Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes

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Last week the hubby and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary.  It's been an amazing seven years...with babies, new homes, travels, moving abroad...the roller coaster called life.  We love the ride.  Since there isn't anywhere even close to being worthy of a celebration spot here in Yanbu, I knew I would be cooking my own dinner.  I didn't really mind...well, a little...I mean, who doesn't want to get all fancy dressed and head out with the one you love for a night on the town.  But, yeah, well, real world here, and that just ain't happenin' for this anniversary.  We'll celebrate properly when we are in Italy in August (now that's the way to have an anniversary dinner!)  
So, time to find something to cook for the four of us.  (well, what was I going to do with the kids?...guess I could have banished them to their room with chicken nuggets and a movie...but nah, we decided to celebrate as a family) anyway....
I found this awesome blog by a chef who takes killer food pix.  I was just roaming around, checking out his recipes, when I found this one.  I love tomatoes...in all shapes and forms.  I've never made a stuffed tomato before, but his recipe made it seem so simple.  
I had to switch it up a bit seeing as how I can't get my hands on any sausage here, so instead of lamb and sausage, I used lamb and leftover quinoa that I had.  I was worried it would lose some of the flavor...but oh man...these were some tasty bites!
You can do a couple of variations...use all quinoa and make it vegetarian...or go all T-Rex and use both sausage and lamb.  If you're a bit fearful of lamb (which you shouldn't be because it's fabulous) sub in some good ground beef.  You could also add a bit of cheese to the top for extra gooeyness... ;)
I rounded out the meal with a nice tossed salad and some oven roasted green beans (my fave way to cook fresh green beans)  It was perfect.  Happy 7 years baby!  Here's to many, many more!  

• For the tomatoes:

• 6-8 medium tomatoes (mine made 8...depends on the size of your tomatoes)
• salt
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (or 1/2 lb ground sausage or ground beef)
• 1/2 lb ground lamb
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 3-4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (your preference here)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
• 1/2 sprig thyme, leaves chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (use 3 if cooking with quinoa)
• hot pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F

Slice the top off the tomatoes, scoop the inside out (discard seeds, but chop and keep the pulp).  Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with salt and set upside down on a rack to drain.

Sautee the chopped onions in olive oil until soft and translucent.  In a bowl, combine the onions, chopped tomato pulp, quinoa, lamb, breadcrumbs, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme, hot pepper flakes, olive oil and a bit of salt.  Stuff the mixture into the tomatoes and put the top back on.

Place the tomatoes on a tray and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 30 minutes and serve!

Lamb Kabsa

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I have arrived in Saudi!  And it's time to get cookin'!  But, there's bad news and good news.  Bad news: my choices for cooking have become extremely limited...I no longer have the variety I was used to in the States.  Good news:  I get to try cooking a whole new cuisine using ingredients I may have never seen in the States!

So, this dish is my first attempt at Saudi cooking.  I found this great blog...Ya Salam Cooking.  She's a local Saudi woman and she has some fantastic recipes.  This recipe got rave reviews, so let's get cooking!

This recipe calls for Black Limes.  Okay, I admit...I had NO idea what a black lime was.  I thought I'd find it in the produce section!  Some kind of lime variation right?  Wrong.  It's actually found in the spice isle.  It can also be called a dried lemon.  Here in Saudi, they smoke them (which turns them black in the process) and it gives your food that great smokey flavor.  You may have to look in a specialty store in the States in order to find these.  If you can't find them, sub a bit of Liquid Smoke.  (found in all supermarkets)  


*Okay so this didn't turn out exactly as planned...the rice didn't cook properly and there was too much broth..BUT, the flavors were amazing.  Both of my girls loved it...and of course, so did the hubby!  :)  I'll be making this again soon!

Happy cooking!  !سعيد الطبخ

Dinner In- Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks

Pin It Now! We don't go out to dinner much in order to save money...so another Saturday night in, but we are doing it up in style.  I went to a local market in search of cheap lamb...the butcher told me lamb prices have skyrocketed in the last year...no idea why.  He sold me some lamb shanks...and I looked at him and said "What do I do with these?"  I had no clue...of course he barely spoke English, so I got home and googled it.  I found this recipe and it sounded wonderful.  Let me tell you, my house has smelled fantastic all afternoon.  I made couscous to go with it and soak up the juices.  (you can find the recipe for the couscous with the link for Lamb Tagine)  This was a great way to cook a very tough cut of meat...Happy Cooking!!


**Just finished eating this...OMG!!!!!!  this was outstanding!!  The meat fell off the bone...no gamey taste AT ALL...the sauce was divine.  I can't wait to make this again.  Wonderful meal.**

Thursday: Lamb Tagine

Pin It Now! The hubby and I really enjoy lamb.  When cooked right, you don't get a "gamey" taste at all.  This recipe sounds wonderful and received rave reviews.  Not sure about the cost of lamb, so I'll see if I can get it to stick to the $2.45 per person price tag.  I may also double this dish as well...some reviews said it would be a good idea!  :)  The couscous recipe follows (make double..it's that good!)


Going to follow this reviewers tips:

"This recipe was excellent. I doubled it. We served it over pearl couscous seasoned with cinnamon, a bay leaf, lemon zest, salt and broth. The only change I made was to add baby green beans (Trader Joe's) about 20 minutes before the tagine was finished. Great addition. Served it with a very nice Sextant zinfandel. For dessert, we made orange cardamom creme brulee. Will definitely make again, but next time, will include more good friends."