My favorite summer snack is a handful of cherry tomatoes, picked straight from the vine, sprinkled with a little salt. Scientifically, tomatoes are classified as a fruit, but since they don’t have the sweet flavor of most fruits and are typically used in savory dishes, they’re legally classified as a vegetable.
Tomatoes are low in calories and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. They’re also a very good source of fiber, molybdenum, potassium, manganese, chromium and vitamin B1. In addition, tomatoes contain the antioxidant compound lycopene.
I love using tomatoes as a “bowl” for salads. When you scoop out the pulp, place it in a plastic bag and use it in tomato soup or pasta sauce. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to six months.
Tomatoes Stuffed With Seafood Salad
1 pound peeled, cooked shrimp (21-25 per pound; thawed, if frozen), tails removed, chopped and/or 1 pound of real or imitation crab meat, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
¼ cup minced fresh basil, plus a few leaves reserved for garnish
10 Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped, optional
1/2 small purple onion, minced
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon stevia
4 large ripe tomatoes, cored
In a small bowl, mix together shrimp and/or crab, celery, basil, olives, onion, mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne and sugar until well combined. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, carefully hollow out the inside of each tomato, reserving the pulp. Fill each tomato with a 1/2 cup of seafood salad. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
The Kitchen Diva is Angela Shelf Medearis, a regular guest chef on “The Dr. Oz Show” and “The Today Show.” She is the author of many cookbooks, including, “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” She blogs for Vitacost.com and Momonomics.com on a weekly basis.