Greek Night!

I think the most shocking thing about this summer is how incredibly busy I have become. With the move, vacation, and just general stuff to do I havent had much time to blog OR cook. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining - I love being busy. But I do feel like I've been slacking on my blog, to which I apologize for.

This past weekend, My husband and I took a wonderful trip to Paris and Amsterdam. Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Paris?! The food! The Wine! The sights! Ah, it was wonderful. I am so glad that we went. But with the amazing, RICH, food - I  knew I had to cook in a lot this week to make up for the giant calorie consumption we just had. So last night, I decided to make Chicken Gyros and a Greek Salad.

SO GOOD.


So here is the recipe. I really hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!

Grilled Chicken Gyros 

Credit: Tablespoon.com

Ingredients

1

teaspoon garlic, minced

3

tablespoons lemon juice

2

teaspoons white wine vinegar

2

tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2

tablespoons 0% plain Greek yogurt

Salt

and pepper to taste

1

pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders

1

cup 0% plain Greek yogurt

1

medium cucumber, peeled

1

teaspoon garlic, minced

1

teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt

and pepper

Squeeze

of lemon

Directions

• Chicken Marinade: in a medium bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together until mixed well.
• Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Tzatziki Sauce: using a micro-plane, grate cucumber into several paper towels. Squeeze remaining liquid from shredded cucumber.

Combine drained cucumber, yogurt, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. I recommend an hour.

• Grill chicken over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side.
• Once chicken is cooked, assemble gyros using warm flat bread, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and Tzatziki sauce. Serve immediately.  

 

The Ultimate Greek Salad Recipe

 

 

 

Credit: Greek.Food.Com

Ingredients:

Servings:

6

Dressing

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mediterranean is best)

Salad

• 1 head lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces ((I use Romaine)
• 3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (the long, thin, almost seedless ones)
• 1 medium red onion, cut into thin rings and soaked for 10 minutes in a small bowl of ice water to make it less sharp
• 1 small green pepper, cut into thin rings
• 3/4 cup kalamata olive

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 

 

Directions:

1. 1
   Whisk dressing ingredients together until blended.
2. 2
   Season to taste.
3. 3
   Drain onion from ice water and pat dry with paper towels.
4. 4
   Combine all salad ingredients, except cheese, in large bowl.
5. 5
   Toss with dressing.
6. 6
   Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

 

Recipes: Roasted Whole Chicken with Veggies and Tuscan Chicken Skillet

So - first off, sorry for the mini hiatus. My husband and I moved two weeks ago, and we are just now hooked up to the internet. To be fair - the internet company threatened it would take over 40 days (gotta love the Polish efficiency!), but after harassing them for a few days - they miraculously showed up at our door.

The weird thing is that we are still getting letters that are saying the internet won't be turned on for another month. I think these guys are way confused.

Anyway - that is mainly the reason why I was gone. It's hard to run a blog when you don't have a connection! Plus - between the movie, 4th of July, and just being plain lazy I haven't actually been cooking that much, and what I have been cooking hasn't been earth shattering enough to post about.

But never fear! That is about to change! For starters - I need to lose some weight. I finally weighed myself after a month and a half back in Texas followed by two months of just not giving a shit and found out that I have gained A LOT.

So yeah - I basically need to lose a 3 year old before Christmas (We have a very important ski trip that I need to fit into my ski pants for), and a big part of that will be due to me cooking in a whole lot more than I am now. It also means that I will be posting more scale friendly recipes. Don't worry, I will try my best to not get all preachy, and I also promise you I won't "fad" out. You'll enjoy this trip with me, I promise.


Anyway, lets get to the recipes, shall we?


Roasted Whole Chicken with Veggies

This Recipe  is very basic, but very good. I got it from my sister years ago and it is perfect for Sunday dinner or when you don't want to cook for the next few days. It makes a TON of leftovers if you are a family of two (like my husband and I are).

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 can of beer
1 lemon
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
baby red potatoes
3 cloves of garlic
Salt/Pepper (or Season All seasoning - that is what I use)
Butter

Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 F
Cover the entire chicken in butter - this helps keep the seasoning on and also gives it a nice roast.
Put the chicken in a Roasting pan.
Slice the lemon in half - and shove one half of the lemon in the chicken.
Chop up celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Place around the chicken (you can even shove some up in the chicken - it gives it a really nice flavor).
Pour the beer over the chicken and veggies.
Season chicken and veggies with salt/pepper liberally.
Put in oven and cook uncovered for about 3 hours (or until chicken is cooked through).


Tuscan Chicken Skillet

Credit: The Wonderlust Kitchen

Find the blog post about it here.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• ⅔ c. sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and brown for 3 minutes on each side.
2. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and brown, working in batches, a few minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and sundried tomatoes. Sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, spices, beans, and sugar.
4. Transfer the chicken back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over top of the chicken. Cook, covered, on the stove top until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling, about ten minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.