes.
- Remove baking dish from oven, cool on baking rack for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Mom Blog Tour Super Colossal Giveaway
Thanks to our amazing sponsors, like Moon Cheese, I have a wonderful opportunity to share with you – the Mom Blog Tour Super Colossal Giveaway! This is one giveaway you don’t want to miss entering… the prize package is $1500 worth of healthy foods and products to help inspire creative mealtime in your home! Click on the link below to enter.
Do you have a favorite tomato recipe for summer?
