This could be my most favorite flavor combination from this summer.

From the bold balsamic to the tangy feta to the sweet basil and the perfect taste of vine ripened tomatoes. It’s so raw. And fresh. And delicious!

A few weeks ago (before the squirrels took over), I made this recipe with the striped tigerella tomatoes…a new variety for me this year, thanks to my friend Lucy! We had these as a side with some grilled chicken. #nom

It’s fairly simple…slice, drizzle, sprinkle, let sit, eat…

Got a favorite recipe that calls for garden tomatoes?! We’d love to check it out!

When I was in Texas over the holidays, I went rummaging through my mom’s refrigerator trying to come up with a fun appetizer for a family dinner we were having. I found a mango that I was going to use in a fruit salad, but when I cut into it and discovered it was tangy and not-so-sweet, I decided we needed to add more bold flavors, to help hide the tangy mango! I ended up making for this Mango Avocado Salsa. And while it probably would have been lovely with just the fresh ingredients, I decided it needed a sweet lime vinaigrette to accompany it!

I’ve shared the Mango Avocado Salsa recipe over at SCJohnson.com.  This would be perfect for your Super Bowl gathering, or a Mardi Gras party! You can also find a few other healthy Super Bowl Snack ideas, including Homemade Guacamole, Turkey and Pepper Pinwheels and Triple Berry Trifle!

Perfect balance of colors, flavors and tastes!

Oh please. Please.

Please, for all that is good and right in this world. Please, make these.

When I asked for spinach recipes last week, I had this one in the back of my mind to try as I asked.  Last summer when on vacation with my family, I made for them a similar recipe that used sun dried tomatoes, spinach pesto, mozzarella, stuffed/rolled in the same way.Very similar to this one from Kristia!

As I was writing up the “calling all spinach recipes” last week, I remembered the meal that I made for them and wondered if I could pull it off for $5. I went digging…found a tomato in the fridge (that Steve must have bought last week when I was out of town…as I don’t recall buying one!) (I’ll have to ask him about that one…as he rarely goes to the grocery store!)

I came close!

The How-To

Cook and drain the spinach. Drain well. Press out the liquid. Squeeze out the liquid.

Or else you’ll be having Runny Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Saute. And cook off the liquid that the tomatoes release.

Meanwhile, pound out the chicken breasts.

And lay into a baking dish that is small enough that the stuffed chicken breasts fit snugly.

Spoon in the spinach tomato mixture.  Use a slotted spoon.

Again, you don’t want to have Runny Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Add some shredded mozzarella cheese.

(I used dairy and soy free mozzarella slices. So the boys could enjoy this!)

(At the moment, Ryan, Charlie, Tyler and I are dairy free. And Tyler is soy free.)

Roll up the chicken, spoon any extra spinach tomato mixture around the stuffed chicken.

Bake.

Make tomato sauce for topping while baking. Spoon the tomato sauce over top.

Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy!

Good Monday afternoon friends!  You all are in for a treat this fine Monday.  You’re getting a double bonus on recipes today! This one, plus another tonight for the $5 Dinner Challenge!

I was working on dinner over the weekend when Steve pops into the kitchen with a few handfuls of itty bitty tomatoes.

Huh?

I thought the garden was “done.”  I haven’t officially closed it down, but I thought it was finished producing!

I gladly took the tomatoes. And worked them into the meal.

• Homemade Pesto, from the freezer.
• Bread rolls, marked down on special, from the freezer.

And we’ve got ourselves the makings of a Pesto Bruschetta appetizer.

Since I’m all about being resourceful, I just cut the rolls in half…and they look just like slices of French bread loaf…right?!  (You’d probably never have known had I not told you!)  These are just multigrain dinner rolls that I got on Manager’s Special and stashed in the freezer.  Perfect, for a time like this!

Spread on the pesto. Top with the topping. Eat.

H.e.a.v.e.n.l.y. Heavenly.

Pesto Bruschetta

Ingredients

• About 2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 multigrain rolls, sliced in half
• Couple knife-fuls of Homemade Pesto

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic.  Drizzle about 1 tsp of olive oil over the top and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Lay out the sliced bread and spread a knife-ful of pesto over the bread.  Top with the tomato mixture.
3. Enjoy.
4. Devour.
5. Make another round.
6. Enjoy and devour again!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Picked a bunch of cherry-type tomatoes from the garden…opened the fridge to figure out what to do with them…and the $2 box of spinach practically fell of the shelf.  When that kind of thing happens, I take it as a sign…

And here’s the result…

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (from the garden)
1/2 lb spinach ($2)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add fresh crushed garlic and let it sizzle for about 3o seconds.

