Tomatoes

Garden Tomato Soup

Submitted by Marie Dang, Health Department

1 lb tomatoes, cut in half (or 1 large can san marzano whole tomatoes, or 5-7 large tomatoes), if using canned - drain but save the liquid

1/2 cauliflower, chopped in small chunks

1 onion, peeled and chopped in 1 inch chunks

2 small sweet potatoes peeled and chopped inch 1 inch chunks

1 russet potato, peeled and chopped in 1 inch chunks

3 T olive oil

Sea Salt to taste

water or chicken stock (I roasted chicken thighs seasoned with a homemade Cajun mix I threw together @ 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes on a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet and used the drippings - skimming the excess fat - for extra flavoring) fresh cracked black pepper

Heat oven to 350. Place all veggies on baking sheet and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until all veggies are tender. Peel skin off tomatoes (or leave on if you're lazy but it should come off real easy since you roasted them) and place all veggies in blender. Add water / chicken stock (juices from your yummy baked chicken) to cover veggies, cold water is fine. Blend for a minute or so or to the texture you like; I have mine on the slightly chucky side. Heat thoroughly in a pot, season with salt to taste. You can thin with more water / stock and adjust salt to your taste.

Capresse Salad

Submitted by Ray Tumlinson, Building & Planning

Slice fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.

Start layering each item.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Mmmm! Submitted by Anna Lunday, Treasurer's Office

Turkey Soup

Submitted by Marie Dang, Health Department
2 turkey legs

7 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

5 tomatoes or 1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp. thyme, crushed between your fingers

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Water

Put all ingredients in a 5 -7 quart pot. Fill pot with water to about 3 inches from top. Bring to a boil then turn down heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours. Take turkey legs out and cool slightly or completely before shredding/cutting. Add cut turkey back to soup and heat if needed. Adjust seasonings as desired.

6+ servings

Toes and Tomatoes

Submitted by Anna Lunday, Treasurer's Office

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Submitted by Rebecca Samy, Building and Planning

4 cups watermelon

3 large heirloom tomatoes (or one pint of cherry tomatoes)

½ cup basil rough chopped

½ cup mint rough chopped

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of one lime

Salt and pepper

8 oz feta cheese (a really good salty feta)

Mix the watermelon, tomatoes, basil and mint with the remaining ingredients except the feta. Refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve incorporate the feta, serve with salt and a lime wedge on the side.

Enjoy!

Cajun Tomato Relish

Cajun Tomato Relish with Tillapia, Zucchini and Roasted Potatoes Submitted by Ray Tumlinson, Building and Planning

INGREDIENTS: 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup finely diced celery, preferably from the center of the stalk

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 scallions (green onions), trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced

1 cup diced bell pepper

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. Cajun Rub, or salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 to 2 tsps. honey, warmed Louisiana-style hot pepper sauce, to taste

PREPARATION: In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, celery, garlic, scallions, bell pepper, lemon juice, basil, Cajun Rub, thyme, and honey. Stir gently with a rubber spatula. Add hot pepper sauce to taste. Cover and set aside until serving time. (The relish is best eaten within hours of being made.)

Serve over grilled fish, pork or poultry. Or enjoy with tortilla chips.

Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa Submitted by Marie Dang, Health Department
INGREDIENTS

1 pint cherry tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes (15oz. whole or diced) 1 ripe mango*, peeled and cut into chunks (will look red/orange and be fragrant, firm-soft feel) 1/2 cup white onion (about a 3rd chunk of an onion) 1 lime

1 cup cilantro* (be sure to wash thoroughly) 1 clove peeled garlic (remove green center, if present) pinch of cumin

Sea salt to taste

Juice lime into blender and put remaining ingredients in blender. Blend/pulse until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed.

Not just for chips; Mango Salsa is a great condiment with breakfast, lunch, and dinner (as I enjoy it)!

Tips for Mango and Cilantro: Cut along the pit of the mango to get 2 big pieces of mango in the peel. Score mango in the peel but don't cut through peel. Take a spoon and scoop out mango chunks straight into blender. Easy! Can eat rest of mango around the pit or peel, cut and add to salsa.

Break off bunch/handful of cilantro and put in medium sized mixing bowl. Fill with water and swish cilantro around to get dirt off, drain water. Refill bowl with water and let cilantro sit to loosen additional dirt that may be left. After 10 minutes or when you're ready for the cilantro, swish the cilantro around again to remove any remaining dirt (should sink to bottom of bowl). Another quick rinse and it's ready to use.