Greek Chickpea Salad

I had this one up on the menu for over a week.  Each time I planned to make it something came up and it got pushed back.  That entire time Jeff complained about how he would never eat something like that, and how gross it sounded.  I decided to compromise and allow him to order something the night I finally  made it to go along with it from a local Greek restaurant.  I instructed him to get some falafel or maybe a gyro or something.  He ended up getting gyros, falafel, pita and hummus, and buffalo calamari!  Obviously a full meal in itself and thus we didn’t eat much of the salad I made that night because we didn’t want to waste the other stuff.  I honestly think that was his plan all along.

However, we did both try it.  I thought it was great, and full of flavor.  He hesitantly admitted that he also thought it was pretty good.  I ended up eating it the next day for lunch and WOW!  It was even better, as the flavors had plenty of time to marry over night.  This could seriously become one of my new favorite things to make because you can make it ahead, and eat it for days.  I also think it would be the perfect thing for a potluck or dinner party, but I would suggest maybe making it the day before just so it can get better like mine did.

I really didn’t change anything in the recipe, but I may have used a little more garlic than was called for.  I also didn’t have fresh rosemary so used dried.  I eye balled most of the ingredients so I may have been a bit generous with some of them, but that’s what I like about dishes like these.  You really can’t go wrong.  I especially loved the dressing for this.  This is not one to pass up!

 

Makes 2 lunches or 6 smaller side dish servings.

Ingredients :

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used grape tomatoes and squeezed out the seeds)
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 3 – 4 T. olive oil (I think I used 3)
• juice of 1 lemon (I threw in the zest as well)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic paste (I made a paste with about 3-4 cloves and a little coarse salt)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. rosemary, finely minced and to taste)
• feta cheese (optional)

Directions :

1. In a medium sized bowl, toss together the chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, and kalamata olives,  In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic paste, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Taste the dressing and correct your seasonings.  Be aware that fresh rosemary can easily overpower a dish.  Add the dressing to the garbanzo mixture.  Mix lightly.  Top with optional feta cheese.

Recipe from Feral Kitchen

Chicken Gyros, & Greek Inspired Pizza with Tzatziki!

I know it’s been a while since I have posted anything to this blog and I regret that, but the important thing is that I am here now posting up a fantastic recipe for all my followers to enjoy!

Quick rundown of life since I last posted.. been pretty busy with the holidays, recently going back on a diet, and we are in the process of selling our home in Idaho, and purchasing another here in Oregon.  As you can imagine life is hectic, and cooking is not always a top priority these days….. or at least it hasn’t been.  Like I said, I have recently gotten back on a diet (tracking calories) and so I am being forced to take a closer look at my food again and eat at home more often. For the most part I am repeating recipes I have made in the past and know to be lower in calorie, but as I come across others I will try to find the time to post them here again.

The recipe I am going to share with you today is definitely a winner, and by no means does it seem like “diet food”.  It rivals any traditional gyro I have ever had, and by using the chicken and controlling the ingredients by making it at home you are eating much fewer calories.  The process looks a little involved, but it’s more work to type it out than it actually is to make them I promise.  So whether you are dieting like me, or just love gyros I highly recommend making these tasty little treats in the near future!

*sorry if the pics are a bit dark…. I have a new computer and still figuring things out.  Calibration is something I haven’t really gotten to yet, and besides that I haven’t really found the sweet light in the apartment yet anyway

Chicken Gyros

For serving:
4 pita flatbread (I use Smart & Delicious traditional flatbreads)
diced tomatoes (about 8-10 cherry tomatoes)
diced red onion (about 1/3 cup)
parsley (about 1/4 cup, chopped)
feta (I used about 4 T. of the President Mediterranean Herb Blend)

For Chicken:
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
juice and rind of one lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 heaping T. nonfat greek yogurt (Fage O%, strained variety works best)
1 T. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb chicken breasts, boneless/skinless

Tzatziki:
2 C. nonfat greek yogurt (again the Fage 0% strained)
1 large cucumber, peeled with seeds removed and diced very fine
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste (I like to use sea salt and white pepper)
lemon juice to taste (I use about a T. or so)

1. To make chicken combine the ingredients (other than chicken) in a bowl and whisk together.  Place chicken in marinade and toss to coat making sure it is fully submerged.  Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 6.

