Crab Stuffed Tomatoes

For many reasons, this wasn't the next recipe I planned to post.  One major reason?  I feel like "stuffed tomatoes" are such a weigh loss cliche.  Especially if they're stuffed with cottage cheese - aka "diet plate".  So, why post it?  Well, for one, it's super yummy (I was actually craving it last night so that's a good sign!).  For two, well...just remember the phrase "grapefruit spoon."  Trust me.  We'll come full circle.

What should you know before reading the recipe?  Orzo.  Yup.  Another totally "new to me" ingredient.  It's a really good thing I watch a lot of Food Network or I would still be of the opinion that orzo is a vegetable of some sort.  Thank you Rachel Ray for enlightening me.  (Please note:  This will probably be the only thank you Rachel Ray and her "Yumm-O!"s will ever get from me.  Bask in the glow Rachel.)  From her show, I learned orzo is actually pasta.  Yeah.  But it looks like flat rice so go figure.


Again, scale is tricky on a blog, but the little pieces are maybe 1/2" or 3/4" in length.  The only package I found was a tiny little bag of Barilla brand - maybe a cup or a cup and a half total?  So, keep those eyes peeled.  (Although, I'll admit I was flustered so it might not be as hard as I made it!)


Onto the recipe!  (Nope, not time for the secret of the grapefruit spoon yet!)  It's right off the Weight Watchers site - apparently from the book "In One Pot".

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Crab Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients
1/2 cup(s) uncooked orzo
8 medium tomato(es)
3/4 pound(s) cooked crab meat, lump, picked over for pieces of shell
1 medium stalk(s) celery, chopped
1/2 small sweet red pepper(s), seeded and chopped
1/2 small onion(s), chopped
1/3 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp OLD BAY Old Bay Seasoning

Instructions
Cook the orzo according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water.


Slice off the top fourth of each tomato and reserve. Using a spoon, scoop out the pulp from each tomato. Place the tomato shells upside down on a layer of paper towels to drain; set aside. (Save the pulp for use in stews and soups.)

Combine the orzo, crab meat, celery, bell pepper, onion, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning in a bowl; mix well.

Fill each tomato shell with about 1⁄2 cup of the crab mixture, mounding if necessary. Replace the reserved tomato tops.

One serving = 6 points.  2 stuffed tomatoes per serving. 
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Julie's notes and the reveal of the grapefruit spoon mystery:

1.  OK - are you ready?  I had an EPIPHANY last night while getting my tomatoes prepped for hollowing out.  And since my husband wasn't as enthusiastic as I needed in my moment of glory, I present it here for you to worship and adore.  You know that grapefruit spoon you have?  Serrated and shoved all the way back to your silverware drawer?  USE IT TO HOLLOW OUT YOUR TOMATO!  Seriously, I'm not sure I've even been more proud than when that occurred to me last night.  And definitely follow their suggestion of just cutting off the top 1/4 and then going in - sort of like if it were a pumpkin you were about to gut and carve.  The first time I made this, I didn't do that AND I tried to hollow it out with a small spoon with mediocre results.  I mean, it's a tomato and I'm a person, so I eventually won, but still.  GRAPEFRUIT SPOON.  Ahhh...soooo worth it.

2.  I used imitation crab both times.  Really, it was a matter of cost.  I'd never touched a piece of imitation crab and well, it's a little weird and creepy.  But it tasted just fine so I'll get used to it.  Not to be too graphic, but I bought the "leg" style and peeled them each like a piece of string cheese.  THEN I diced them up. 

3.  Due to my dislike for raw peppers, we left those out.  And used onion powder instead of onion.  That's due to laziness, not flavor.  And dried parsley.  For the same reason as onion powder.

4.  I'd never tried Old Bay either.  Is that weird?  Sometimes I'm not sure.  It's pretty yummy - no need to fear it.  Sort of like richer, slightly zestier Lowry's Seasoned Salt.  At least to me.

5.  It doesn't tell you to do this, but it's a lot better chilled.  More crab salad-y.  But, I don't always plan ahead as well as I should, so I can confirm it's good room temperature as well.

6.  I used regular mayo because that's what we had in the fridge.  With that change and the use of imitation crab, the points come out to 7 per serving instead of 6.

7.  The serving size is TWO tomatoes in case you missed that.  And while it doesn't seem like enough, it's absolutely filling enough for a suppertime meal.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this recipe.  Obviously, you'd need to like crab to like this.  I suppose you'd be able to omit the crab and just do the filling as sort of a pasta salad and it would still be good.  Maybe I'll try that next time just for research purposes.  Until then, I'll let you go find that grapefruit spoon so you're ready to make it on your own!