Eat Simply, Eat Well

Tomato Cheddar Pie

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Tomato Cheddar Pie. Just look at this thing.

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Summer doesn’t get any better than this: long, light days. Clear blue skies. Mostly warm. Scattered showers to keep the dust down and the garden watered. And produce ripening almost faster than we can pick it. Down in my small garden patch, the cherry tomatoes are really starting to take off, each small orb a delightful sweet & sour mouthful. And of course, eating them fresh is always a good idea, but if you want to take them up another notch, why not pie?

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Now pie. That’s a really good idea.

This Tomato Cheddar Pie was inspired by a recipe in Fine Cooking from the Aug/Sept 2013 issue, and has been modified slightly to suit my own taste. I think you’re going to love it, especially if you have a bowl of tomatoes in your kitchen begging to be consumed right now.  The base is buttermilk biscuit which creates a nice flaky layer upon which the rest of the ingredients sit. The tomato juices blend with the herbs and cheese, but thanks to a sprinkle of corn flour over the base, it doesn’t turn into a soggy mess.

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A few notes: 

  • if you’re gluten-free, feel free to sub in your favorite gluten-free flour
  • if you don’t use dairy, sub in your favorite nondairy cheese and use the olive oil option instead of butter
  • I love the combination of chives, oregano and basil in this, but get creative – the tomatoes can take it! It’ll be delicious either way.
  • Serve a wedge of this with a large salad of fresh summer greens and you’ll have fans gathering around your table.
  • If you reheat this, I recommend doing so in the oven for best results.

Tomato Cheddar Pie

Preheat the oven 200°C/425°F.

To prepare the buttermilk crust:

  • 1 3/4 whole wheat flour (or the gluten-free flour of your choice)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter (or 6 T olive oil, added together with the buttermilk for a vegan option)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 teaspoon oat milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice) + extra if the dough feels too dry
  • 1 heaped tablespoon fine cornmeal

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter to the flour mixture, and using a pastry blender or a fork, mash the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the buttermilk over the flour-butter mixture and stir to combine, using your hands to shape it gently. Don’t over process – you just need it to hold together. If you handle it too much, the crust will be tough.

Wet your hands so your fingers won’t stick to the dough. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of an oiled 10″/25 cm tart tin. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the base of the crust in an even layer.

For the filling:

  • 20 large cherry tomatoes cut in half or 3 large tomatoes cut into slices
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Sprinkle half of the chives, oregano and cheese over the bottom of the tart crust. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, to cover the bottom of the tart. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the tops of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the remaining chives, oregano and cheese over the tops of the tomatoes. Place the pie into the hot oven and bake 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown around the edges and the tomatoes begin to brown as well.

Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle the fresh basil leaves over the top, and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Eat Simply, Eat Well.

Ann

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10 Tomato Recipes To Make Today

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Tomato recipes. Can you ever have too many? Nope, me neither. Especially right now.

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Summer is in full swing even where I am, way up north, which means I’ve been on the hunt for good tomato recipes. Just this week I’ve picked the first cherry tomatoes from my own garden: 4 perfectly ripe, juicy, red tomatoes – sun-ripened, wind blown – perfect. I dusted them off on a clean corner of my garden shirt and popped them in my mouth, one by one, enjoying the explosion of flavor as I stood in the heat of the morning sun, soft breeze whispering through the leaves of the plants around me, and watching with amusement as our little bird friend tried desperately to peck through the net we’d placed over the strawberries.

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Tomatoes. You wait and wait and wait…and with good luck and sunshine, all of a sudden the garden begins to explode with them and you’re searching for ways to make good use of and to save your bounty. The same is true if you’re visiting your local farmer’s market: suddenly there are tomatoes in abundance at good prices. These luscious beauties are nice to have around year round, offering their vibrant colors, deep tangy flavors and serious health benefits to your daily meals.

