Grilled Greek Chicken

I love it when I find an ingredient and immediately get an awesome idea about how I'm gonna use it. I found a feta, Greek olive antipasti mix (green olives and Calamata olives) at my local grocery store the other day and inspiration struck. I decided to concoct a grilled Greek marinade for some chicken breasts and top it with the olive/cheese mixture. It. was. delicious. Not to mention simple to put together and pretty fast to cook. Score!!!

(By the way...I'm not sure why this whole photo looks orange-ish??? Weird! I'll just chalk it up to my awesome camera skills. We had a Caprese salad with our meal and it was perfect.)

Grilled Greek Chicken

Ingredients:

For marinade:
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup olive oil

For chicken:
cooking spray
1 ( 1 lb.) tub of Greek olive/feta mix (the brand I used was Delallo Greek Feta Salad)
4 chicken breasts
Greek seasoning blend (I use Cavander's Greek Seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Take chicken breasts out of the fridge and set aside so they can come to room temperature for a few minutes while you make the marinade.

In a large glass bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients except for the olive oil. While whisking vigorously, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream so the mixture can become emulsified.

Immerse your chicken breasts in the marinade and let sit for 1/2 hour minimum. (A few hours to overnight would be better.)

Prepare indoor grill pan with cooking spray and heat on medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Sprinkle Greek seasoning, salt and pepper on both sides of chicken. Place chicken on grill and pour remaining marinade over the tops of each breast. Cook chicken about 6-8 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and grill marks are on both sides. Remove from grill to a large plate and let chicken rest for 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, use a slotted spoon (this is so the excess oil and moisture from the salad mix does not saturate your chicken) drain and divide the Greek olive/feta mixture equally over the chicken breasts as a topping. Enjoy!

Jessica's Greek Pasta Salad

I belong to a fantastic MOMS Club that really pulls together and champions one another. For example, when one of our members brings a new baby home (or in my case, babies) we all pitch in and bring meals to the new parents for two weeks. This "meal support" is such a blessing, because it gives the new parents one less thing to worry about during a huge time of transition in that respective household. Over a year ago, my friend Jessica brought this meal to us when I had our girls. It was a perfect summertime dish, that is easy to make and everyone loved. I didn't forget about it, and stored the meal idea in my recipe folder. When I was looking for easy dinners this week, this pasta salad jumped out and reminded me what a great community of friends I have in my area.

Jessica's Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1-2 cooked/grilled chicken breast, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 box cooked pasta (I've done lots of shapes - bows, penne or large macaroni work well)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 c. red onion, chopped or sliced thin
1 tomato, diced
1 doz. kalamata olives, sliced (or really as many as you like)
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/3 - 2/3 c. Greek salad dressing (however dressing-y you like it)

Directions:
Mix all of the above in a large bowl and salt/pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!



The Result:
See!!!! I told you this was easy! This salad is so yummy and light. I used rotini whole wheat pasta and my kids especially loved it. The baby girls actually cried for more. The beauty of this dish is that it can be prepared ahead of time, and the longer it rests the more the flavors marry and intermingle. It makes quite a bit, so there is plenty leftover for lunches the next day. Hooray!!!

Greek Eggplant and Chicken Casserole

I have a ton of recipes saved in my email, sent from friends or ones that I email myself from different websites. Unfortunately, I never remember that they are there waiting for me. I swear my memory has gone completely down the tubes...I blame the kids. Anyway, I was looking for something the other day and I finally stumbled upon my email folder with all these yummy-sounding recipes, some of which I discovered are over a year old. Sheesh! I need to look at that email folder more often, that's for sure. Anyway, this casserole was from a Weight Watchers recipe collection email that Claire had sent me a few months ago. There were quite a few casseroles on the list that I wanted to try, but this one intrigued me the most. It is very similar to a lasagna, using eggplant instead of noodles. I think this may be one of my new favorite ways to have eggplant; it was delicious! We steamed some broccoli for a side item, and this dinner basically disappeared. Everyone loved it!

Greek Eggplant and Chicken Casserole
Adapted from: weightwatchers.com

Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
2 medium raw eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 tsp table salt
1 pound(s) uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
1 cup(s) onion(s), sliced
4 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1/3 tsp dried parsley
1/3 tsp chives or minced onions, dried
1/3 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp canned tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup of reduced-fat 2% sharp cheddar cheese,grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Place eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of salt; let stand 20 minutes to draw out moisture.

Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; set pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 3 minutes more. Add fresh parsley, dried herbs, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste; stir to coat. Cook until herbs and spices are fragrant. about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Off heat, coat surface of same skillet with cooking spray; set pan over medium-high heat. Wipe salt from eggplant slices with paper towel and add eggplant to hot skillet. Cook, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Arrange half of eggplant slices on bottom of prepared baking pan, slightly overlapping pieces to cover entire surface of pan. Top eggplant with 1/2 of the chicken mixture; top with 1/2 of the amount of grated Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining eggplant slices and the remaining chicken mixture. Top with the 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and the remaining grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake until top is golden brown and filling is hot, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes, slice into 8 pieces and serve.





The Result:
This took a little while to pull together, but it was worth it. My whole family loved it; especially my kids. This casserole tasted like a great compromise between a standard lasagna and a Greek moussaka. Really, it was the best of both worlds. I love that it was healthy, but still so flavorful and satisfying. Yum! I am really looking forward to these leftovers.

Jen's Greek Turkey Burgers (with Feta Dip Topping)

I really have not been experimenting with new recipes these past two weeks, since we've had sickness sweeping through our house. Also, I am really trying to use some of the stuff we have already on hand. In fact, I didn't even bother to do a menu plan and coordinating grocery list this week. I just went to the store and picked up things that we needed and figured I would just go from there. These burgers were born out of a desire to use up some Feta Dip that I made for a girls' dinner I had with a couple of my friends. The dip recipe made a ton and I didn't want to waste it, so I devised these burgers and just used the dip as a sauce topping. I must say, they were delicious. I steam-microwaved some frozen veggies and we had a very yummy and simple Sunday night meal.

Jen's Greek Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 (1.25 lb.) package of lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of dried minced onions
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup of whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
garlic salt to taste
5 whole wheat English muffins, toasted
sliced English cucumber
sliced tomatoes
fresh red bell pepper, cut into strips
fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup of Feta Dip (see recipe below)
cooking spray

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, garlic powder, minced onions, oregano, dill, thyme, basil, egg, Panko bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form meat mixture into patties.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook patties for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until browned on one side. Before flipping sprinkle a tiny bit of garlic salt on each uncooked patty top. Then flip burgers over to cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

Toast English muffins and top both sides of the bun with a spoonful of the feta dip. On top of the feta dip, top buns with spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, and red pepper strips. Place cooked burger on top of veggies and top with other side of bun. Serve and enjoy!

****************************************

Feta Dip
Adapted From: the Aggie's Kitchen website

Ingredients:
8 oz crumbled feta (I used block feta and crumbled it myself)
8 oz low-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of lemon juice (use more if needed)
1 (6 oz.) container of plain non-fat Greek-style yogurt
2 splashes of pepperoncini pepper liquid from the jar

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix well until blended together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve as a burger topping, or as a dip with pretzel chips or pita bread.




The Result:
These were really tasty and surprisingly healthy. I really like to use toasted English muffins instead of regular hamburger buns. It is just a more satisfying bread delivery system. I like the dip better as a hamburger spread than a dip, but it was pretty good either way. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!

Telly's Greek Salad With Chicken

The area in Florida where I'm originally from has a pretty large Greek community. I have lots of fond childhood memories of a little, local, Greek restaurant named Telly's Family Restaurant that my family and I would eat at quite a bit. Everything was really yummy at Telly's, but the two things I remember the most was their one-of-a-kind garlic bread and fresh Greek salad. It is literally now 20 years later, and I still get cravings for their bread and salad! I have not been able to duplicate the bread, but I did manage to make a very close facsimile of their Greek salad for our dinner tonight. The only changes I made from the original dish as I remember it, was that I omitted the mound of potato salad that is served in the middle of the salad (ummmm...a decadent, but calorie-laden, creamy surprise) and added Greek-seasoned chicken breast strips. I didn't measure any ingredients or spices, so I would recommend just topping your salad with what you like and the amounts that suit your tastes. I am pretty pleased with my attempt at this copycat recipe and can now somewhat satisfy my yearning for Telly's food.