Add the quartered tomatoes and saute with the garlic for 2-3 minutes.

When you see the juices begin to brown in the skillet, add about 1/4 cup of water to deglaze, and then steam the spinach.

Let the water bubble up, then quickly stuff the spinach into the skillet.  Stir a few times and then cover as soon as it has wilted down enough.  Let cook over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Stir after a minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm as a side dish.

Cost $2.20

Super Simple Supper!

This is a one dish dinner.

(That brings up an important question…when you hear one dish dinner, do you think of it being a dinner that is SERVED in one dish, or COOKED in one dish?!)

So this is technically a one dish served dinner…as the whole meal is in one bowl.  But it was cooked in 2 pots…a pot for the pasta, and a skillet for the sausage, then the veggies.

Would love to know you thoughts!

Now for the recipe…but be warned…it’s a $6 dinner! The key to this meal…it uses an expensive lean all natural sausage that costs nearly $5…but when paired with inexpensive pasta and veggies all from the garden, it’s not as terribly priced as it could be! It’s all about the balance!

Ingredients

1 lb. Italian sausage ($4.85) WHAT?!? I know…this is the 100% all natural, grass fed sausage from the farmer’s market.
1 lb. Rigatoni pasta ($.79) Manager’s special
1/2 yellow onion ($.15)
1 red pepper, from the garden
1 green pepper, from the garden
1 banana pepper, from the garden
2 medium tomatoes, from the garden
3 garlic cloves, crushed ($.15)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese ($.25) Optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown the sausage in a skillet. Once browned, place onto a plate with paper towels to drain/absorb the grease. Pour off any excess grease, leaving just a little to saute the veggies.

2. While browning, start the pasta. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Set aside 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain.

3. Chop all the veggies and crush the garlic. In the same skillet that you browned the sausage, saute the veggies for 5 to 7 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften.

4. Toss the cooked rigatoni, the 1/3 cup pasta cooking water, browned sausage and the sauteed veggies in the saucepan or in a large mixing bowl. (Optional…sprinkle in some parmesan cheese.)

5. Serve Rigatoni with Italian Sausage and Red Peppers.

Cost $6.19

Looking for something to grill this weekend…look no further!!!

I’ve been making all sorts of burgers this summer.  As part of my quest to grill more. (‘Cause Girls Grill Too, you know!)

And this might just be my new favorite. I *think* I enjoyed it better that a Guac-Topped Burger. I *think*.

Here’s the deal. Make your favorite burger, and while it’s grilling, saute some onions with a “condiment sauce.” Give the “condiment sauce” some zing.

Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients

Favorite burger or cheese burger
Garden Tomato

1 onion, sliced into circles
1 tsp vinegar
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
Hot sauce

Directions

1. Make your burger as you like it. Slice up that garden tomato. (Check out my big boy below!)

2. To make the Spicy Onions: Add the sliced onions to a skillet and begin to cook over medium-low heat.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ketchup and mustard. Add to the onions. Then add 1, or 2, or 9, drops of Tabasco or other smoking hot sauce. Zing!

3. Serve Burgers with Spicy Onions on top! Double Zing!!

To-may-toes, To-mah-toes…

It’s what we’re talking about this week on Grow. Eat. $ave! Stuffed Tomatoes to be exact…

Got an over abundance of tomatoes?!? Looking for a cool, light and refreshing side…or even a main dish dinner?!? Well, stuffed tomatoes are THE way to go!

Stuffed Tomatoes with Spicy Avocado Salad

4 large tomatoes
1 avocado, diced
About 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut a cone around the stem bud, cutting out the center portion of the tomato.  Scoop out the seeds. (So it won’t be so “runny” when you fork into it.)

In a mixing bowl, toss together the avocado, onion, jalapeno, crushed garlic, ground cumin and lemon juice.  Season with a little salt and pepper.

Stuffed the Spicy Avocado Salad into the Tomatoes.

Grilled Stuffed Orange Tomatoes with Black Olives and Provencal Goat Cheese

4 orange tomatoes
1 15 oz. can sliced black olives
1/2 cup goat cheese, provencal flavor

Cut a cone around the stem bud, cutting out the center portion of the tomato.  Scoop out the seeds.

In a mixing bowl, toss the black olive slices and the goat cheese and stuff into the awaiting tomatoes.

