Embracing Him

My best friend, Valerie, and I were roommates for several years after we graduated from college. Since we were single ladies, cooking wasn’t always high on our list of priorities and many times Valerie and I would head over to the local diner for a meal.

Valerie and I usually ordered the same thing each time we visited the diner. No matter what the time of day, Valerie often opted for a short stack of pancakes while I preferred Chicken Souvlaki, a popular Greek dish consisting of grilled and sliced meat placed inside a pita along with vegetables and a yogurt cucumber sauce.

These days, I can’t slip away to the diner as often as I’d like to, so I’ve learned how to create Chicken Souvlaki at home. It is a fresh and healthy dish that almost always satisfies my diner craving.

When preparing the sauce, be sure to use Greek yogurt as it’s thick consistency will ensure a creamy sauce. To save calories use low fat Greek yogurt (it’s still thick) and low fat sour cream. Neither JT nor I find the sauce’s taste to be compromised by the low fat substitutions.  The traditional way to serve Chicken Souvlaki is on pita bread, but I’ve found that it tastes just as great when served inside a flour tortilla.

Chicken Marinade
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Tszatziki Sauce (yields about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 ounces sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Assembly
4 large pita bread rounds
1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, halved and sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Prepare the chicken marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and place in grill pan. Discard remaining marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear, about 8 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from heat, and allow it to rest about 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.

Prepare the Tzaztiki sauce. Toss the cucumber with kosher salt, and allow to sit at least 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and dill. Place the cucumber in a clean towel and squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water. Stir cucumber into sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place pita rounds on the grill pan, and cook for about 2 minutes, until warm, turning frequently to avoid burning. Arrange warmed pita, sliced chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato, and olives on a serving platter. Serve tzatziki sauce and feta cheese in separate bowls on the side. Stuff pita pockets with chicken and toppings to serve.

Photo: Courtesy of zorbs (Flickr)

Weird food cravings sometimes overtake me. Honestly, if I told you about some of the foods I crave, you’d wonder if I was expecting. Just for the record…I’m not.

Over the weekend, I had a strong craving for spinach artichoke dip so I had to make some. This dip is a creamy classic, but is often packed with tons of fat and calories. Though ingredients such as cream cheese and sour cream make the dip delectable, over consumption of these same ingredients can clog arteries and add inches to the waistline.

After finding several calorie laden recipes for spinach artichoke dip, I decided to rework a few of the recipes to see if I could create a more healthful version. My version is still creamy, but uses lower fat ingredients. JT could not tell lesser fat ingredients had been substituted for full fat ingredients.

The holiday season is here and you’ll probably find yourself hosting a few guests between now and the new year. Consider serving a new great dip this season. Save the onion dip for the kids and offer the adults a more mature dip for their crudite.

Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
1-2 dashes hot sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
14-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and chopped
7 ounce jar roasted red peppers
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly coat a baking dish with nonstick spray.

In the blender, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and lemon juice. Pour mixture into a medium size bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gently stir in the artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and Monterrey Jack cheese.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

The past two weeks been busy ones! We’re wrapping up the fall sessions of our homeschool cooperative and Awana. In addition, the girls are in the midst of a major birthday party blitz, celebrating with several friends who have fall birthdays. We’re working to wrap up all our Christmas shopping by the end of this month and now the invitations for holiday gatherings have started rolling in. We’re still active in church ministry and of course we’re busy striving to maintain a smoothly run household.

Such a packed family calendar has left little time for me to blog and unfortunately, I missed yesterday’s Taste Tested Tuesday. However, there’s no need to fear as I’ve got another tried and true recipe I think you’ll enjoy.

Over the past week, I’ve had “breakfast on the brain”. Earlier this week, my morning meal addiction caused me to purchase a Cuisinart classic waffle maker and the large Presto 7034 Electric Griddle, two must haves for those who are serious about big breakfasts. (I just adore those 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond Coupons and I live for Macy’s One Day sale!)

It’s a good thing I purchased that waffle maker, as I read an interesting story online today. Apparently, things are not well over at Kellogg’s. There’s a waffle shortage and the term “Leggo of my Eggo!” may take on new meaning. The bakeries that prepare Eggo waffles have had to shut down temporarily due to flooding and equipment repairs. This means waffle purchases may be rationed!

If you’re a waffle lover, there’s no cause for alarm. You can easily make excellent waffles from scratch and I promise you, they’ll taste much better than the frozen ones. The waffle recipe I use is the same recipe I use to make pancakes. Sweet Pea has a milk allergy, so I use soy milk. No one who has ever eaten these pancakes misses the dairy. To ensure super ease of preparation, I toss all the ingredients into my blender and combine them there.

These waffles are crisp and light and their golden nooks are perfect for cradling ample amounts of butter and syrup. Though waffles are great for breakfast, the girls and I have enjoyed ice cream sandwiches using these waffles.

Waffle and Pancakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg

Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

To make pancakes: Pour about 1/4 cup batter on a preheated 325 degree griddle or skillet. Flip the pancakes when lots of bubbles appear. Brown lightly on the other side and remove from the griddle.

To make waffles: Add 1/2 cup batter to a preheated and well oiled waffle maker.

Photo: Courtesy of Qfamily (Flickr)