Telly's Greek Salad With Chicken

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
paprika
garlic powder
dried oregano
dried basil
dried thyme
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 lemon, halved

For the salad:
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
handful of kalamata olives, pitted and halved
red onions, thinly sliced
1 fresh, good-quality organic or heirloom tomato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
whole jarred pepperoncini peppers, drained
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
good quality feta cheese, crumbled
Greek-seasoned chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips (see below)
Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing (recipe below)
1/2 cup of potato salad (optional)

Directions:
For the chicken:
Heat oven by turning broiler on high. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and sprinkle with desired amount of each spice indicated. Drizzle with olive oil. Rub and turn the chicken on the baking sheet with a pair of tongs to make sure all sides of the chicken are coated with the seasoning mixture. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over the seasoned chicken (reserve the other 1/2 of a lemon). Cook under the broiler for 7-9 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove from oven and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into strips and squeeze the other 1/2 of the lemon over the chicken strips. Set aside.

For the salad:
Layer all salad ingredients onto a big plate. (If opting for the potato salad version, place a scoop of potato salad on the plate first and then layer the salad on top of it.) Top with Greek Vinaigrette dressing, serve and enjoy!

**********************************************

Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Adapted From: weightwatchers.com

Ingredients:
1/4 cup(s) white wine, dry-variety
1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
1 medium shallot(s), minced, or more to taste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine wine, lemon juice, shallot, sugar, and mustard; slowly whisk in oil. Whisk in herbs, salt and pepper. Yields about 4 teaspoons per serving.




(This is the salad dressing.)

The Result:
Really good...enough to give me a Telly's fix!!!

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Burgers

This recipe comes to me from the Weight Watchers website via my Facebook feed. We had a busy family day today, with a late afternoon hockey clinic for the boy. It was 6pm by the time we got home, and we were debating if we should just do take-out, or throw a dinner together ourselves. Our better judgement kicked into gear, and we opted for doing a fast meal at home. I am really glad we did, because these burgers were fast and so very tasty! With a little bit of leftover Italian Orzo Salad, our dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes! Hooray for healthy, yummy, fast-fix meals!!!

Feta-Stuffed Chicken Burgers
Adapted From: weightwatchers.com via Facebook feed

Ingredients:
1 pound(s) uncooked, ground chicken breast
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
7 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup romaine lettuce, cut into thick strips --OR-- baby spinach leaves
2/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced (without oil)
4 tsp sliced Kalamata olives, pitted

Directions:
Preheat grill pan or broiler.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and feta; divide mixture into four balls and then press them gently into patties.

Grill or broil patties until internal temperature of burgers reaches 165°F, about 7 to 8 minutes per side.

Serve each burger on a bun with 1/4 of lettuce or spinach leaves, 1/4 of peppers and 1 teaspoon of olives. Yields 1 burger per serving.

The Result:
I forgot to take a photo, but I am here to report that these chicken burgers were great! We loved them, and I am so happy we decided to cook instead of getting take-out!

Grilled Greek Chicken Pizza

I follow Aggie's Kitchen on Facebook, and I was inspired by her take on a Greek Chicken Pizza. I started with the recipe for Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken and modified it with some Greek herbs. Then, I hit up the olive bar at our local supermarket and let the plethora of choice ingredients guide me the rest of the way. Oh man, was this one fantastic pizza! We had some friends over for dinner and they loved it, too. I am a sucker for a good pizza, and this one is my new favorite (although, I think I say that about every pizza I make). Anyway, if you like Mediterranean flavors, I would highly recommend playing around with this pizza and adding or subtracting items that you like...I really don't think you could go wrong!

Grilled Greek Chicken Pizza

For the Chicken:
Use 1 batch of Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken, with 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme and 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried oregano added into the marinade.

Cut 1 or 2 of the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and set aside (save the other cooked chicken breasts for another purpose or leftovers).

For the Pizza:

Ingredients:
1 batch of Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see recipe below)
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of shredded fontina cheese
1 (6 oz.) container of pre-made pesto
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken breasts, diced (see above for directions)
1 can of artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 cup of assorted green and black olives, sliced
1/3 cup of roasted red or marinated peppers, sliced
1/3 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
sliced pepperoncini peppers (optional)

Directions:
Heat grill to high heat (about 550 degrees). Roll crust out into a 1/8 inch thickness round or oval shape (it does not have to be perfectly round). Set aside.

Prepare grill by placing some canola oil in a bowl, and using an old rag and a pair of long, heat-resistant tongs, dip rag in canola oil and wipe the grates of the grill. This will prevent the crust from sticking. Be careful not to burn yourself...stand as far back as possible when doing this, because oil can flare up.

Grill both sides of pizza to desired doneness. Remove cooked pizza to large baking sheet. Smear pesto over cooked crust evenly. Sprinkle the fontina and mozzarella cheese over the pesto. Top with crust with fresh tomatoes, red onion slices, minced garlic, cooked chicken, artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, and sun dried tomatoes.