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I’ve rounded up 10 tomato recipes to help you enjoy your tomatoes – either for meals to eat today or recipes to preserve them now and eat them later, when the cold Winter winds are howling around you. Right now, they are so abundant – you’ll find yourself eating them fresh; freezing; canning; jamming – which ever way you use them, start now! There’s never been a better time.

  1. Canning Tomatoes: It’s Easier Than You Think  – Eat Simply Eat Well
  2. Grilled Tomatoes – Simply Recipes
  3. How to make basic tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes – The Kitchn
  4. Preserving Tomatoes: Roast & Freeze – Eat Simply Eat Well
  5. Tomato Eggplant Zucchini Bake – Well Plated
  6. Tomato Avocado Cucumber Salad – Eat Simply Eat Well
  7. Roasted Tomato, Goat Cheese and Carmelized Onion Tart – Eat Simply Eat Well
  8. Freezing Fresh Tomatoes – Mamal Diane
  9. Fermented Pickled Green Tomatoes – Avocado A Day Nutrition
  10. Tomato Jam – Eat Simply Eat Well

Go ahead – roll up your sleeves, grab your tomatoes, and get ready for some delicious meals ahead.

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Eat Simply, Eat Well,

Ann

What are your favorite tomato recipes for summer tomatoes? Do you can/freeze/preserve them? Let us know in the comments below!

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Spicy Mung Beans With Spinach

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It’s the Year of the Pulse according to the World Health Organization. That means these Spicy Mung Beans are right on theme, but that’s not the reason you should make them.

Mung beans have one of the best nutritious profiles of any bean; unlike most other dried beans do not need to be pre-soaked; and absorb a variety of flavors easily, so you can dress them up to add into salads or serve with whole grains for an easy and delicious meal.

According to Indian tradition, mung beans help to detoxify the body, are beneficial for the liver and gall bladder and are good for people with high blood pressure, acidosis or gastro-intestinal ulcers. In addition, mung beans have a wealth of other health benefits including:

  • per 1 cup cooked: 14 g protein, 15 g fiber, 1 g fat, 4 g sugar
  • high levels of manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, zinc and various B vitamins
  • considered to help defend against lifestyle-related diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity
  • can be used cooked or sprouted
  • according to the Journal of Chemistry Central, “mung beans have biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, lipid metabolism accommodation, antihypertensive and antitumor effects”

Sources: Healing with Whole Foods and draxe.com

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These little green beans are nutrition power houses, so you’ll benefit from adding them into your diet on a regular basis.

Cooked alone with just salt, mung beans can be a little bland, so I’ve created a recipe that calls for the mung beans to be tossed in a spicy marinade while still smoking hot so that the soak up all the flavor.

You can make these a few days ahead: they’ll stay good in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to five days. Unlike some other beans, mung beans don’t give you a gassy stomach – so you can use these without the fear of embarrassing yourself or suffering from other discomfort later. Great news, right?

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Spicy Mung Beans

First, cook the beans:

  • 2 1/2 cups / 1.2 liters cold water
  • 1 cup / 2.5 dl dried mung beans

Bring the water to a boil and add the mung beans. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. You want the mung beans to be tender but with a slight firmness to them. Try not to overcook them – you don’t want them falling apart!

Then make the marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds or aniseed
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 yellow onion, minced
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 handfuls of spinach, rinsed and spun dry

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a small pot. Add the fennel seeds or aniseed, mustard seeds and chili flakes. Place a lid on the pot and cook until you hear the mustard seeds begin to pot. Pour the oil and spices into a mixing bowl. Add the cumin, salt, pepper, onion and lemon and stir well.

Final steps:

Place the rinsed spinach leaves into the bowl on top of the marinade. Drain the cooked, hot mung beans and pour the beans into the bowl. Stir well to completely coat the beans in the marinade, then cover the bowl with a large plate for 5 minutes.

Serve warm or cold either as a side dish or on top of a nice green salad.

Makes roughly 2.5 cups / 5 dl

Eat simply, eat well,

Ann

Did you like this recipe? Do you have your own favorite way of cooking mung beans? Let me know in the comments below, and please share the recipe with your friends!

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