Shrimp and Rice Stuffed Tomatoes with Peach-Raspberry Soup

This soup could be a dessert on its own. It's also the epitome of summer - light and refreshing, full of flavor as it cools your mouth. Have I convinced you yet? Pick up some peaches and raspberries at your local farmer's market to enjoy fresh produce that is also environmentally friendly (local!)

As the main course, I made shrimp and rice stuffed tomatoes that had the perfect blend of tender rice, juicy tomatoes, plump shrimp, and ever-delicious cheese. The meal was filling without leaving you too full and made for excellent leftovers for lunch the next couple of days.

Time: 1 hr 45 min
Difficulty: easy-medium
Cost: $18.94 (caveat)


Peach-Raspberry Soup
You could substitute another fruit besides raspberries here, but I found they worked exceedingly well.
Time: 1 hr 45 min

Ingredients:
1 c riesling (other sweet wine substitutions are okay)
3 c peaches
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/2 c raspberries
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves

Wash and slice your peaches, discarding the pits. Place them in a pot with the riesling and cinnamon stick. Heat over medium-high heat until the wine just begins to boil. Then turn the heat down to low and let the peaches simmer in the wine for 10-12 minutes. (This also means the alcohol is burned off.)

The peaches should be quite soft at the end of that time. Throw away the cinnamon stick and let the peach-wine mixture cool for a few minutes.

Once the peaches are not quite as hot, pour half of the peach mixture into a blender or food processor. Remove the center piece in the top and place a paper towel there instead to allow steam to escape. Make sure to put the paper towel on before the lid, so it pins it down, or secure it well in another way so it doesn't break loose and let the mixture splatter as you blend/process.

Puree the mixture until it is smooth. It is okay if there are a handful of small chunks in it, but you want it relatively smooth. Place the mixture in a large bowl and repeat with the other half. Add the other half to the bowl.

Add the honey, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir so it is well mixed, cover, and place in the fridge for at least an hour but up to overnight.

When you are ready to serve, pour the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle the (washed) fresh raspberries on top of each bowl - you should be able to provide about 6 per bowl. Break the fresh mint leaves in half and sprinkle those on top of the raspberries in each bowl as well. Enjoy chilled.

Shrimp and Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

I prepared far more rice than I could possible stuff into my tomatoes, but I didn't see this as a problem. Instead, I placed the stuffed tomatoes in the glass baking dish but then just poured all of the extra rice (which was filled with goodies like tomato, cheese, and shrimp) around the tomatoes in the dish. This still baked quite well and simply provided more delicious food all-around.
Time: 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients:
1 c uncooked rice (basmati is a good one, or whole grain)
4 large tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
1 c vidalia onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c shredded low-fat mozzarella
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails removed
4 tsp grated Parmesan

(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Cook the rice according to the directions on the box or bag. When it's done, set aside and keep warm.

As your rice cooks, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully cut the tops off the tomatoes and set them aside - you will need them later. Now, carefully take a spoon and scoop out the inside of the tomatoes, leaving the shell intact. Place the insides into a bowl.

Set the tomatoes aside and heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it heat as well. Then add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Vidalia onion is sweet, so you want to allow time for the natural sugars to come through. Add the minced garlic and stir well, cooking for another 3 minutes. Make sure to stir the onion and garlic regularly to avoid burning.

Add the tomato pulp or insides and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes. You want to allow just enough time for excess liquid from the tomato to evaporate and for the mixture to thicken slightly.

Pour the tomato-onion mixture into the bowl with the rice. Add the mozzarella, oregano, lemon juice, pepper, salt, and shrimp. Toss well to make sure all of the ingredients are well mixed.

Grease a glass baking dish and place the 4 tomatoes in it. Spoon as much rice mixture as you can into each tomato. They can be heaping or overflowing. Pour the rest of the rice mixture between and around the tomatoes in the dish until all of it has been used.

Sprinkle 1 tsp of Parmesan over the tops of each tomato. Place the tomato tops back on top of the tomatoes as best you can (or on top of the overflowing stuffing where you think it would line up!)

Bake for 40 minutes. The tomatoes should be tender. Enjoy!