QUINOA-STUFFED TOMATOES

Servings: 8

Start to finish: 1 hour, including inactive cooking time

8 medium-size tomatoes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup) 1 small eggplant, cut into small dice (½ inch), about 2 cups

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup roughly chopped or sliced white mushrooms

3 tablespoons dry white wine

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 ½ cup cooked quinoa

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice off the top of each tomato, reserving the tops.

Run a paring knife around the inner rim of the tomato, loosening up the flesh on the inside of the tomato. Use a small spoon and scoop out the flesh, juice and seeds of the tomato. (Either discard or pulse in blender to use in a tomato sauce.)

Sprinkle the insides of the tomatoes with half the salt and set aside. In a large saute pan, cook the onion and eggplant in the olive oil over medium high heat until vegetables start to soften, about eight minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms soften, about five more minutes.

Pour in the wine and stir to let it evaporate. Add the basil, quinoa, remaining salt and pepper and turn off the heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Gently spoon the filling into the empty tomatoes, and top each one with a reserved tomato top.

Place the tomatoes in a baking dish sprayed with a little olive oil from a mister (or nonstick spray). Mist the tomatoes with a quick spray of olive oil from a mister. Cover the dish with an oven-safe lid or foil. Bake until the tomatoes are tender and quinoa mixture is hot, about 35-40 minutes.

Chef’s Note: The recipe works well with up to a half pound of cooked ground meat added to the filling if desired. Tip: Crinkle up foil into a ball if you need to secure tomatoes in baking dish so they don’t slide around.

Nutrition information per serving: 115 calories; 26 calories from fat; 3 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 2 mg cholesterol; 176 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 5 g protein.

Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, “Supermarket Healthy.”