BEAN AND BROCCOLI FILLED TOMATO CANAPÉS

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup canned white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp basil, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp oregano, crumbled
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 35 - 40 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. To prepare filling, cook broccoli in boiling salted water for 4 minutes or just until tender crisp; drain. Cool immediately in ice water; drain. Pat broccoli dry with paper towels. Place broccoli in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add beans, cheese, oil, lemon juice, basic, oregano, garlic, lemon peel, salt and pepper; process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Scoop pulp out of halved tomatoes, leaving a 1/8 inch thick shell; discard pulp. Invert tomato shells onto several layers of paper towels. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe about 1 tsp of filling into each tomato shell. Alternatively, filling may be spooned into tomato shells. Serve immediately.