Feta & Turkey Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa

The best part of the recipe is the tomato sauce for the quinoa! Although all of it is great. And you can pat yourself on the back for eating something healthy, too, since tomatoes are really good for you, as are turkey and quinoa (did you know that quinoa may help prevent migraines?). If you've never tried quinoa, I highly recommend it. It has a lovely nutty flavor but it's very mild. You can, of course, substitute rice or pasta if you're not sure about trying it--but I encourage you to take the leap!

You will need:

6 medium to large tomatoes
1 lb ground turkey breast
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
kosher salt
pepper
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tsp whole leaf thyme (dried or fresh)
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup quinoa

baking dish
nonstick cooking spray
mixing bowl
chef's knife
cutting board
3 quart saucepan
wooden mixing spoon
rice cooker
2 large serving spoons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out he insides just like you would a Halloween pumpkin. If the insides are still in large chunks, cut them into smaller ones and put them in the saucepan.

Mix the turkey, feta, sundried tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, half the garlic, and 2 tsps of thyme in the mixing bowl. I use two forks to do this. Spoon the turkey mixture into the empty tomatoes, packing it in with just a bit over the top. Put the tops of the tomatoes back on like lids. Bake for 40 minutes or until the tops of the tomatoes and visible edges of the meat are dark brown--ovens can vary so it's important that you check that the tomatoes look done.

In the mean time, cook the insides of the tomatoes with the rest of the garlic and thyme, and a pinch of salt. I tend to start the heat a bit higher, get it cooking, and then turn it down to a low simmer. Near the end of the 40 minutes add the half and half to the tomato sauce and stir well, breaking down any clumps remaining with your wooden spoon.

At about 10 minutes in to the bake time, start the quinoa in the rice cooker. I always use a bit more than twice the water as quinoa--better that quinoa be a little over cooked than under, unless you like it crunchy.

At the end of the 40 or when tomatoes are well browned, use two serving spoons to carefully scoop a tomato out and plate it. The tomatoes will be easy to damage as the baking softens them. Serve quinoa with a generous helping of tomato sauce on top. Enjoy!

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Soft Waffles with Raspberry Sauce

A few weeks ago I finally bought something I'd been wishing for for years: a waffle-maker. I don't know why it took me so long. It only cost $25 which we spend on pizza more often than is healthy for us. Not that I'm going to argue that waffles are healthy, mind you... just yummy.

The thing is, most recipes you find for waffles tend to make them crisp, at least on the outside. This is especially true if you use self-rising flour or a pancake mix. I have nothing against using self-rising flour in recipes--actually, I'm a fan. But when I was a teenager in France we used to make waffles for dinner sometimes (what Americans associate with breakfast and brunch is generally considered dinner food in France), and they were soft. So I developed this recipe through trial and error to try to recreate the waffles of my youth.

You will need:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup whole plain yoghurt
1/2 cup of half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

For the raspberry sauce:
2 cups of frozen raspberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp butter

Can of whipped cream (I'll post a recipe for homemade Chantilly another day)

measuring cups
measuring spoons
waffle maker
whisk
mixing bowl
nonstick cooking spray
2 quart saucepan
wooden spoon

For the waffles:
Spray the waffle-maker with nonstick cooking spray and preheat.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisking works as well as sifting in my kitchen.
Add the rest of the ingredients all at once. Whisk until smooth.

Pour directly from the bowl into the waffle-maker. When in doubt, use less batter--you don't want it to overflow, that makes a mess that's no fun to clean. Check after 5 minutes, although the waffle-maker I got lets you know its done when the light goes out again.

For the sauce:
Place all ingredients in the sauce pot and heat on medium high until it bubbles, then lower to low heat. Cook for at least ten minutes.

If you're concerned it's starting to stick to the pot or it's caramelizing, add a little water.

If you want to avoid getting seeds in your teeth you can use a strainer, but I don't do this as you lose a fair amount of the gooey heaven of the sauce that way.

Pour the raspberry sauce on the waffles and top with whipped cream. Makes three waffles. Enjoy!