2. To make tzatziki start by dicing your cucumber.  You want to make sure it is very fine since there will not be any processing as in some other tzatziki recipes.  Once you have it all cut up place it in the middle of a stack of paper towels and making a sort of pouch with the towels squeeze as much of  the excess water from the cucumber that you can.  You can repeat this step if you like.  Combine the cucumber with the remaining sauce ingredients and store in an airtight container in the fridge, allowing to sit for at least 2 hours before serving.  The longer it sits the more the flavors will marry as well.

3.  To cook the chicken preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through and juices run clear.  If you are working with thick breasts it can be helpful to pound them out a little before you marinate for faster cooking.  Once done allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing on the diagonal into strips.

 4. Assemble gyros by first warming flatbread in the microwave between some damp paper towels for about 20 seconds.  Place the warmed flatbread in the center of a square of foil on the counter.  Then place 2 T. of the tzatziki, a quarter of the meat, tomatoes, onions, parsley and feta.  Then fold the side over the other just enough for them to overlap in the middle.  Roll up in the foil bringing one end up to the center like you would for a burrito, and then tear the foil partway down all the way around the gyro to expose a bit of it.  This helps hold it together while eating and you just tear away the foil as you go.

As an added treat, I am also going to include my own little recipe for a mini pizza I have been enjoying almost daily.  I had extra from making the gyros and needed a lite lunch and this was the result…. the flavor in this little pizza is AMAZING and could easily be made into a full size pizza as well for everyone to enjoy.

Greek Inspired Mini Pizza with Tzatziki

1 flatbread (I use the same from above)
1 tsp. garlic flavored olive oil
course sea salt, just a pinch
dried oregano to taste
garlic powder to taste
Greek or Italian seasoning to taste
4-5 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 T. Mediterranean Herb Feta
3 T. prepared Tzatziki sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place flatbread on a small baking sheet and drizzle oil over one side. 
3. Season with the salt, oregano, garlic powder and Greek or Italian seasoning blend to taste.  I usually just take each and lightly tap over the entire thing until it’s covered.
4. Slice tomatoes very thin and arrange on top of your flatbread in single layer leaving a little space between slices.
5. Sprinkle the feta over top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, and cut into 8 slices.
7. Top with tzatziki by dropping a bit onto each slice

Thanks for checking in and I hope you will stick around for whatever I have to share next!

Day 149 : Greek Chicken & Potatoes

This is just a simple and tasty meal that I make fairly often (at least for me).  It isn’t super quick because you have to cut up chicken, potatoes, garlic, etc, but if you cut corners and either prep some of it ahead of time or purchase ready cut ingredients it could be a fairly quick meal…. great for a weeknight.  I hadn’t tried red peppers in it until tonight, but I enjoyed them for the color at least since they didn’t seem to change the flavor all that much.  It could be a good way to sneak in some veggies too.  You may need to adjust the cook time so your potatoes and chicken are both done, but a tip is to make sure they are both cut the same size and fairly small.

 

Greek Chicken & Potatoes

Serves : 4                    Time to make : 45 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 large chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 C. poatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (I like red for this)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I also throw in the zest of one lemon)
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2/3-1 cup feta (tomato basil works well)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Place chicken and potatoes in dish, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add garlic (and some sort of veggie here if you like).
4. Whisk together lemon juice, oil, and oregano and pour over the chicken and potatoes.  Stir to coat everything.
5. Pour the dissolved bouillon cube over everything and stir again.
6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until chicken is done through and potatoes are tender.
7. Add the feta at the very end.

 

Day 146 : Greek Turkey Burgers

Just trying to eat a little healthier, while at the same time choosing SIMPLE recipes since lately it seems we are always busy.  Burgers of course fit the bill for simple, but aren’t really always healthy.  We’ve tried numerous turkey burgers over the years…. some good and some not as good, but these were definitely some good ones!  Unlike many turkey burgers these remained nice and moist, and full of flavor.

The recipe just calls for olives, but I suggest kalamata olives in keeping with the Greek flavors.  I would also suggest a Mediterranean Herb flavored feta if you can find it.  I tried cooking some of these in a skillet while I cooked the others on my foreman grill since there isn’t much room on there, but the skillet ones didn’t turn out very well.  I am not sure if it’s just that they were too fat, and had trouble cooking through (which is of course necessary for turkey) or if it’s just something with needing to get used to the new stove, but I ended up having to put them on the foreman to finish off.

