Stuffed tomatoes - Tomates farcies

Hello there!!

After nearly 2 months of  interruption due to a big Tiki Tour with my in-laws (yes we all survived this!), I am back, a veggie garden full of healthy goodies and - let's be fair - 6 kg to get rid of! So back on a healthy well-balanced diet, but without compromising flavours and mouth pleasure.

This is a French summer classic: Tomatoes stuffed with beef mince and herbs, usually accompanied by white rice, I chose quinoa and broccoli. There are many version of this recipe; I kept this one pretty simple - after 5 weeks on the roads of NZ, I need rest - so quick, easy and efficient!

In my experience, a good diet depends on everyone's BMI (Body Mass Index) and habits. It's better to consult a dietitian or why-not looking at WW plans to better learn about what intake you need and how to manage your intake. So, only you can know, depending on your weight loss strategy, how many of those delicious tomatoes you can eat. I limited myself to one but I ate lots of broccoli and a reasonable portion of quinoa on the side.
That said this blog is not about loosing weight but about keeping yourself and your family on a healthy and rewarding diet, while we are under constant pressure with our busy working lifestyle. And guess what! this should help keeping fit! :)

Ingredients (6 serves)

- 6 medium size tomatoes - from the garden even tastier!
- 500 g premium beef mince - as lean as possible
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, small
- 1 medium size onion, finely chopped
- a big bunch of fresh Italian flat parsley, finely chopped (also use a little bit of the stem)
- salt and black pepper from ground
- 2 tsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- fresh thyme (optional)

Instructions (~ 30 mins)

Preheat oven, fan bake, at 180C.
1. Mix together the beef, the egg, the breadcrumbs, the onion, the parsley, salt and pepper.
2. Cut off the tomatoes 1 to 2 cm from the top (see picture) and scoop out the flesh. However leave at least 1 cm flesh on the edge. Keep the cut off for later - they'll be used as a sort of a lid or hat for the stuffed tomatoes.
3. Chop the flesh and put it in a baking dish.
4. Generously stuff the tomatoes with the beef mix and put back the tomatoes' lid or hat, whatever is your favorite saying. And lay them on the top of the chopped tomato flesh.
5. Season with the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and the thyme. Ground salt and pepper on top.
6. Put the baking dish into the oven for 20 to 25 mins - although this may vary with the tomato size.