Stuffed tomatoes

You'd be hard-pressed to find a dish that's as healthy for you as this one, and it uses up tomatoes at a time of year when the last of the them need to be eaten.

We didn't have any luck with our tomatoes in the garden this year, but we've been buying them up at the local market. These were on their last legs, and this recipe works pretty well for such tomatoes.

Stuffed tomatoes (serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side)

4 medium tomatoes, tops sliced off and reserved, inside flesh chopped (liquid and seeds discarded) -- I like a mix of yellow and red

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley

6-8 tablespoons cooked wild rice

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan

1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, divided

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus enough to brush the bottom of a pan or crock pot

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Mix the chopped tomato flesh with the garlic, parsley, rice, parmesan, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs.

2.) Fill the tomatoes with that mixture, and cook in a crock pot on low for 3 hours or so. If using the oven, bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. (Don't forget to lightly oil the crock pot or pan, so you can get the tomatoes out afterward.)

3.) In a separate bowl, mix the remaining breadcrumbs with the teaspoon of oil by hand.

4.) Take the tomatoes out of the oven or crock pot, top equally with the breadcrumb-oil mix and brown under a broiler. Replace the tops before serving, if you'd like.