Feta Results-UPDATED

I was excited to finally use one of my favorite cheeses---FETA. I was also excited to see that four people participated in this month challenge. And of course everything that everyone made sounded absolutely delicious!!! Of course, I have never had a dish with feta in it that I didn't like!

Feta is one of those cheeses that can be used to enhance an elegant meal or to add some flavor to something really simple. Cristine of Cooking with Cristine displays this with her simple yet flavorful Chicken Caesar Wraps. Feta and Casear Dressing were just met to be together in this warm juicy wrap. What can be better than a meal that can be eaten with one hand?!

Chicken Caesar Wraps
Cristine of Cooking with Cristine

Tortillas
Grilled Chicken Breast
Black Beans (warmed)
Tomatoes
Romaine
Black Olives
Feta
Newman's Own Creamy Ceasar Dressing




1. Warm chicken with dressing.
2. Pile everything onto a tortilla and wrap up.
3. ENJOY!

Of course if you have more time and what something that is elegant and classy, then Carey's, of Cooking with Carey, Steamed Mussels with Tomato Sauce and Feta is the way to go. This saucy dish was made for Carey's husband birthday. (Wasn't that sweet?) Check out her blog, the picture she took looks like something that should be in a menu!

Steamed Mussels with Tomato Sauce and Feta
Carey of Cooking with Carey

1 tb Olive oil
Tomatoes, undrained
1 c Finely chopped onion
1 c Water
1 md Clove garlic, peeled and
1 lb Mussels, washed, beards
Minced
Removed
3/4 c Dry white wine
2 c Rotelli pasta (8 oz)
1 ts Dried oregano, crushed
1/2 c Finely chopped parsley
1/4 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 c Crumbled feta cheese
1/4 ts Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can peeled and diced



1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add the wine, oregano, crushed pepper flakes and salt; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the undrained tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
3. Prepare the mussels. Place on steamer rack and place over pot. (The sauce should be cooking at a high simmer.) Cover and steam 20 to 25 minutes, or until mussel shells open (discard any that do not open).
4. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions; drain. Remove the mussels from the steamer. Put the pasta into the sauce with the parsley, adding pepper to taste. Transfer to plates or large shallow bowls and sprinkle with feta cheese. Put mussels on top and serve.

Samantha of The Second Lunch is new this month and we are all glad to have her...especially after seeing her mouthwatering submission for this month. She made one of my favorite dishes using feta, Baked Shrimp with Feta. I think the best part of this dish is that it looks and taste "fancy" but is simple and quick to make. Plus it only serves one! I hate making HUGE portions of food but it always goes to waste. So it was nice to have recipe that I can just make for myself. My husband hates feta, so this dish is all mine! Sam just started blogging, so check her blog out! Her photo of her food is very professional looking.

Baked Shrimp with Feta

Samantha of The Second Lunch

Ingredients:
4 or 5 shrimp (I used frozen)
A few small canned San Marzano tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup frozen peas1 ounce fetaa pinch salt,a pinch peppera couple of good pinches oregano


1. Couldn’t be simpler: In a baking dish lined with foil, put all the ingredients, stirring gently to allow the tomato juice to coat everything.
2. Whack it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked.
3. To serve: I served this over a bed of steamed rice, usually I use brown, but I’ve run out and need to pick up some more. I use frozen single servings of rice that I cook and wrap while still warm, which traps the moisture and allows you to easily pop one into the microwave and eat for lunch as if it was freshly made.

Arika of My Yummy Life is also new this month. What a cute name for a blog, too!?! She made a yummy Chicken in Tomato Sauce with Olives and Feta. You can't go wrong with olives and feta, now can you?! This dish is quick and simple and oh so yummy!

Chicken in Tomato Sauce with Olives and Feta(Serves 4)

Arika of My Yummy Life

4 chicken breast halves

1 28oz can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

Feta Cheese

12-24 olives (personal preference as to amount and type)

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

12 oz pasta (spaghetti or vermicelli is best)

Preheat the oven to 425degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Place two of the seasoned chicken breasts into the heated skillet and allow to brown on one side for 3-4 minutes. When the first side is golden, flip the chicken breasts and allow to brown on the other side. Set aside, and repeat with the remaining two chicken breasts.

In a bowl combine the tomatoes, feta(I use about 1/2c), and olives. Pour half of this mixture into an oven safe dish large enough to accommodate all of the ingredients.Layer the browned chicken breasts on top of the first half of the tomato/olie/feta mixture and then cover them with the remaining half of the tomatoes/olives/feta.Place the dish into the preheated oven and allow to bake until the chicken is done, about 50 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the chicken is done boil water and prepare the pasta as directed, then drain. When the chicken has been removed from the oven, transfer the breasts to a separate plate and toss the pasta in with the tomatoes/olives/feta in the baking dish. Return the chicken breasts to the baking dish and garnish the whole shebang with feta

And finally my recipe for Feburary was Sundried Tomato and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast. I got the orginal recipe from Terrence Maguire at Recipe Zaar. I wanted to combine my Daring Baker's Challenge with The Cheese of the Month Challenge, so I decided to make a Valentine's Day Dinner for my parents were came up for a visit. My parents live a few hours away, so they don't visit as offend as my daughter would like. But when they come we always eat out and I know that my dad is sick of eating out because he travels for a living. Both my parents love feta and chicken together so I thought this recipe would be perfect. It was AMAZING! I would make this again and again and again. It looks like a lot of work but it really isn't. The flavors really came together. I didn't have chicken breast so I use chicken tenders instead. I had to use a ton of toothpicks to hold them together but it worked out nicely. My parents, who are "lovely"critical, really enjoyed this dish. I would recommend it to any Feta lover out there! This dish gets Five Cheese Heads out of Five:








Sundried Tomato and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast
Terrence Maguire

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 large sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon thyme
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled finely
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
olive oil
salt
pepper
toothpicks (or Butcher String)
green onion, chopped (for garnish)




Directions
1Sauté garlic and red bell pepper, in Olive Oil, for about 3 minutes (just enough to"combine" the flavors).
2Put aside to cool.
3In a bowl, combine Feta cheese, breadcrumbs, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic and red pepper mixture.
4Toss until well mixed (this will be your "stuffing").
5Lay a flattened piece of chicken breast on a cutting board or your counter.
6Put a 1/4 of the above mixture on the flattened chicken breast like you would be making a burrito and roll as tight as you can get it.
7Secure it with a toothpick or butcher string.
8Place chicken breast "roll" on a baking sheet (I spray it with Pam so it doesn't stick), brush with olive oil (this gives it a nice golden brown texture), and season with salt and pepper.
9Preheat oven to 350°F.
10Cook for about 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180°F.
11I guess you could try it on a grill, but I never attempted it yet!
12Garnish with chopped green onion and serve hot.