I totally love the fruits and vegetables that are in season during summer, especially tomatoes! There are truly endless possibilities of dishes to make starring tomatoes, but I wanted to share this recipe with you this week because it’s so simple. The pesto is a wonderful addition to the bold acidity of the tomatoes – I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 medium tomatoes, seeds and cores removed
- 4 TBSP coconut oil, melted
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup quinoa (any color), rinsed & drained
- 6 TBSP pesto (recipe below if you want to make your own!)
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked (or pine nuts)
- 1 garlic clove
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions
- Add all of the pesto ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Use a spoon with a serrated edge to slip in and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Set aside.
- Drizzle 1 TBSP coconut oil in the bottom of the baking dish and spread it around. Place tomatoes in the baking dish. Drizzle 1 TBSP of coconut oil over the top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle salt & pepper on each tomato.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan, cook the diced onion in 2 TBSP coconut oil, for 5-8 minutes or until translucent. Add the cooked quinoa, spinach, pesto, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix together, let cook just until spinach has wilted and everything is combined.
- Spoon filling into tomatoes and put the top back on.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to blister.
Tip: Top with fresh basil or parmesan cheese!