Create Restaurant-style Meals at Home

(ARA) - Our days are often a whirl of activity. With work, school, sports and errands, it can be difficult to find quick, healthy and tasty meals for busy families. Too often we settle for less-than-nutritious take-out or frozen entrees. But with a little planning and the right ingredients, great-tasting meals don't have to be a chore. And when you choose foods rich in antioxidants, you're doing your part to preserve your family's health.

The humble tomato, long the workhorse of sauces and soups, has finally come into its own. Emerging science suggests a link between the consumption of tomatoes and a decreased risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, a beneficial antioxidant found in all tomatoes, but surprisingly, in higher concentrations in cooked tomatoes, such as pasta sauces and canned products. This means it's even easier to introduce this garden superstar into your family's diet. And now you only need look as far as your pantry for great garden-fresh taste.

For the most wholesome possible option, seek out organically grown brands, such as Muir Glen tomatoes, which are certified organic -- and grown without they use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Their new canned plum tomatoes allow cooks to enjoy the benefits of vine-ripened tomatoes any time of year. Muir Glen tomatoes are the choice of top chefs who value the premium quality of tomatoes processed within eight hours of picking.

To fully enjoy the benefits of tomatoes, think beyond pasta sauce! Adding tomatoes to breakfasts or snacks is easy and delicious. In fact, some of the nation's most famous chefs have created new takes on old favorites, and made them more healthful by adding canned tomatoes. Muir Glen's new recipe booklet, Discover Your Inner Chef, allows home cooks to create restaurant-quality recipes by such culinary masters as Nora Pouillon of Washington, DC's Restaurant Nora, Michael Romano of New York's Union Square Café and John Ash of California's Fetzer Vineyards.

For a light meal that's big on flavor, try this update on the classic frittata. Perfect for brunch or a quick supper, its unique combination of ingredients work together to give your taste buds and senses a savory treat. Created by Union Square Café's Michael Romano, this dish is sure to please.

Crabmeat Frittata with Herbs (serves 4 to 6)

 

Ingredients:

10 eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/3 cups Muir Glen Organic Plum Tomatoes

1/3 cup thinly sliced basil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 pound fresh lump or flake crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage

 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy and season with half the salt and pepper.

2. In a nonstick 10-inch skillet, cook the garlic and shallots in the olive oil for one minute over moderate heat. Add the tomatoes, basil and thyme. Raise the heat and continue cooking until most of the water from the plum tomatoes has evaporated.

3. Stir in the crabmeat and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for one minute to heat through.

4. Stir the eggs into the skillet. Over high heat, continue stirring with a wooden spoon while simultaneously shaking the pan back and forth over the flame. The eggs will begin to form small curds. Continue stirring and shaking until the eggs are set but still somewhat soft on top.

5. Loosed the frittata from the skillet with a rubber spatula and slide it onto a large dinner plate. Cover the frittata with another dinner plate and invert the plates.

6. Slide the frittata back into the skillet and continue cooking over high heat to brown the other side, about two minutes.

7. Carefully transfer the frittata to a large dinner plate, cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Courtesy of ARA Content