I served mine on a regular kaiser bun, with mayo and lettuce.  You could put some onion, tomato, even a slice of cheese…. whatever you like really.

 

Greek Turkey Burgers

Serves : 4                    Time to make : 15 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup olives, chopped
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• black pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Form into 4 patties.
3. Grill until fully cooked through.

 

Day 32 : Greek Salad

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!  I could not be happier for the early spring prediction!  I am SO over this cold and snow lol.

Today I wanted to keep things a little lighter after our pizza night last night.  There is a local restaurant that serves this awesome greek salad and I wanted to see if I could find a similar salad to make at home since it’s not often we go out with two little ones these days.  This salad comes pretty close to matching the one from the restaurant, but is a bit different.  The one they serve doesn’t have the cucumbers and green peppers, and has roasted garlic, but I like the extra crunch they add and of course I could always throw in some roasted garlic if I had the time.  The dressing is really nice, and I can see making it just to have around for side salads even.

The only change I made was to add some chicken to make it more of a meal.  I used a greek seasoning blend recipe to create my own, but you could use any store bought variety you liked or even just wing it on the seasonings.  I think for personal tastes I would leave out the tomatoes next time or maybe use some grape tomatoes.  Make sure to plan ahead for this one so the dressing has time to blend all the flavors really well.

And since it was my niece’s 3rd birthday today I decided we’d make some cupcakes!  Too bad she lives hundreds of miles away lol.  Anyway, I just did boxed funfetti cake and canned frosting but I did add my own little touch and threw in some orange extract to the batter.  YUM!  I took pics just for fun.

Greek Salad

Serves : 4                 Time to make : 10 minutes

Ingredients :

Dressing

• 1 cup olive oil (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 whole large lemon, juice of (about 3-4 tablespoons, make certain that the lemon is at room temperature before squeezing)
• 2 -4 teaspoons dried oregano (start with 2 teaspoons)
• 3 teaspoons fresh minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)

Salad

• 1 large romaine lettuce, chopped (or use 2 small)
• 2 -3 plum tomates, cut in wedges (use Roma tomatoes)
• 1 English cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
• 1 red onion, cut in slices
• 1 green bell pepper (seeded and cut into rings or sliced) (optional)
• 1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled (or to taste)

Day 23 : Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

What a rollercoaster of a day!  It started off rocky when I almost slid into a truck in front of me at an icy traffic light, but got better with a clean bill of dental health for me.  Partway through the day I ended up getting horrible heartburn that would not go away so I had to have Jeff do a quick grocery run after work to get a few things for the night.  Then my son came down with a fever again after finally finishing his antibiotics for strep last night, which later turned into a rash all over his face and midsection so we just got back from the ER.  Luckily it was not an allergic reaction or anything too serious and they figured it was just a viral thing or slight rash from the meds.  One great thing though that happened today was that my blog was featured on FoodPress.com for my Chocolate Covered Saltine Crackers post a few days back.  Not only is it very neat to see your work featured, but it brought in a staggering amount of blog traffic pushing me up to 250+ views just today!

Somewhere in the chaos of the day I did find time to make a recipe for my blog, and it is a good one!  I have never been a person that liked soup, but this one I like.  It’s not very brothy which I prefer, and I just love the lemony flavor.  This is a soup I have made many times, and now consider to be my go-to recipe for a nice warm comfort food on a cold busy day.  It’s super simple to make, and becomes even easier if you do like me and use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  I usually get the lemon pepper chicken and use the entire thing for this because we like a lot of chicken in our soup.  I also go ahead and use the rind from the entire lemon which is usually more than the recipe calls for.  I even add a bit of lemon pepper on occasion if I want it super lemony.   Next time you are in the mood for a nice bowl of chicken soup I highly recommend you try this one.  You will not be sorry!

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Serves : 6-8                          Time to make : 30 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 (46oz) can chicken broth
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups chicken, cooked
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 1/2 tsp. lemon rind
• 1 cup uncooked rice

Directions :

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, combine chicken broth and cream of chicken soup, mixing until well blended.
2. Stir in rice, chicken, lemon juice and rind.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.