Saturday was a dream day but with the temperature threatening to take it’s first dip below 40 degrees, it was time to harvest the remaining tomatoes in my garden.
Tomatoes are recognized as an outstanding source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers, osteoporosis and heart disease.
The beefsteaks were sliced up for a quick lunch of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.
Here’s what I did Sunday with the rest of the tomatoes:
Tomato, mozzarella and roasted vegetable skewers
- Zucchini, cubed
- Yellow Squash, cubed
- Whole baby bella or white button mushrooms
- Vidallia onion, cubed
- Red and yellow bell pepper
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella balls
- Fresh basil
Cube all vegetables except tomatoes into similar sized pieces so they will cook evenly. Place in a shallow pan (13 x 9 works well) and toss evenly with italian dressing to marinate for 30 minutes. Place vegetables in a grill pan and grill vegetable over medium heat until tender and slightly charred. Let cool to room temperature.
Thread roasted vegetables, tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves on appetizer-sized wooded skewers. Alternatively, you can also serve these vegetables and cheese as a side salad or tossed with pasta.
And to preserve tomatoes for the upcoming weeks, I roasted the plum tomatoes using this recipe from Ina Garten. These tomatoes are great served (hot or at room temperature) as a side dish or on a slice of crusty Italian bread. I have also stuffed these tomatoes into the cap of a portabello mushroom, topped with a mixture of panko (bread crumbs), parmesan cheese, butter and garlic powder, and baked them until the bread crumbs get golden and toasted.
Enjoy!