Some women go through shoe phases --- strappy sandals one summer, high heels the next.  I go through vegetable phases.  For the longest time, I would only buy Roma tomatoes.  Then, we only bought the large salad tomatoes because the Roma tomatoes arrived in our stores yellow-green and stone-hard.  We even flirted with cherry tomatoes but found them too small and annoying to cook with on a regular basis.

But, now, I have found the one .  The one tomato that I shall love and cherish and hold to . . . that is, until a better tomato comes along --- like the ruby delicacies we found in Montepulciano .  These little beauties are Campari tomatoes.  They fit perfectly in the palm of my hand and are so cute that I could pinch their little cheeks.  That cuteness along with a thin skin and sweet flesh had me instantly hooked.

Stuffed with goat cheese, green onions, and basil, they turn into an appetizer worthy of a dinner party or you can place them on some salad greens and, presto, salad for two!

Not convinced yet?  Well, I hate to go all Rachael Ray on you, but you can make these in way less than 30 minutes and they don't involve any EVOO.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Time: 10 minutes (if even that long)
Serves: 4 people (as appetizer), 2 people (for a green salad)

Ingredients

4 Campari tomatoes (or other small tomatoes)
1 1/2 ounces Chevre goat cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
10 basil leaves, sliced

Directions

1. Slice stem-end off tomatoes.  Hollow out interior and reserve tomato flesh.

2. Mix goat cheese, tomato flesh (but not seeds), green onion, and basil in a small bowl until goat cheese becomes soft and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stuff goat cheese mixture into tomatoes until slightly mounded.

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Recipes