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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Chicken Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Zucchini in Cream Sauce

This one's decadent. There's more than one way to make a cream sauce and for this one I like to use some mayonnaise... blame my French half, I guess. You do have to be careful not to overdo it with the mayo because with the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes it can get very rich.

You will need:

12 oz penne pasta
1 large chicken breast, cut into medallions
salt
2-3 gloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
2/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, sliced into pieces
2 large baby portobello mushrooms or 1 average adult portobello, finely diced*
2 zucchinis, cut length-ways and then sliced into half-rounds
2 leveled tablespoons of mayonnaise--I recommend the kind made with olive oil (less fat)
3 tablespoons of light sour cream
About a half a cup of nonfat or low fat milk (you'll be eyeballing this)

measuring cups
measuring spoons
a chef's knife (wide is best for crushing the garlic with the flat of the blade) 
large frying pan or wok
large crock pot
colander
resealable container
wooden or other type of spoon for stirring


Boil and strain the penne according to the package instructions.


While you wait for the water to boil and for the pasta to cook, put the garlic in the pan or wok with the chicken and just a sprinkle of salt. Add about a tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Start off on high heat, so you brown the chicken a bit. One you see some browning, lower to medium-high. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchinis, and treat it like a stir-fry: let it sit for no more than a minute or two between stirs.

While that cooks, put the mayonnaise, sour cream, and about a third cup of milk in the resealable container. Make sure the lid is on tight and shake. Open it up. The consistency should be creamy but pourable, like thick blue cheese salad dressing. If it is too thick, add more milk and shake again.

When the chicken and vegetables are almost completely cooked, pour the cream mixture in with them. The zucchini are your best indicators, here. The centers should start to look seedy and translucent but the green of the skins should still be bright. Lower the heat all the way and stir.

Right about at this point the penne should be ready to strain. Dish out the penne with the chicken mixture on top. Enjoy!

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* Portobellos can be spongy and unless you like that, cutting them into smaller pieces means they'll cook through and lose that spongy texture. Baby portos are less spongy than adult, in my experience.