Place the stuffed tomatoes on a hot grill and grill for about 5-8 minutes, or until goat cheese gets oozy…and the tomato skin begins to wrinkle.

Devour.

Are you drooling yet?!?

More Stuffing Ideas

• Tuna Salad
• Savory Chicken Salad
• Corn and Black Bean Salsa
• Guacamole

Do you have a favorite filling for Stuffed Tomatoes?!

What’s your favorite way to use up the overabundance of tomatoes from your garden or from your trip to the farmer’s market?!

Link up those MATER recipes…

(Please pardon the iPhone photo. Dead camera battery.)

I went out yesterday morning to survey the garden…and to make sure it survived our weekend away. I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of red grape-roma tomatoes, and a meal’s worth of green beans!  I picked some basil, parsley and oregano and then got to work.

So we’re calling this “Mediterranean” because it has olives. And olives are plentiful in the Mediterranean. And I’d really like to take a trip to the Mediterranean. (This weekend getaway to California really gave me the travel itch!)

And the real question from the video…is it “halving” or “halfing”?!?

Loved the variety of textures and how the flavors meshed…

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup quinoa ($1.25)
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
About 1 pint grape, cherry or grape-roma tomatoes (from the garden)
Small handful of fresh basil, parsley, and oregano, chopped (from the garden)
About 3/4 cup black olives, halved ($.60)
2 chicken breasts, grilled and diced ($1.66)
Salt and pepper

Handful of green beans (from the garden)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper

Note: Substitute 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes, well drained, for the fresh tomatoes.

Directions

1. Cook the quinoa as directed on the box. 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.

2. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and saute the crushed garlic for about a minute, then add the halved tomatoes and saute for another 2-3 minutes, or until tomato skins “wrinkle.”  Then add the black olives and diced chicken and saute together for another minute.

3. Add the cooked quinoa into the Mediterranean Chicken mixture and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Saute the green beans in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa with Sauteed Green Beans.

Cost $3.74

***UPDATE: Apparently, Mr. Linky is not feeling well today, so please leave your link in the comments section

Alisa shares a fabulous pasta puttanesque-a recipe with us tonight…with quite a few variations to fit all kinds of dietary needs!  This recipe is Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Low-Fat, optionally Gluten-Free / Wheat-Free, and optionally Vegan / Vegetarian.

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Crushed Garlic or 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 28-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes (no salt added) or 2 lbs of fresh Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more if you want more heat!)
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt, more or less to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste (optional)
1 Cup Olives, quartered (kalamata and/or green would be best, but my cheapo pantry version just used the black ones I had in the cupboard, and it was still tasty!)
3 Tablespoons Capers, drained and rinsed
1/4 Cup Dry White Wine (2-Buck Chuck will do)
8 oz Pasta (I used whole wheat penne, but go gluten-free if needed)

Directions
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-heat. Add the garlic, and saute for just a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, onion powder, salt, and pepper (if using). Bring the sauce to a boil, promptly reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. While that is simmering, you can prepare any other additions (see notes below).

Your sauce should have thickened a bit, so now you can add the olives, capers, and wine, and allow it to keep warm over low heat while you prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta is ready, dish up!

Optional Additions:

Chicken: I thinly sliced (1/4-inch thick) 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts. I sprinkled them with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (I skipped the black pepper in the sauce). I then drizzled a little bit of wine over the top and stirred to coat the chicken with the cornstarch mixture. From there, I heated about 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet, and sauteed the chicken until it was cooked through (no pink!) but still tender. I added the chicken to my sauce just before serving.

Vegetarian-Style: In my opinion, this sauce is just begging for cauliflower. Cook 12 ounces of florets in the sauce, or lightly steam them, layer them atop your pasta, and pour the sauce on.

Yields 4 very flavorful servings

Alisa blogs at One Frugal Foodie with a focus on using whole foods to create inexpensive, healthy recipes. She is also the founder of Go Dairy Free the website, and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. She currently resides in beautiful Lake Tahoe – okay, not actually in the lake, but next to it!
__________________________________________________

Have a Frugal and Healthy Recipe to share?

Post the recipe on your blog and then add the link below. Other guidelines can be found here. To make it easy for other readers to find your recipe, please leave the link that leads directly to your recipe post. Any links that lead to your homepage will be deleted. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to leave your recipe in the comments section!

Want healthy and inexpensive meal ideas, the hottest coupons and other money saving tips delivered to your inbox??? Sign up for the FREE $5 Dinners Email Newsletter!