Keep the focus on healthy eating with this tasty main dish from Move and Improve. Add a fresh green salad to round out the meal.
Recipe Summary:
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 tomato, ¾ C stuffing
Ingredients:
4 medium (2½ inches) tomatoes, rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red onions, peeled and chopped
1 C cooked mixed vegetables—such as peppers, corn, carrots, or peas
1 C quinoa, rinsed*
1 C low-sodium chicken broth
½ ripe avocado, peeled and diced
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, rinsed, dried, and chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 ºF.
- Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and hollow out the insides. (The pulp can be saved for use in tomato soup or sauce, or salsa.) Set tomatoes aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook until they begin to soften, about 1–2 minutes.
- Add cooked vegetables, and heat through, about another 1–2 minutes.
- Add quinoa, and cook gently until it smells good, about 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid and is fully cooked, about 7–10 minutes.
- When the quinoa is cooked, remove the lid and gently fluff quinoa with a fork. Gently mix in the avocado, pepper, and parsley.
- Carefully stuff about ¾ cup of quinoa into each tomato.
- Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15–20 minutes, or until tomatoes are hot throughout (tomatoes may be stuffed in advance and baked later).
Calories – 299
Total fat – 10 g
Saturated fat – 1 g
Sodium – 64 mg
Total fiber – 8 g
Protein – 10 g
Carbohydrates – 46 g
Potassium – 906 mg
Vitamin A – 110%
Vitamin C – 40%
Calcium – 6%
Iron – 30%
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
* Unprocessed quinoa must be washed thoroughly before it is used to remove a powdery coating called saponin, which has an unpleasant and bitter taste. Check your package for rinsing instructions.
Source: Deliciously Healthy Dinners, National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
