Quinoa with Cheese

This recipe is a real winner. Mike found it on Simply Recipes, and boy is it hard for me to turn down any recipe where cheese is the main event. We did have to make a couple of minor changes, though, since queso fresco was nowhere to be found (well, not within walking distance of our house, anyway).

Quinoa con Queso
(slightly adapted from the Simply Recipes version)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 large fresh tomato, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped large green chile, either Anaheim or Poblano
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2ish teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 pound (4 ounces) Fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup milk
Fresh basil, cilantro, or chives for garnish (optional)

Put 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups of water into a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a couple minutes. Add the garlic, cook for a minute more. Add the chopped tomato, about 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, dried oregano, and tomato paste. Add chopped green chiles. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well combined. Let cook until the tomatoes have cooked through and the sauce has cooked down a bit. Then stir in the cheese. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Stir 1 cup of milk into the now cooked quinoa. Serve the quinoa in bowls and top with sauce. Garnish with chopped basil, parsley, cilantro, or chives. (We chose cilantro.)

I think next time we'll add a meat (maybe a sauteed chicken sausage?), but this was a very filling, tasty dish.

Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil

Over the past week, and for the upcoming week, we have made (or planned to make) dishes that are mostly repeats of previously attempted recipes. I admit that I made the request that we revisit recipes so we can work on our technique, or embellish them or even just make something over again that we really really enjoyed.  

Tonight, it was the Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil. This time, we baked a whole quart of Roma tomatoes and a couple lemons instead of just 2 tablespoons' worth. 

We served this dish with herbed brown rice and steamed fresh green beans from the farmer's market. I love Saturdays!

Baked Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil

The last two issues of Bon Appetit have been chock full of celebrity cameos and largely devoid of appealing recipes. A harsh statement, I know, but for some reason it just felt like I was reading Marie Claire with chefs. So, needless to say, we were very excited when this month's Bon Appetit had not one, but several great recipes for us to try. The first is this delicious baked fish dish - boy is it a hit.

Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil
(adapted from the September 2011 issue of Bon Appetit)

1 lb. ripe tomatoes, quartered
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
handful of basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
4 6 to 8 oz boneless tilapia fillets (the original recipe calls for flounder, but TJ's has a limited frozen fish section)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss first 5 ingredients in a large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out in an even layer.

Bake tomato mixture for 8 to 10 minutes. Season fish with salt and pepper. Arrange fish in a single layer over tomato mixture. Roast fish with tomato mixture until a knife is easily inserted in the center, about 10 minutes.

We served this dish with rice and a veggie side. The tomato mixture and the drippings were delectable, and this was such a quick and easy dish to make!  

Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes Pasta

This is a dish we have made a few times before and have even cooked for our friends Jeremy and Kendra in the recent past. It's super easy and delicious, so we're always willing to make it again.

Chickpeas and Charred Tomatoes Pasta

(adapted from a February 2011 Bon Appetit Magazine recipe)

Serves 4

1 package penne pasta

1 cup roasted garlic hummus (we doubled the amount of hummus and didn't use plain hummus)

2 tbsp olive oil

Pint of cherry tomatoes

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup halved and pitted kalamata olives

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Before draining the water, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and whisk the hummus into the liquid.

Meanwhile, add the cherry tomatoes to the heated oil over high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook about 10 minutes until blackened in some areas. Add the chickpeas, garlic, and smoked paprika, crushing some of the tomatoes to release their liquids. Mix in the pasta, hummus mixture and then the olives and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and serve.