Bella Sun Luci is a premium brand of Mooney Farms in Chico, Calilfornia. The company has been family owned and operated and their dedication to value and quality shines through in their products !

I have used sun dried tomatoes in many of my dishes – I love the flavor of them. Sometimes I find certain brands are just a little too sweet for my liking. Bella Sun Luci products are just perfect to me – they are sweet, but not overly sweet. All the sweet goodness you expect from a sun dried tomato is there, but without the sweet aftertaste that you get from some other products. To me, this makes them just PERFECT.

You can use sun dried tomatoes in sooooo many ways. I often put them on a sandwich. Add a few and you’ll find no need for mayo or mustard – the POW of flavor from the tomatoes is all you need. Try their herbed julienne cut or even their tomato halves. They are packed with lycopene and other good healthful things – but more importantly, they are packed with flavor. Flavor you won’t forget and flavor you will find yourself craving !!

Sun Dried Tomatoes

As well as sandwiches, try the julienne cut in pasta salads of all types. Just cook pasta, add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, some sliced prosciutto, some diced kalamata olives and sprinkle with some feta cheese for a great salad that goes well next to just about anything.

By far my most favorite product from Bella Sun Luci that I tried was their Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. This is TO DIE FOR !! The complexity of flavor was astounding. There was just the right amount of tomato mixed with just the right amount of pesto and this has now become a staple in my pantry !! First I made some crostini and ate it pure and simple on the bread (with just a slight dusting of grated parmesan cheese on top). Delicious !

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Then I sauteed some onions and peppers and added a few tablespoons in right at the end of the cooking period. Can you say FLAVOR ? Now I can’t wait to try it mixed into a soup broth. Take any chicken or fish soup that has a chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in just a tablespoon or two…see what I mean !?! Utterly delicious!

Be sure to keep your eye out for my review of their new marinades, Carne Asada and Basque Norte. Mooney Farms certainly has my vote for delicious products and you’ll want to make sure you try these products soon – my local market carries many of their items and I’m sure yours does as well ! If not, you can always head over to the website and order there.

Looking for some more recipes that use sun dried tomatoes? Check out these recipes that I’ve posted:

Tilapia Puttanesca
Rotini with Ham
Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Soup

Ham, alfredo sauce, pasta. They just go together so well. Add in some cheese and sun dried tomatos and you have a smash hit that the whole family will love.

Rotini with Ham

6 servings
289 calories per serving

8 oz. rotini FiberGourmet pasta
16 oz. jar low fat Alfredo Sauce
19 oz. can asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes (not in oil), rehydrated in warm water
1 c diced cooked ham
1 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese (or a mix of cheddar and Swiss)
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with Pam. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat alfredo sauce then stir in pasta, asparagus,. sun dried tomatoes and ham. Stir in half the cheese and turn all into the baking dish. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

In Italian, Puttana means whore. Pasta Puttanesca is supposedly a dish often made by these working girls who had little time to cook. Puttanesca sauce is quick to make, full of a bit of this and a bit of that, and so entirely flavorful ! The bite in puttanesca usually comes from anchovies. In this dish, instead of serving the sauce over pasta, it is used as a condiment for fish. And instead of anchovies, the slight bite comes from the mustard coating on the fish. Super good ! This is actually better a few hours later after the sauce has time for the flavors to mingle.

Tilapia Puttanesca

4 servings
178 calories per serving

4 4 oz. tilapia filets
5 t Dijon mustard
1 T oil
1/2 c chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/8 c Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 c black olives, chopped
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley and basil

Brush mustard on fish. Heat oil in a skillet and cook fish 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add onions to skillet and brown for 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, dressing, olives, sun dried tomatoes and half of the parsley and basil. Cook 5 minutes then add the fish back to the pan and heat briefly. Serve with puttanesca over fish. Garnish with the remaining parsley and basil.

The earthiness of the spinach and the WOW flavor of the sun dried tomatoes really combine to make this a memorable pasta dish. This is a special one, for sure !

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

4 servings
321 calories per serving

1 c chicken broth
12 dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
8 oz. FiberGourmet penne
2 T pine nuts, toasted
1 T oil
1/4t red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c baby spinach, chopped
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

To toast nuts, place in a hot skillet and sauté for a few minutes until toasty brown and aromatic then set them aside. Bring the broth to a boil then add the tomatoes and let soak for 15 minutes to rehydrate them. Keep the broth and remove the tomatoes and chop coarsely. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a skillet and add oil and red pepper and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes then add the broth and tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Pour broth mix over pasta and sprinkle with ¼ c cheese. Mix well. Plate and top with pine nuts and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

So different from your typical stuffed pepper – this is a great vegetarian recipe. These make a great dinner with a side salad. Or serve half a portion (1/2 a pepper) as a side.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

4 servings
324 calories per serving

4 yellow bell peppers
1/2 c orzo
15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Pam
1 large shallot, chopped
6 oz. baby spinach, chopped coarsely
1 t oregano flakes
1 t garlic powder
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
½ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, (dehydrated, not the ones in oil), chopped
1 T sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Leave the stems on. Clean out the insides (seeds and membranes) and set aside. Cook orzo according to package instructions. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Saute shallot for 3 minutes adding a tablespoon or 2 of water if they start to dry out. Take ¾’s of the chickpeas and roughly mash them. Add spinach to shallots and cook another minute. Add orzo, chickpeas, oregano, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper and heat through. Add cheese and vinegar and stir well. Spoon mix into the pepper shells. Spray a baking dish with Pam and place peppers in pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover and bake 30 minutes.

FLAVOR EXPLOSION ! There are tons of bold flavors in this salad and dressing – and they mix to perfection ! Feta cheese, mustard, orange, radicchio, basil, feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes – - all mingling together to serve up a big, bold salad.

Chicken Salad with White Beans

4 servings
398 calories per serving

Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, chopped and mashed
¼ teaspoon salt
4 T oil
6 T orange juice
¼ c vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard

Salad
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 ½ c diced cooked chicken breast (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !)
2 c diced zucchini
1 ½ c cups diced celery
¼ c crumbled low fat feta cheese
¼ c chopped, sun-dried tomatoes (rinse them off in water and dry them with a paper towel first)
1 c coarsely chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c torn escarole or romaine
2 cups torn radicchio

Mash garlic with ¼ t salt and then whisk in the oil. Add juice, vinegar and mustard and whisk to combine. Add more salt if necessary. Prepare all salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Take what is typically a dry dish when served plain (couscous), add some love, and you get a couscous dish to rave about ! The sun dried tomatoes and portobellos are just the perfect addition to couscous.

Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

4 servings
178 calories per serving

1 c dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
½ c plus 2 T raw couscous
1 t oil
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 c chopped basil
¼ c chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. portobello mushroom caps, chopped

Soak tomatoes with 1 c hot water for ½ hour then drain, but reserve the water. Chop tomatoes. Combine reserved water with enough more water to make 1 ½ c and bring to a boil then stir in the couscous and oil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Spray the skillet with Pam then stir in the tomatoes, garlic and onions and cook 5-6 minutes. If it starts to get too dry, add a tablespoon or more of hot water during the cooking process, then add the fresh herbs, juice, salt and pepper and the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Combine all in a bowl and mix well.