Fried Green Tomatoes

Let’s just go and grab some appetizers for lunch, said my girlfriend as we were deciding on how to celebrate her birthday during our limited window of woman-hood, not mommy-hood. Yes, you know that tiny window during the day when the babies are at mothers morning out and you can relax your shoulders and be a woman once again. Appetizers and mimosas for lunch sounded fine by me. After all, it wasn’t my birthday and I was along for the ride. As we sat outside on that beautiful spring afternoon and scanned the menu for items that sounded good we can across a classic southern staple, Fried Green Tomatoes. Buttermilk, battered, deep fried and topped with cheese. Wait…what? I don’t eat any of that but they were tomatoes inside and I really wanted to try fried green tomatoes. I wasn’t going to watch “Fried Green Tomatoes or Driving Miss Daisy” and wonder what Fried Green Tomatoes tasted like anymore. Alas, my quest to create a healthy, non deep fried version of this favorite. Oh, and I’m not going to leave you hanging on the definition…a green tomato is “Green tomatoes aren’t a specific variety of tomato — any tomato that hasn’t ripened can be a green tomato”. They are more firm and acidic than a red, ripe tomato but with same vitamins and benefits of a red tomato. The taste mellows when they are cooked and they are so delicious.

Healthy Fried Green Tomatoes

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients

• 3 Firm, green tomatoes
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk mixed with 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes to act as buttermilk)
• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 slice gluten free bread
• 2 tbsp ground pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Pinch paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch onion powder
• Coconut oil for the pan
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions

1. Wash, rinse and dry tomatoes
2. Slice into 1/4-1/2 inch slices, discard the ends
3. Pour butter milk into bowl, soak tomatoes for 20 minutes
4. Add flour, bread, pumpkin seeds and spices into a food processor and pulse into coarse mix
5. Place flour mixture in a shallow dish
6. Remove the tomatoes from the buttermilk and dredge them in flour mixture with a dry hand one at a time
7. Add 1 tsbp coconut oil to a medium size pan and allow pan to get hot over medium high heat
8. Add 2-3 tomatoes to pan and cook on all sides for 2 minutes each to lightly brown the outside
9. Repeat step 8 until all of the tomatoes have been used, wiping pan in between and adding coconut oil
10. Place on parchment lined baking sheet in the 425F oven (see below) for 8 minutes

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Place red bell pepper on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes
3. Add 1 tsp coconut oil to a small skillet and saute onions until transparent
4. Allow pepper to cool and remove skin
5. Cut pepper in half, discard the stem and membrane
6. Add all ingredients to a blender with 1 tsp garlic salt and blend until smooth

Serve with red pepper dipping sauce or as pictured on a gluten free bun with lettuce, red onion and roasted yellow bell pepper