Herbed Greek Chicken Salad

I am a sucker for salad, especially in the spring and summer when fresh veggies are so available. This salad is quick, easy, and so delicious! You can get tahini (which is sesame-seed paste) in most grocery stores – it gives the dressing an interesting twist with lots of flavor. Have the dressing made and the vegetables cut up before you cut and cook the chicken. It goes so fast!

Herbed Greek Chicken Salad

Serve with toasted pita wedges.

Cooking Light

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

Cooking spray

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

2 teaspoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

6 pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken 

and spice mixture; sauté 2 minutes over medium-high heat, without stirring. Turn meat over with a spatula and cook another 2 minutes without stirring. Stir briefly and cook another 2 minutes until chicken is done. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon juice; stir. Remove from pan.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. 

Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. 

Place 2 1/2 cups of lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.

This is wonderful in the summer when you don't want to heat up your kitchen when cooking dinner! Enjoy!

Chicken and Couscous with Artichokes, Feta, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I had never used pearled couscous before (I really like to type the word, “couscous”) and it was delicious! Cooked fast, and tastier than plain rice. This is quick, yummy, healthy and just generally fun to eat!

Chicken and Couscous with Artichokes, Feta, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Though grains of Israeli or pearled couscous are larger than those in Moroccan couscous, they still cook faster than rice or pasta.

Cooking Light

About 4 servings

2 1/3 cups water, divided

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth

1 3/4 cups uncooked Israeli or pearl couscous (I just used the whole box and followed the measurements on the box for the liquid)

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I grilled one for 8 minutes on each side)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used curly leaf parsley and I definitely think the flat-leaf would be better)

2 (6-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine 2 cups water and tomatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 3 minutes or until water boils; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until soft. 

Drain and chop; set aside.

Place 1/3 cup water and vegetable broth in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes and remaining ingredients.

Just sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and grill 8 minutes on each side. Then chop in bite size pieces.

Couscous couscous couscous couscous. There. That was fun. Try it some time. And try this sometime! So good!

Chicken Souvlaki

In our quest to eat healthy, Mediterranean-style meals, I came across this little gem. It’s another that is super-fast, super-easy and super delicious! Our seven-year-old granddaughter thought they were wonderful.

For the chicken meat, and if you are in a hurry, you can use a rotisserie chicken from the store. I grilled a couple of chicken breasts and it was fabulous. Just sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and grill until nearly done – no pink left, but not completely done. You’ll cook it a bit more later in the recipe.

Chicken Souvlaki

(from Cooking Light)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil, divided

1 1/4 teaspoons bottled minced garlic, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups sliced roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast

4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2 cup chopped peeled cucumber

1/2 cup chopped plum tomato

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Combine feta cheese, yogurt, dill, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic in a small bowl, stirring well.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and oregano to pan, and sauté for 20 seconds. 

Add chicken, and cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each pita half, and top with 2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, 2 tablespoons shredded lettuce, 1 tablespoon cucumber, and 1 tablespoon tomato. Divide onion evenly among pitas.

And, voila! Another great, fast dinner! You can serve it with couscous or baba ghanoush or tabbouleh. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Mole

I wanted chocolate for Valentine’s day. Lots of chocolate. And I didn't care how I got it. I know it’s past Valentine’s Day for this year, but this is the menu that I fixed:

* Grilled chicken breasts smothered in Chocolate Mole

* Steamed asparagus with a balsamic vinegar reduction with grated semisweet chocolate

* Chocolate chile molten cakes (for the recipe, go to:

http://kim-cheyennefood.blogspot.com/2011/12/thanksgiving-desserts.html

For those of you that aren't familiar with the term “mole” (pronounced molé), this is what it says in Wikipedia: Moles come in various flavors and ingredients, with chili peppers as the common factor. However, the classic mole version is the variety called mole poblano [poblano is another name for ancho], which is a dark red or brown sauce served over meat. The dish has become a culinary symbol of Mexico’s mestizaje, or mixed indigenous and European heritage, both for the types of ingredients it contains as well as the legends surrounding its origin.

I also read that making traditional mole takes at least a day and all the female members of the family to prepare it. Wow! Not at this house! This Chocolate Mole takes about an hour and has a wonderfully complex flavor that compliments the mildness of the chicken. It’s not hot spicy at all even though the beginning ingredient is ancho chilies. I found the recipe on the NPR website.

From NPR: This recipe is adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris (Broadway Books, 2009) by David Leibovitz. The sauce is complicated, but for your trouble, you'll be rewarded with a deep, complex flavor. I like to put this on grilled chicken, though it works well on a variety of entrees.

Chocolate Mole is served over grilled chicken. But it's also commonly paired with pork. <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

Here, Chocolate Mole is served over grilled chicken. But it's also commonly paired with pork

Peter Ogburn for NPR

Makes enough to smother a cooked chicken or a pork shoulder

Chocolate Mole

5 dried ancho chilies (you can get these at the store in the Mexican food section or sometimes in the produce section. I get mine from Penzey’s Spices – see the link on the right)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves, dried oregano, powdered cumin, ground coriander, ground anise seeds

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup raisins or diced prunes

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I toasted them in the same pan I used to cook the onion, etc. Do NOT let them get too brown – just a delicate gold color.)

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup water (or more, as needed)

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted (I used a good quality chocolate)

Soak chilies in very hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. (Make sure they're submerged by setting a lightweight bowl on top of the chilies.)

In a small skillet, sauté onion in vegetable oil until soft and translucent. 

Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add dried spices and herbs and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds, being careful not to let them burn.

In a blender, grind together the almonds, cooked onions, tomatoes, spices, raisins or prunes, sesame seeds, 

Toast until light golden

salt, pepper and water. Puree until smooth.

Remove seeds and stems from the chilies and puree very fine, passing the chilies through a food mill. (If you don't have a food mill, press the puree through a mesh strainer to remove any skins. Some people just puree them, but they can be tough. [Yeah, I just pureed them. I didn't notice that it made any difference]) 

Blend the chili paste into the mole along with the melted chocolate and add additional water, as necessary, 

until the consistency is smooth and slightly pourable (I could have made it more pourable).

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This made a lot – enough for four separate dinners. We had it on grilled pork chops the next night. Fabulous!

This truly is one of the best moles I've ever tried – it is so worth the time! I started just eating it like applesauce, but decided to save some for Walt.