Quinoa stuffed Chicken.

My husband has been asking for stuffed chicken for a long time, he is fan of stuffing, and wanted it again even though Christmas is so recently behind us (I have actually made stuffing since, my first attempt at quinoa stuffing, we just didn't have a bird to stuff). I have had a hankering for a stuffed chicken since I was chatting with my Moosonee father of 3 friend about a recipe for quinoa stuffing from my new book Quinoa 365. Today was the day we all got what we wanted! I have actually lent my recipe book to my neighbour for some browsing so I was on my own with the quinoa stuffing, that being said I already knew I wanted to make it my own anyway so I wasn't too concerned. 

This stuffing had bacon in it (left over from the twice baked potatoes), crimini mushrooms and leeks and then the usual herbs, and quinoa. I added the quinoa to the ingredients after they had been sauteed and then added stock and let it all cook together until the quinoa was ready. I actually made this the day before so it was ready to go into the chicken today when I was pushed for time. I also had a bowl of stuffing separate in the oven for use if I wasn't too confident in the stuff that was stuffed into the bird. With a chicken not taking that long to cook I was worried that perhaps there would be some blood still in the carcass that would make the stuffing risky to eat. However, if that happens, a quick trip in the microwave should cure any problems. The chicken was so moist and the skin so crunchy! It was perfect! The stuffing was a great accompaniment too, with the bit of smoky flavour from the bacon and the leeks were a great substitute for onions for a change. 

I served this with plain rice and steamed cauliflower and green beans and gravy. 

We are both raving about the quinoa stuffing. You really can make it however you want to, with whatever you want to, and stuff it into anything - chicken thighs, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, portobello mushrooms, peppers etc. Or have it as a side to any dish either. I actually remember making a really tasty stuffed portobello mushroom over the Summer that had quinoa, blue cheese, shallot and spinach in it! The options are endless. 

Fried tomatoes.

I had a tomato on the windowsill that was in need of eating, it was feeling a little softer to the touch than it should have! I have always been a fan of cooked tomatoes, there is something about the way they catch and slightly burn that makes them taste so good! You can either grill or fry them, I find my frying pan easier to clean than my grill so I went with the easiest washing option, as usual. You don't need much oil, but you do need some or the tomato will stick to the pan and tear apart when you turn it. Cut the tomato into 3 or 4 pieces depending on how big it is, start by slicing off the side and work your way through it, like you are making large slices, and they need to be thick to maintain their shape as they cook, at least 1cm thick or more. Fry them for a couple of minutes a side, until it has some nice blackened patches and you can smell them, then they are ready. I eat them on toast, and being a fan of marmite, the toast has marmite on it too! I understand there is a love hate relationship with marmite, so if you like it, try it with tomatoes, or any version of marmite for that matter, vegemite, bovril etc. If you are not a fan, plain buttered toast will do, or not buttered if you are being careful with the fat intake. I find a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper do the tomato a world of good. You can keep the tomatoes in pieces as you eat it or you can mush it all up on the toast and make it go a bit soggy. I believe when I was a child and had the mumps this was all I would eat because it would go really soggy if you left it long enough and then didn't hurt when I ate it. Seems the relationship was more than a convenience because I still love them to this day!

I know you can fry green tomatoes but that is something I have never done before, and I think they may have a batter on them or maybe flour..? Something to go and research and think about trying me thinks!

Fresh blueberries for a pie.

Another great find at Costco, a huge box of blueberries for $4.50. Another thing I couldn't resist. We had home made pie for dinner last night. 

I really noticed a difference in pie made from frozen berries and one made from fresh berries. I did my usual internet search for recipes to get a rough idea of things and then got to it. Very simple, especially if you have pie shells that you just bought from the store and don't have to make pastry. A few cut corners I will admit. Anyway, it was as easy as tossing the berries with some sugar and a tiny bit of cornstarch to help it thicken as it cooked. Being a fan of lemon I followed the idea of one recipe that used about 1tbsp of lemon zest and I think it called for 1tsp of lemon juice but I used more. I also used less sugar than most recipes call for, and you could really taste the berries instead of just a sweet flavour. There was the tartness of the berries and the lemon tang which worked really well together. I didn't like the way the cornstarch made 'glupey' bundles in the pie, I think I will try using flour instead next time and see if makes a difference. The berries held their shape fairly well too, so it wasn't a berry mush. I normally insist on plain whipped cream with most desserts because you don't really need more sweet with your sweet, but because the pie was so tart we put a little brown sugar and vanilla into the cream and it really enhanced the dish.