TOMATOES STUFFED WITH QUINOA ALLA PUTTANESCA

Italy seems like such a great place to visit. Among the reasons are: the architecture, the food, the wine, the people, and the history.  It is definitely somewhere I am planning on going in the next few years.

Italian food has always hit the spot.  It's both so satisfying and flavorful. The Italian's have a reputation for being a passionate bunch, and you can taste their passion through their food!

Just talk to someone from Italy for a few minutes and you will be taken to a world of vivacious stories, love for life, and an animated conversation about just about everything that they believe in.  

As much as I love Italian food, a lot of it is on the heavy side, high in carbs, or smothered in rich sauces.  It is certainly not the healthiest of cuisines. Here I decided to make a lighter, and healthier version of a popular dish; Pasta Alla Puttanesca.  Let me introduce you to Quinoa Alla Puttanesca instead... voila!  We are now having a quality dish, both high in complex carbs, and protein. Yum :)

Stuffing them in tomatoes makes them very pretty to serve, but that step can be avoided if you are pressed for time and just want a quick meal.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH QUINOA ALLA PUTTANESCA

Ingredients:

• 8 tomatoes
• 1 cup of dried quinoa, rinsed

For the puttanesca sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of white beans cooked (about 1/3 cup dried, click how to cook beans to learn how to cook them)
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
• 1/3 cup of pine nuts
• 1/3 cup of white wine
• 1 tablespoon of Bragg liquid amino
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp of dried basil
• 1/4 cup of dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red peppers (optional, spicy)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

For the quinoa:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, put the lid on, and let it stand for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork before using

For the tomatoes:

1. Remove the top, and hollow out the inside of the tomatoes. Reserve

For the sauce:

1. In a large pan, heat up the olive oil under medium-high heat and add the onions.  Cook 3-4 minutes until they are translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms and garlic, cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, cook another 10 minutes.

To assemble:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. Add the cooked quinoa to the sauce, mix well.
3. Evenly divide inside the hollowed tomatoes to stuff them.,
4. Place the stuffed tomatoes on a baking sheet, covered with foil or parchment paper, and bake 15 minutes.
5. Serve warm

Enjoy!

This will make 4 servings (8 stuffed tomatoes)