Cherry tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, garlic and basil. An easy low carb appetizer recipe that will please at any get-together.

You know when you decide to host a get-together and you have grand plans for all the amazing things you are going to cook and bake?  In your head, you are the Martha Stewart of the real world and your friends will be wowed by your entertaining prowess.  And it’s not just the food, but how spotless your house is and perfectly everything is laid out and decorated.  Alas, as the date draws nearer, you begin to realize you might have over-estimated your Martha-ness, both in ability and time management.  You realize there is no way you can pull off that many different goodies in time while also keeping your house clean enough to allow guests in the door.  Your start scaling back your plans, a little here and a little there, until ultimately, it barely resembles the original grandiose plan of your imagination.  But hey, they’re your friends and they love you anyway, so they won’t mind.  A clean house and a few basic food items are all you really  need to have a good time.  And plenty of wine, of course.

This happens to me almost every time I decide to have people over.  I love the idea of cooking and baking up a storm, spending days planning and executing an elaborate menu that will blow people’s minds.  All the while having a spotless house and perfectly behaved children.  But I don’t live in some alternate universe where I can suspend time at will or duplicate myself to simultaneously make individual pastries and keep my three small kids from tearing the house apart.  So I’ve come to rely on some short cuts.  A few homemade items mixed in with store bought goodies, usually served on paper plates for minimal clean up.  And plenty of wine, of course.

These little stuffed tomatoes are exactly the sort of short-cut any hostess can appreciate, even Martha Stewart.  They look impressive, they taste delicious, and they take only about 20 minutes to prepare, start to finish.  They’re lovely and fresh and perfect for eating with your fingers.  Even if you made these and then ordered in for the rest of your meal, I guarantee your guests will leave happy.  I think it’s the goat cheese…it just has that tang to it that give you the sense that you are eating something gourmet and special.

Please check out my Goat Cheese & Herb Stuffed Tomato Recipe on A Sweet Life Diabetes Magazine.

Serves about 12 as appetizers.  Each serving has 3 g of carbs and 1 g of fiber.  Total NET CARBS = 2 g.

97 Calories; 7g Fat (62.9% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 20mg Cholesterol; 70mg Sodium.