It’s National Be Nice to Jersey Week. New Jersey is the butt of so many jokes that a whole week is dedicated to being kind to the state. As it was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate it the first week of July.
We thought it would be nice to celebrate New Jersey with recipes. We’re not talking about disco fries — Jersey’s answer to poutine — salt water taffy or pork roll. We’re talking about tomato pie and other tomatoes.
We have one team member from New Jersey. When we asked her for recipe suggestions, she immediately said, “Disco fries.” When we reminded her that we focus on low-carb, healthier options, she said, “Well, we’re very proud of our tomatoes and tomato pie.”
No one else on our team had heard of New Jersey tomatoes. When we researched it, we learned that Jersey grows its tomatoes specifically to be delicious, not to be transported. They are too soft for shipping long distances. She recalled childhood memories of eating tomatoes like apples and enjoying them at roadside stands and right out of friends’ gardens.
In honor of our teammate’s fond memories, we’re sharing delicious low-carb tomato recipes — including one for tomato pie. You might not be able to make them with Jersey tomatoes, but you’ll be able to enjoy this fruit all summer long!
We’re starting with the classic! If you haven’t had a tomato pie, it’s sort of like a deep-dish pizza, but not. It doesn’t have pizza sauce but a mayo sauce instead. Then it has layers of tomatoes and cheese. It’s a beloved New Jersey dish you have to try! This version cuts the carbs using an alternative flour in the crust. A slice has 210 calories, three grams of carbs and one gram of fiber. Get the recipe.
If you have unripe tomatoes and can’t wait to enjoy them, this is your recipe. While some people think green tomatoes are a different vegetable, they’re just tomatoes that haven’t gone red yet. Regular fried green tomatoes can be heavy in both carbs and fat. But these use almond flour for their coating. And, instead of being deep-fried, they have pork rinds in their crust. The fat in the pork rinds fries them without fully submerging them in oil! A serving has 69 calories, eight grams of carbs and one gram of fiber. Get the recipe.
We love this recipe for a few reasons. In the summer, we don’t like cooking much. There’s too much heat in our kitchen already. This recipe calls for using rotisserie chicken. We’ve written about how to pick the best rotisserie chicken in the past. It’s a great time-saving ingredient. This chicken salad is also loaded with veggies that aren’t standard. We would love it even if it weren’t stuffed into a tomato. As it is, we think the presentation is beautiful and tasty! A serving has 380.8 calories, 8.9 grams of carbs and 2.2 grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
This recipe works for the air fryer or in the oven on a cooler night when you’re willing to turn it on! It’s a vegetarian stuffed tomato that packs a lot of flavor — and a lot of dairy with Boursin, sour cream and parmesan. You should feel free to swap the Boursin out for a less expensive herb-rich spreadable cheese like Alouette or Rondelé. Any lover of spinach dip will adore this dish! A serving has 267 calories, 10 grams of carbs and four grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
This week, enjoy tomatoes and think of New Jersey fondly. It is called the garden state for a reason — per acre, it’s the most productive farmland in the U.S. Enjoy summer produce at it’s best this season. It might have been grown in New Jersey!
