Putting My Tomatoes to Good Use!

Well, finally the tomatoes are starting to come in. We have had so much fog this summer, it's just crazy. I've nearly lost my long-range vision! Luckily, I only need short-range vision to pick tomatoes. Here you see some of my Stupice (red ones), SunGold (little orange babies), and Aunt Ruby's German Green (the green ones, duh!). Aren't they just beautiful!?
First things first... PIZZA! Yum! Using Vicolo corn meal pizza crusts, I added crushed garlic, fresh basil (lots!!!), fresh tomatoes, a dash of olive oil, and a sprinkling of coarse salt. This is one of the best foods I have ever eaten and I love it so so so much. Maybe I will marry it. Sorry for the dark picture, but we are too busy desperately enjoying the afternoon sun* to eat while it is still light out.

*(before the fog comes back in)

This simple salad was a HUGE German Green tomato with chickpeas and salad dressing. Perfect and crazy delicious. Served with green grapes, and some tamales which somehow escaped photo-documentation.

A summery lunch: 1 apple from my aunt's apple tree, 1 carrot, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1 green tomato, 4 cracker, 1 nectarine, 1 basket of strawberries, 1 giant blob of soy yogurt. All adds up to one happy belly!!! Also, I like to arrange my food in rainbow order whenever possible. This joy/affliction goes back many years to my early days of ravenous JellyBelly eating and organizing.

Finally, the piece d'resistance, "Coconut Crusted Tofu with Lemongrass and Peppers" from The Urban Vegan. WHOA. This recipe caught my eye the other day, and the book promised it was easy to make... Well, she was right! It was a pretty quick recipe (other than marinating the tofu), it was definitely under 1 hour from start to finish, but looks and tastes like a million bucks. Comments from Mr. Vegan Eats and Treats included "This is an instant classic!" "I don't like this. ... I love this!!" and "I used to just have affection for you... now, I love you!" Clearly, he is an enthusiastic eater.

The flavor combinations in this dish were really wonderful, I especially loved the sweetness from the coconut flakes on the tofus. I made a couple of tiny changes - I only pureed about 1/2-2/3 of the sauce, and left the rest chunky. Also, I turned the heat up to 425 at the end and gave the tofu an extra 5-7 minutes in the oven. Final bonus - Not only did this recipe call for some of our homegrown tomatoes, but I also finally got to use the lemongrass from my very own garden!! Super exciting!