straight up veg

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my American friends, family and readers! Hope everyone ate some delicious food, spent time with loved ones and got some great Black Friday deals.

I decided to come up with a recipe using items I already had in my fridge and pantry. I absolutely love orzo, and thought they would be a perfect filling for the vine tomatoes I had. This dish is hearty without feeling too heavy, and the baked orzo creates a crispy top crust that is pretty darn delicious.  Would make a great thanksgiving or holiday side dish.

**Feel free to click on the red links for photo references**

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Medium sized tomatoes (I used Campari)
• 1/2 cup of Orzo pasta
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup of yellow onion, minced
• 3/4 cup of black kale, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup of shiitake mushrooms, minced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp of salt + extra to taste
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Cook orzo in salted water until al dente (approx 7 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Slice the top off of the tomatoes and scoop out seeds using a small spoon. If the tomato cannot stand upright, slice a paper thin piece off of the bottom of the tomato to keep it upright.
3. In a pan, add olive oil on medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until fragrant
4. Add kale, mushrooms, lemon zest and chili flakes. Saute for 5 minutes then add orzo, salt and sugar.
5. Add a pinch of salt to each tomato and fill with the orzo mixture.
6. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, until tomatoes are soft.
7. Tastes amazing with balsamic drizzled on top. Enjoy 🙂