Sad tomatoes. Happy times.

The other day, I looked in the fridge and I found a container of cherry tomatoes. They looked a little sad. I knew I could make them happy again.

I am all about cold salads this time of year. I am also all about cooking once and utilizing leftovers. Grains are one of those things I cook once and eat two, three or even four times. I make a big batch of brown rice and can use it for the base of many meals to come.
Tomorrow my sister is getting married. Happy times. She is no sad tomato.
Below is how I made those sad tomatoes smile again.

Dill-icious Roasted Tomato and Feta Rice Salad
If you don’t have the time or inclination to roast cherry tomatoes, substitute some chopped sun-dried tomatoes or just use the sad tomatoes just as they are.
Ingredients:
Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of sea salt
3 cups cooked rice (or quinoa, or other grain)
1/2 lb of feta cheese, crumbled (I used have a package)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
2 carrots, shredded
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes* (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of fresh dill (I had some frozen and defrosted it.)
Directions:
Cook brown rice or even better, have leftover brown rice in the fridge. Measure out about 3 cups and put in a big bowl. Toast the pumpkin seeds for a few minutes on the stove and add to the rice. Add the raisins, cranberries, carrots. Juice one lemon and add it to the bowl. Add the olive oil and stir until everything is coated. Add the tomatoes at the end when they are done.
* To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt – pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for about an hour, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.



What happy times are you grateful for?