+SF +GF
A few modest ingredients go a long way when presented beautifully. Stuffed veggies have an air of elegance—perfectly blistered tomatoes stuffed with savory rice and veggies, neatly packed and served. Yet, this dish is much easier than looks would suggest. —MR
SERVES 8
1⅓ cups (315 ml) water
1 cup (210 g) pink rice or any rice, rinsed
½ tsp salt, for rice
1 tsp coconut oil
⅔ red bell pepper
1 zucchini
⅓ small red onion
2 handfuls of macadamia nuts
8 large red tomatoes
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1½ cups (200 g) frozen peas, thawed
Salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Now prepare the rice by boiling the water, add in the rinsed rice (check instructions if not using pink rice), salt and coconut oil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let the rice cook for 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
As the rice cooks, thinly chop the red bell pepper, zucchini and red onion into bite-size pieces. Crush the macadamia nuts. Set this aside as you prepare the tomatoes.
Start by cutting the tops evenly off the tomatoes. Then take a spoon and carefully scoop out all of the pulp and juice from within the tomatoes, being careful not to poke a hole into the bottom or sides. Mash the pulp into a purée and set aside for later use.
Now warm the olive oil and the onion in a saucepan for 5 minutes over medium heat, until the onion becomes tender. Add two-thirds of the tomato purée, the chopped vegetables, the peas and the salt to the same saucepan, and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Once the rice has finished cooking, pour it into a large bowl and add the sautéed vegetables and macadamia nuts. Stir well, and then spoon the rice mixture into each tomato. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place each stuffed tomato on the pan. Bake the tomatoes for 30 to 35 minutes. The skin of the tomatoes should be tender and blistered when finished. Let them cool for 10 minutes, and then enjoy with a salad!