Return crust (now on baking sheet) to the grill for 2 minutes, or until pizza is warm and cheese slightly melted. Turn off grill and remove crust. Top cooked pizza feta cheese crumbles. Cut and serve.

*******************************************************************

Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions --OR-- according to your recipe instructions.

The Result:
I forgot to take a photo, but let me tell you...this pizza looked (and tasted) spectacular. Yum!!!

Swiss Chard Spanakopita Casserole

This past week I have been able to experiment with a few new recipes. This particular dish is the one that I was trying to make the other night when I had my dinner mishap. I had just gotten all the filling made and then realized that my phyllo dough needed to thaw before I could use it. That is when I switched gears and made the Salsa Mac and Cheese instead. Luckily, I put this cooked Swiss chard filling in the fridge and made this dinner the following night. It stored really well, and picked up a lot of flavor from being parked overnight. Also, I tweaked the original recipe somewhat. The directions seemed unnecessarily complicated, so I improvised a little. I ended up just layering the dough in the casserole dish, and it still turned out yummy. We served this dish with some salad and roasted potatoes.

Swiss Chard Spanakopita Casserole
From: Cooking Light magazine, December 2003; by Donata Maggipinto

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups minced white onion
3/4 cup minced green onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
9 cups chopped trimmed Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large egg whites
10 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add white onion; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Add green onions and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in chard; cook 2 minutes or until chard wilts. Stir in parsley and mint, and cook 1 minute. Place in a large bowl; cool slightly. Stir in cheeses, salt, pepper, and egg whites.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying), and coat with cooking spray. Top with 1 phyllo sheet, and coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 3 additional sheets.

Cut phyllo stack into a 14-inch square. Place square in center of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, allowing phyllo to extend up long sides of dish. Cut 14 x 4-inch piece into 2 (7 x 4-inch) rectangles. Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise. Place a rectangle against each short side of dish. Spread the chard mixture evenly over phyllo.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying), and coat with cooking spray. Top with 1 phyllo sheet, and coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo sheets. Place 18 x 14-inch phyllo stack over chard mixture. Fold phyllo edges into center. Coat with cooking spray. Score phyllo by making 2 lengthwise cuts and 3 crosswise cuts to form 12 rectangles. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until golden.

Note: Cut the phyllo stacks so they fit in and up the long side of the baking dish. Arrange folded section against short edges of dish to encase filling.

Nutritional Information:
Yield: 12 servings
Calories:121 (35% from fat)
Fat:4.7g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.3g)
Protein:6.1g
Carbohydrate:13.6g
Fiber:1.6g
Cholesterol:14mg
Iron:1.3mg
Sodium:449mg
Calcium:134mg



The Result:
This was really good, and a great way to get more leafy greens into our diet. We all really enjoyed it! The only critique I have is that the phyllo dough is a bit of a pain to work with, but not horrible. This a vegetarian dish I will keep in my repertoire.

Jen's Italian Greek Pasta Salad

The family and I are going to a potluck, Memorial Day BBQ this afternoon. My contribution to the potluck is a version of my normal Italian pasta salad recipe. I decided to make it more Greek-inspired to see how it would turn out. All I can say is yum, yum, yum! I like the Greek version as much as the original recipe.

Here is the link to my original version...

Jen's Italian Pasta Salad

Here is the new Greek version...

Jen's Italian Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 bag of cooked multi colored pasta spirals, drained
1 small OR 1/2 of large red onion
1 small can of black olive slices
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced finely
2 Tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
1 bottle of Newman's Own Light Italian Salad Dressing
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of feta cheese
1/4 cup of green onions, white and green parts, diced

Directions:
Cook and cool pasta. Combine pasta with all other ingredients and mix thoroghly. Let sit so flavors may combine for minimum 2 hours (overnight is better). Serve cool or at room temerature.

******************************

On another note, I cleaned out my freezer last night and found some protein items that are getting a "little long in the tooth" (i.e. old...I don't know why I just didn't say old in the first place). For the rest of the week - and maybe next week, too - will be dedicated to using up what I already have on hand and all of my freezer finds. That means I will be short on vegetarian recipes for the next couple of weeks. I will get back to my three vegetarian meals per week, after I get a good handle on my food supply.
I am, however, making an effort to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. I love the summer bounty of fresh produce. I am trying to incorporate more fresh fruit and veggies into every meal, too. For example, instead of snacking and having dessert at night, we have been having fresh fruit after dinner instead. It really keeps my 9pm sugar/chocolate craving at bay!

