Greek Chicken Pita

Greek Chicken Pita
Sauce:
2 c fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 c peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic


Wrap:
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp Italian dressing
4 whole wheat pitas
2 c chopped lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped and seeded
1/2 c sliced red onion
1/4 c crumbled Feta

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Cover and let sit in fridge to allow flavors to meld.
2. Place chicken in plastic bag and add dressing. Marinate for 15 minutes.
3. Pound chicken using meat mallet to about 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Cook chicken over medium heat about 5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through.
5. Slice chicken thinly against the grain.
6. Warm pitas in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
7. Place pita on plate, layer with chicken, lettuce, tomato, feta, and sauce. Roll and wrap with parchment paper or aluminum foil to serve. Alternately, cut pita's in half and open to form a pocket.

Redneck Mocha

Redneck Mocha
1 tsp instant coffee
1 pkg instant hot cocoa
1 tbsp half and half or light cream
Water to fill your cup

1. Put coffee, cocoa, and cream into a cup.
2. Fill with hot water.
3. Stir.
4. Enjoy a tasty treat without spending $4 at Starbucks. 

Giant Stuffed Meatballs

On top of spaghetti
All covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball
When somebody sneezed.

On Rachael Ray awhile ago, I saw these giant stuffed meatballs. I decided to make my own, fudging it a bit from her recipe. Instead making all large meatballs, I made some smaller ones stuffed with cherry tomatoes. Yum!

Giant Stuffed Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 c bread pieces
2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
A sprinkle of all spice
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease a cake pan or baking sheet with sides.
2. Put bread in a bowl and cover with milk. Let it sit.
3. Mix the meat, garlic, eggs, cheese, allspice, salt, and pepper together. Squeeze the bread to remove the milk, then mix the bread into the meat.
4. Take a small handful of meat and pat it flat. Place two or three chunks of cheese in the center, then cover it with more meat and pat it into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Repeat until all meat/cheese is gone.
5. Drizzle olive oil over the meatballs and make sure each is coated nicely.
6. Put baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Serve over spaghetti with sauce.

Tomates Farcies (Stuffed Tomatoes)

Another beautiful recipe from On Rue Tatin, Tomates Farcies uses the biggest, freshest tomatoes you can find. They turn a lovely golden brown in the oven and the flavors explode in your mouth.

Tomates Farcies

2 slices fresh bread

½ cup milk

4 lbs large, juicy tomatoes (you'll need at least 4 tomatoes)

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz button mushrooms, diced

1 ¾ lbs lean ground pork

¼ c fresh tarragon, or 1 tsp dried

1 c flat-leaf parsley

2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Tear bread into pieces and place in bowl. Cover with milk, let sit 30 minutes.

3. Slice tops off tomatoes, reserve tops. Scoop seeds and most of pith from tomatoes and discard (don't poke holes in the tomatoes!) Lightly season the cavities with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil over medium, add onions and garlic. Cook about 8 minutes, until translucent. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to medium bowl.

5. Add mushrooms to onion pan and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix into onion bowl.

6. Add bread and milk to onion mixture, along with pork. Mince tarragon and parsley, then add to pork. 

7. Whisk eggs, then add them to pork. Blend thoroughly with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Evenly divide the mixture among the tomatoes, mounding if necessary. Place the tops back on the tomatoes and bake until they turn a deep gold and are baked completely through, about an hour. Remove and drizzle with pan juices.

Le Poisson de Tous les Jours (Fish of the day)

This is a simple fish dish that I discovered while reading On Rue Tatin, by Susan Hermann Loomis. I didn't have fresh tarragon, but if you can find it, this recipe is even lovelier.

Le Poisson de Tous les Jours

1 lb white fish (I like tilapia)

1 tbsp butter

1 lb tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt/pepper

¼ cup fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried tarragon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse fillets and pat dry.

2. Butter a baking dish and arrange the fish inside, skin down. Arrange the tomato wedges around the fish. 

3. Drizzle with lemon juice, season with salt, pepper, and half of tarragon.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until fish is opaque.

5. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with remaining tarragon and season with a fine sprinkling of pepper. Serve immediately.

Cranberry-Chicken Salad

Here's a wonderful chicken salad recipe for you to use either with the leftover chicken from the Christmas Chicken recipe, or you can cook up a fresh batch of chicken breasts. It's super simple to throw together and you can make it ahead of time to let the flavors meld. Serve this salad on crackers or small artisan rolls. It's perfect for a summer picnic or midday snack (yes, I'm thinking summer already!)

Cranberry-Chicken Salad 

1 lb chicken breasts

½ stalk celery, finely sliced

1 super small onion, finely chopped

25-30 red grapes, halved

¼ cup dried cranberries

Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil and pull chicken.

2. Combine with celery, onion, grapes and cranberries.

3. Add yogurt to desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper.

Christmas Chicken

Okay, so I know Christmas is long past, but I still love this roasted chicken. I make it year round, switching up the vegetables depending on what's on sale or in season.


Christmas Chicken

20 baby carrots

2 small onions, quartered

1 lb red potatoes, chunked

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 3-lb chicken

Olive oil

*Holiday Rub

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Spread vegetables and orange evenly in roasting pan. Place chicken over vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Rub oil into and under the skin, then sprinkle with rub. Don't forget to season the cavity! Place some veggies and an orange wedge into the cavity.

3. Place the chicken into the oven. After 15 minutes, lower temp to 375. After another 15 minutes, remove the bird and flip it over. Cook another 15, then flip it back over. Return to oven for last 15 minutes. Check temperature and cook another 15 minutes if necessary.

*Holiday Rub

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Mix all ingredients.