Week 36: Recipe #2--Chicken Greek-a-Tikka Salad

This recipe comes from Rachael Ray (see link below), and it was really good.  Her original recipe also included ingredients for a Parsley-Feta Pesto recipe, but I didn't make that.  I'm not too keen on walnuts (which it called for) and it was much faster to throw this recipe together after a long day at the zoo using store-bought pesto.  I also used leftover cooked chicken, rather than grilling it.  I just mixed it with the yogurt mixture per the directions, and then warmed it in a skillet while getting the rest of the salad ready.  My husband and I loved this salad--the girls have come down with a cold, so they didn't eat much of anything last night.  I served this with fruit.  Makes 4 servings.

Photo from The Savory Notebook

You'll Need:

• 4 flat breads or pitas, any flavor or variety
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tblsp. grill seasoning--McCormick Montreal seasoning recommended
• 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. white meat chicken, cubed into bite-sized pieces
• 1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped (forgot to add this in--love celery, so will add it next time)
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives
• 6 pepperoncini hot peppers, chopped (left these out on purpose)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• salt and pepper
• feta cheese crumbles
• pesto

Preparation:

1. Preheat a grill pan to high heat.  Heat a toaster oven to 250 degrees.
2. Wrap breads in foil and place in oven to warm.
3. Combine yogurt and next four ingredients.  Coat chicken in mixture then thread meat onto metal skewers.  Brush grill pan with oil and grill meat 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
4. Combine chopped lettuce, veggies, olives and hot peppers on a large platter or in a serving bowl. Dress the salad very lightly in lemon juice, extra-vigin olive oil, and then salt and pepper.
5. Remove bread from oven and cut into wedges.
6. Place grilled meat on salad and top liberally with pesto.  Place cut flat breads or pita wedges around the platter or serving bowl and serve.

Recipe and link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-greek-a-tikka-salad-with-parsley-feta-pesto-recipe/index.html

Week 14: Recipe #4--Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta in Phyllo Cups

This is a Rachael Ray recipe I found on the Food Network website (see link below).  I absolutely love the sun-dried tomato/feta/spinach combination (on pizza, pasta, pretty much anything), so when I saw this I knew I had to try it.  Plus, I had a bunch of phyllo dough in the freezer from a previous recipe and I didn't know what to do with it, so this recipe was just a win-win situation.  Mmmmm....and were those phyllo dough cups TASTY!  Rachael suggests serving this with a hearty vegetable and olive salad, but that sounded too fancy for me.  I served it with a green salad and fruit.  Makes 6 servings.

Photo from foodnetwork.com

You'll Need:

• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 3 sheets phyllo pastry dough, found in freezer section
• coarse salt and black pepper
• 2 Tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 thin cut boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips on an angle
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, 10 to 12 pieces, chopped
• 2 boxes chopped spinach defrosted and squeezed dry (**see note below)
• 3/4 lb., 12 oz., feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brush 6 or 12 cup muffin tins with butter using pastry brush (I made 12 small, vs. 6 large).  Brush a layer of phyllo dough with butter, top with a second sheet of pastry, butter, then season the phyllo with salt and pepper and then top with a third sheet.  Cut into 6 or 12 squares and arrange the phyllo in cups, allowing the dough to crumple and spill out of the tops of the tins.  Brush the inside of the pastry cups with the remaining butter.  Bake until golden, 5 to 8 minutes (watch carefully, mine got a little dark).  Cool.
3. To a skillet preheated over medium heat add chicken, garlic, and onions and season with salt and pepper.  Saute 5 minutes, add the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and cook another 3 to 5 minutes.  Add feta and taste to adjust seasonings.
4. To serve, place phyllo cups on a serving platter and fill with mounds of chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach mixture. 

**I found this to be a LOT of spinach.  I might reduce it to one box next time and see how that goes.  I definitely had more spinach/chicken mixture than I had cups, so I think one box would work.


Recipe link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-with-sun-dried-tomatoes-feta-and-spinach-in-phyllo-cups-recipe/index.html

Week 6: Recipe #3--Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Tzatziki

My husband told me tonight, after eating this meal, that this might be his new favorite.  It was pretty darned good, and easy to make because most of it can be prepped the night before.  I followed the suggestion on the blog (Pioneer Woman, thank you!) and served this with roasted potato wedges.  Yummy!  I didn't follow a recipe for those, just kinda used what I had available and what sounded good (see my recipe below the pita recipe).



You'll Need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 4 tsp. Cavender's All-Purpose Greek Seasoning (found this easily in the grocery store)
• 4 Tblsp. olive oil
• 12 ounces Greek yogurt (It's a little more spendy than non-fat plain yogurt, which is what the recipe calls for, but it's thicker and better to have in a sandwich.  The person who originally posted this recipe gave it as an alternative to putting regular yogurt in a coffee filter then in a colander the night before to drain it--that's too complicated for me...I'd rather spend a bit extra and skip that whole step.  Call me lazy!)
• 1 whole cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. lemon juice 
• salt and pepper, to taste
• pita bread (I used tandoori naan flatbread, just as yummy!)

Preparation:

1. Pound out the chicken until about 1/2 inch thick.  Rub it down with olive oil, then season both sides generously with the greek seasoning.  Wrap the chicken in cling wrap and refrigerate/marinate for several hours.
2. Cook chicken on grill or in saucepan for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.  Let sit for a minute or two and then slice into strips.
3. While chicken is grilling, chop up the cucumber and onion (or, already have this done the night before to save time) and mix it in a bowl with the yogurt.  Add the lemon juice and the salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place grilled chicken strips and tzatziki into warmed pitas folded in half.

Recipe and link:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/chicken-souvlaki-pita-with-tzatziki/

My roasted potato recipe:

1. Cut up 2 to 3 russet potatoes into wedges.  
2. In a shallow bowl combine the following:  olive oil, garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder, and oregano.  
3. Dip the potato wedges into the mixture, covering both sides.  Put on foil-lined baking sheet and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 425 degrees.