Falafel Pita with Tzatziki and Roasted Acorn Squash

No, you are not experiencing deja vu...we did just have this meal last week for dinner. You see, I still have everything on hand to make this dinner again. I did not buy that many fresh ingredients this week at the grocery store (just staple items), so we are having a repeat dinner to meet the vegetarian dinner goal I set for the week. Not surprisingly, it is a little challenging to plan three vegetarian dinners in a week when you are out of pasta, out of fresh mushrooms, and did not buy any fresh veggies for the week. Don't worry...I figured it out. I still have some options left from last weeks shopping trip, and I am well stocked, otherwise. I intend to just work out of my pantry.

I think I will make this exactly like I did the first time, with no changes. I have some acorn squash that I will roast to serve as a side dish. This should be another easy dinner to put together tonight.

Here is the link to my original recipe post. Below that link, you will find that it's all about the squash.

Falafel Pitas with Tzatziki

Jen's Roasted Squash

Ingredients:
1-2 Acorn or Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Directions:
Halve and clean squash by scooping out seeds and discarding. Place clean halves on sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roast in a 375 degree oven cut side up for 25 minutes, then flip and roast cut side down for an additional 20 minutes. Squash should be soft and browned. You can remove skin,scoop roasted flesh into a bowl and serve OR just serve roasted halves for your guests to scoop themselves, at the table.

The Result:
I forgot to take a new pic. Since we had this last week, I was hoping you would just scroll back to the old post if you needed to be reminded of what my pitas looked like. This was just as yummy as it was last time I made it, so I think I will put this into rotation. Also, the acorn squash turned out awesome! (I am a squash lover, so I am a bit biased.) All in all, this was a fast, healthy, satisfying meal.

Falafel Pita with Tzatziki

I wanted to wait until I was sure the husband left work before I posted tonight's dinner. Historically, he is not a huge fan of Falafel. I say...too bad. Falafel is one of my all time favorites. On nights like tonight, I like to keep the hubby in the dark until the last possible moment. He will get home and I will be in full 'dinner' mode before he has time to protest about what we are having. I am a tricky little bird, aren't I????? I figured we don't have it all that often, so he can just deal.
I got some pre-prepared Falafel from Costco today, so I am excited to try them. I have made my own Falafel in the past, but why bother when you can just skip the prep work and buy 'em all ready to go? I am saving myself a huge step. Hopefully, they will be similar to homemade ones. I am going to make my own Tzatiki sauce (courtesy of Ina Garten), and I will serve my Falafel in pita bread (sandwich style). This is a fairly healthy vegetarian meal, which we really need after the Thanksgiving food fest we just had the past few days. I am really excited to eat tonight.

Falafel Pita

Ingredients:
pita bread of your choice
2-3 falafel patties per sandwich (I am using pre-made)
lettuce of your choice (I like romaine or baby spinach)
sliced red onion
sliced tomato
sliced cucumber
Tzatziki sauce (recipe to follow)
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Cook Falafel according to package directions. Place in pita with other ingredients of your choice. Eat like a sandwich.

Tzatziki

Ingredients:
1 pound (1 pint) plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
diced red onion (optional)
Crumbled feta cheese (optional)


Directions:
Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; place it in another sieve, and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.
Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can and add the cucumber to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.


Jen's Notes:
You can use thicker Greek yogurt in place of the regular yogurt and skip the whole cheesecloth draining process. Also, you can add some crumbled Feta cheese for additional zing. Yum!



The Result:
This totally hit the spot! It was so yummy. Surprisingly, the husband really liked it too. I almost fainted! It had three ingredients that he usually does not like at all (cucumber, feta, Falafel), but for some reason, he really liked this combination. The pre-made Falafel were pretty good....not as good as homemade, but they were close. The best part was that they were super-easy. Just a reheat in the microwave and they were warmed through. The tzatziki was AWESOME! Again, super-easy and delicious...way better than store bought. We used whole wheat pita pockets, which were just okay. I think the package we got was a little stale. I have had better pita bread, for sure.

Here is a ringing endorsement...my two and a half year old son even loved this dish! He kept calling them "taco sandwiches" because the pita bread is reminiscent of a taco shell. He ate a whole one by himself. I think these Falafel pitas earn the 'kid-friendly' seal of approval.

Overall,this concoction was a totally satisfying, quick, and yummy meal. The best part was that it's pretty light and healthy, so I don't have any food guilt. Now I can go have a piece of chocolate without remorse!