Jalapeno Popper Heirloom Tomato Pie

with a cheddar bacon crust … adapted {and healthified} from Food Network

At the end of our yoga class on Saturday, my yoga teacher (who is also a dear friend of mine) talked about how in our society, we are all going too fast. We are in such a hurry that we get irritated and angry when things aren’t moving according to our pace. If we live like that constantly without taking time to slow down and just be, we cannot know peace. She said this during our final relaxation, so I had plenty of time to lay there and listen and ponder it and clear my mind. Her voice followed me in everything I did that day and into the upcoming trip I had to make to my uncle’s funeral.

I went to see my mom and dad yesterday before heading to the funeral and I took them some of this pie. Mom and Dad were trying to get their grape harvest finished and juiced before the funeral and their upcoming hunting trip. I sat down to help with the de-stemming and cleaning of the grapes. A few hours later, we had all the buckets of grapes ready for juicing and my dad had set up the press. He started pressing the grapes, but then the bag burst out from under the press. We had to stop, unfurl everything, dump out the grapes back into the first bucket and set it all up again. This happened a couple times. Dad was covered with grapes and I had a good splattering of them on me as well. It was a bit of a comical scene, if you looked on us from the outside, but I could see the frustration on my dad’s face. It was chilly outside and he wanted to get this done before the funeral. On the second pressing, I noticed a sort of hissing sound just before the bag came out of the side, so when I started to hear that sound again, I suggested to him that maybe he needed to slow down a bit, give it some time and let it release the pressure before pushing it down more. He slowed down, there were no more “blowouts” and a smile started to appear on his face. The bucket was filling with juice. He seemed so much more relaxed and pleased and a smile came over his face.

I’m home from the funeral now, filled with grieving and sadness for my dad, my mom and his family, but still the message of slowing down to enjoy the moments of life is with me. I’m glad to be back home with my kids, back to my kitchen, back to my beautiful life, my work, my friends, my cats and yoga. I’m happy to have the box of garden goodness given to me by my parents, happy to be going about this business of life once again.

I found this tomato pie recipe from Food Network and it sounded delicious but totally unhealthy! Loads of bacon, 2 1/2 cups of cheese, and 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise were just too much for me, so I lightened it up. I substituted Greek yogurt for 1 cup of the mayo, cut the amount of cheese down to 1 cup, and cut the amount of bacon down to just a bit. I added some sweet peppers and herbs to the mayo mixture too, to boost the flavor. It turned out really, really good. A bit like a jalapeno popper, but with fresh juicy garden tomatoes on top.

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Heirloom Tomato Pie with Cheddar Bacon Crust

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 1 pie 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Several heirloom tomatoes (or a couple large ones)
• Red Robin Seasoning

For the crust:

• 3 cups small cheddar crackers (use gluten free crackers if desired)
• 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 – 2 strips lean bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped fine
• 2 small sweet peppers, cored, seeded and chopped fine
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
• 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Several fresh basil leaves, chopped

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 9 or 10-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Put the tomatoes in a mesh sieve, sprinkle with Red Robin seasoning and let set in the sink or over a bowl for 10 – 15 minutes. This will draw the excess liquid out of the tomatoes.
3. Put the crackers in a food processor and pulse till they are chopped into tiny crumbs. Add the butter, cheese, bacon, and egg and blend. Press this mixture into the bottom and sides of your pie plate.
4. Mix the filling ingredients in a separate bowl. Spread the filling out over the crust. Blot the tomatoes with a clean towel, then arrange the tomato slices on top of the pie, letting them overlap a bit.
5. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tomatoes start to curl. Let cool a bit before cutting into the pie. It can be covered and refrigerated for later, but you will lose a bit of crunch in the crust.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2014, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This recipe was shared at Munching Monday, Gluten Free Friday, Real Food Friday, Hearth & Soul Bloghop and Thank You Linky.