Meatless Monday with Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog and thanks for joining us for another Meatless Monday.  Miratel took the Meatless Monday pledge as part of its CSR business initiatives in support of reducing meat consumption by 15% to improve personal health and the health of the planet. You can learn more about the positive impact of giving up meat just one day per week at meatlessmonday.com.

Today’s recipe for zucchini stuffed tomatoes is a gluten-free version of the classic Italian dish, stuffed tomatoes. Tomatoes and zucchini are in season right now so both are at their peak of flavour making this dish even better to have right now (although it’s good any time of year). There are many versions of this dish available mainly made with breadcrumbs or rice in the mixture but this one doesn’t have either. This recipe comes courtesy of the Food Network show Sara’s Secrets.

Meatless Monday Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes image courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
4 large plum tomatoes
Salt and sugar
1 1/2 pounds zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
3 shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Directions:
Preheat the broiler. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 crosswise. Scoop out the centers leaving the outer thick flesh intact. Sprinkle the interior shells of the tomatoes with a couple pinches of salt and sugar, and invert them on a paper towel lined plate to drain until ready to stuff.
With the grating attachment of a food processor or on the large-holed side of a box grater, grate the zucchini, and place it in a strainer. Toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and place the strainer over a bowl to catch the juices. Allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large heavy skillet, saute the shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil, until they begin to caramelize. Meanwhile squeeze the zucchini to release as much water as possible.
Turn the heat up on the shallots, add the dry zucchini to the pan, and saute the zucchini with the shallots for 5 minutes.
Add chopped parsley and thyme, and then toss the zucchini with the cheese, reserving 1/4 cup of the cheese for topping.
Stuff the tomatoes with the filling, mounding it slightly, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place in tomato halves in ovenproof baking dish and broil them until the tops are golden. Serve hot.

This recipe for zucchini stuffed tomatoes will yield four servings. Everytime you choose local, seasonal produce you are reducing your carbon footprint because it took less fuel and emissions to get it from the farm to your plate plus fewer pesticides are used as it doesn’t have to withstand a longer shipping process. So this meal is not only fast, simple and delicious but also good for the environment.

Serve this with an arugula and sweet onion salad mixed with a light olive oil and lemon dressing. The natural peppery taste of the arugula with the hint of lemon will go well with this dish plus it adds some raw to the meal.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit  meatlessmonday.com and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work to promote simple CSR business initiatives like these and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Enjoy!

For our latest nonprofit, CSR business, digital and other news follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.