I’m back…and I have finally been cooking away! I am loving all of the fresh yumminess that I am finding at the Farmer’s Market lately. I’ve had so much fun experimenting with different fresh veggies and trying to make things that I have never made before.
I am a Southern girl- so of course I LOVE fried green tomatoes…but I wanted to come up with a way to get the crunchy, slightly sour, fresh tasting goodness of a fried green tomato, but with out all of the added fat and calories that come with deep frying. I set out to make a “fried-ish” green tomato…and it worked…it got the Gavin Tarquinio stamp of approval!
Healthified Fried Green Tomatoes
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/4 C corn meal
1/4 C flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 egg white
1/8 C water or milk (I used water)
3 medium size green tomatoes
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, corn meal, flour, garlic powder, slat and cayenne pepper. Mix everything together.
Next, on a plate, crack one egg (letting just the white fall to the plate) and 1/4 C water or milk. Use a fork and whisk together until it is combined well.
Slice the tomatoes to about a 1/2 inch thick. Coat both sides of the tomato with the egg white mixture and then dredge both sides in the bread crumb mixture.
Heat a medium non-stick skillet to medium and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Once the pan is hot, place a few (do not over crowd) tomatoes in for about 1 minute and then COVER the plan. Allow to cook about 1 more minute and then flip the tomatoes. Leave them uncovered while to opposite side cooks!
Now, for the AMA-ZING topping (I think this part is a MUST!) You know that I have a slight obsession with figs…and that I recently made some great preserves (you can buy fig preserves at any grocery store as well). So, I thought the tartness of the tomatoes would go well with the sweetness of figs…and be made even better with a little goat cheese and walnuts. It is not only good on the tomatoes but amazing on chicken or pork!
Fig and Goat Cheese Crumble
1/4 C walnuts
1/4 t salt
1/4 C fig preserves
1/4 C goat cheese (crumbled)
Gently crumble all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and then top the tomatoes…yum!!
