You love to garden, and more often that not, you end up with more produce than you can use. You give away much of the excess. Yet there always seems to be some left, tomatoes, in particular. Lucky for you, there are lot of recipes that call for tomatoes. Here are some you might want to try.

Avocado, Tomato & Mango Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

4 tomatoes, diced

1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. salt

2 T. lime juice

1/4 c. red onion, chopped

3 T. olive oil

Combine avocado, tomatoes, mango, jalapeno, cilantro and garlic. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

Caprese Salad

6 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/2 T. balsamic vinegar

6 leaves fresh basil, slivered

1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, cubed

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and basil in a large bowl. Gently fold in mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 eggs

2 T. water

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. yellow cornmeal

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 lbs. green tomatoes, sliced

1 c. canola oil for frying, or as needed

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Beat eggs and water and set aside. Place flour and cornmeal in separate bowls. Season cornmeal with salt and pepper. Dip tomato slices in flour and then in egg mixture. Press into cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess. Transfer to baking sheet in a single layer. Heat about 1/4 inch canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry tomato slices in batches until golden crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain and serve.

Garlic Tomato Spread

2 lbs. tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/2 c. olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 T. dried oregano

1 t. sugar

1 t. salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, oregano, sugar and salt. Bake for 1 hour. Turn tomatoes over and roast until caramelized and very soft, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Transfer tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.

Stuffed Tomatoes

7 tomatoes

1 c. water

1 c. instant rice

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, diced

1 pinch garlic salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce

1 6-oz. can tomato juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Remove tomato tops and set aside. Scoop out tomato pulp, transfer to a bowl and chop. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add rice and cover pan. Let stand until rice absorbs water, about 5 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef until browned and crumbly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and combine with cooked rice, onion, garlic, garlic salt and pepper. Add tomato pulp and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set hollowed-out tomatoes in baking dish, fill with ground beef mixture and insert tomato tops. Pour tomato juice over filled tomatoes. Bake until tomatoes are tender and filling is hot, about 20 minutes.

Tomato Bagel Sandwiches

1 bagel, split and toasted

2 T. cream cheese

1 tomato, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 leaves fresh basil

Spread cream cheese on bagel halves. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with basil leaves.

Tomato Bruschetta

6 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. fresh basil

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1 French baguette, sliced

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide tomato mixture over baguette slices. Top with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

These are just a few recipes for turning those extra

into savory summer fare. Consult your cookbooks for further recipes and enjoy!

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