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.

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!

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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!

Thai Chicken Skewers with Coconut Curry Dipping Sauce and Curried Rice Salad

The hubs got me a new phone yesterday, and I wanted to get dinner on the table fast so I could go play with it!!! Thankfully, this recipe totally worked out so I had plenty of phone time. :) This meal was super-flavorful and it came together pretty quickly. The chicken recipe actually came to me via Facebook, of all places. Since I follow Weight Watchers, this recipe popped right up on my feed. How convenient! The rice recipe is from the America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 cookbook that I am holding hostage from the library. (Someday, I will return it...just not anytime soon!) I love both Indian and Thai curries, and this combination was totally satisfying.

Thai Chicken Skewers with Coconut Curry Dipping Sauce
From: weightwatchers.com via Facebook

Ingredients:
1 can(13 1/2 fl oz) light coconut milk, about (1 3/4 cups)
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped, or to taste
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste, Thai-variety
1 tsp ginger root, fresh, grated
1 tsp lime zest
3/4 tsp table salt
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded thin, cut crosswise on the diagonal into 16 strips

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, cilantro, sugar, curry paste, ginger, lime zest and salt until blended; set 1 cup of coconut milk mixture aside for dipping sauce.

Transfer remaining coconut milk mixture to a resealable plastic food storage bag (or shallow glass container with cover). Add chicken to bag (or container), seal and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, soak sixteen 18-inch wooden skewers in water for 20 to 30 minutes(to prevent scorching).

Preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan rack with nonstick aluminum foil (or use a nonstick baking sheet coated with cooking spray). Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread one piece of chicken onto each skewer and place on prepared pan; coat with cooking spray. Broil, turning once, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes.

(*****ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or grill pan for attractive grill marks.******)

Meanwhile, bring reserved sauce to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Arrange skewers on serving platter. Spoon sauce into a bowl for dipping. Yields 2 skewers and about 1 tablespoon of sauce per serving.

Jen's Notes:
I opted to cook my chicken on the gas grill. I think it only took about 5 minutes for perfectly cooked, juicy chicken.

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Curried Rice Salad
From: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010 cookbook

Ingredients:
2/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups of brown basmati or long-grain rice
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 Tablespoon grated or minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro

Directions:
Combine the raisins, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Cook rice according to package directions. Cool rice to room temperature and set aside.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened; about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in ginger, curry powder, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in raisin mixture, then transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Add the rice and cilantro to the bowl with the raisin mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.




(The dipping sauce...not the most attractive photo; but it was so yummy!)

The Result:
This was so tasty, and my whole family gave this meal a 'thumbs-up'. The chicken and dipping sauce was so yummy, and in no way a "healthy" sacrifice. I love recipes that are good for you, but still are enjoyable! The curried rice salad was also a big hit. It was tangy, spicy, sweet, tart, savory, and had great texture. It was the perfect side dish to our skewers.