Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

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Summer, oh Summer, don't leave me yet.....!

I'm in love with summer and I'm going to grill until the rain comes!  Even though the evenings are shorter now I still find that we love to grill and eat al fresco every chance we get.

Our go to meal this summer has been this extremely tasty grilled chicken dish, but MGG's love of kabobs is the inspiration for today's recipe.  When shopping for food the other day he said "Let's make chicken kabobs, but not Persian ones, something with a different flair."  Taking that lead I knew that we had enough vegetables to make a Mediterranean meal, so we grabbed some chicken and a lemon and off we went.

Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

What are kabobs?  They are varieties of meat that are cooked on skewers or a spit.  Typically from the middle east, but many countries have a version of a kabob (kebab).  They've been adapted in American to fit any type of meat and vegetable mix with any flavor profile.  I've made Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kabobs, Lemon Garlic Beef Kabobs, Moorish Pork Kabobs, and Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs to name a few.  Anything goes!

It's all about the flavor! 

Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

serves 4

2 tsp Spanish paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
4 clove minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice - 1 lemon
1/2 cup blood orange olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 large zucchini, halved and cut into large chunks
1 large yellow squash, halved and cut into large chunks

wooden skewers

In a re-sealable bag add the cubed chicken along with the spices, salt and pepper to taste, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss to coat. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

If using wooden skewers place them in water and soak for 30 minutes.

Place sliced vegetables in a medium bowl and toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat a gas grill to medium heat. Thread the chicken cubes, zucchini, and yellow squash onto wood skewers. 

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the kabobs on the grate and cover, turning occasionally for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear. Remove and serve immediately.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

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Boy do I have a recipe for you today!

It all started when I went to my local Farmer's Market over the weekend and ran into a booth that was displaying the most decadent looking oils and vinegars! Oh do I love specialty items.  So after tasting a dozen or so I decided to purchase 6 types.  Not 1 or 2, but 6 different flavors.  I went exotic with Pear Vinegar, Peach Jalapeno Vinegar, Blood Orange Olive Oil....and a few others.  However, one of their best is a basic Balsamic Vinegar.

The nectar of gods!  The flavor was soooo good I could chug it straight from the bottle!. It tastes like candy, no seriously it does!  With this precious new find I decided this would be first up in the next recipe I make. 

So I got to thinking about a quick weeknight meal.  It's springtime and I don't want to be cooking all night and stuck in the kitchen.  I want to be sitting outdoors, enjoying the evening and glass of sangria!  With that in mind a quick chicken dish was in order.  Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice was born!

GRILLED BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH

MEDITERRANEAN RICE

This dish does require a quick marinate of 1 hour or 2.  If you only have a tiny amount of time before dinner then leave the chicken marinating out on the counter for 15 minutes instead of placing the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator.  This will speed up the process. 

The rest comes together really quickly.  Make the rice and vegetable sauté first (using instant if you like) and then grill the chicken.  The meal comes together in about 30-40 minutes.  NOTE:  You can use any brand of balsamic vinegar you like.  Here's a link to the one I purchased which can be bought online as well.

Grilled chicken smothered in the complex flavors of balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and lemon turn this into a company worthy meal, but simple enough for a family weeknight meal.  Accompanied by a flavorful rice that combines with the vegetables of the Mediterranean.  The perfect combination, and a winner in my book!

Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

serves 4

4 thin cut chicken breasts

Marinade:
2 T Dijon Mustard
2 T balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Rice:
1 1/2 cups converted brown rice
1 1.2 cups chicken broth - low sodium
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Zucchini, sliced lengthwise and cut into moon shapes
1 T olive oil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Place the chicken breasts in a zip lock bag.  In a bowl add the rest of the marinade ingredients and stir to combine.  Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and place in a container for use during grilling.  Add the rest of the marinade in the bag, seal and toss to coat the chicken.  Place in the refrigerator up to 2 hours.

In a small sauce pan add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the rice and cook until tender on low for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile in a medium skillet add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the tomatoes and zucchini and sauté until golden brown and tomatoes have burst.  About 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and stir to combine.  Remove from heat.  Once rice is done add vegetables to the rice and fluff, tossing to combine.

Using an indoor grill pan, heat over medium heat.  Add the marinated chicken to the grill pan, throwing away the used marinade.  Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side.  Turn and brush with the saved marinade, watching closely so the chicken doesn't burn.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

Remove from pan and serve along with the veggie rice.

Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

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Hi there!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day yesterday.

Phew!  I'm actually glad it's over.  We ate way too much carbs yesterday!  I wasn't my intention but little things kept sneaking in to the menu and they added another level of carbs to the menu.  I am so ready for a salad today.

SALAD TO THE RESCUE

salad #1

I did double duty yesterday while we were grilling a wonderful juicy steak and snuck on a couple of chicken breasts to grill for today's salad.  Love doing that. Today we are gravitating toward Greek flavors.  This Greek Chicken Salad can be served two different ways.  I like mine to be about the chicken and array of Mediterranean vegetables along side, all covered with a delicious vinaigrette.  MGG loves same but wants some sort of lettuce mixed in with his vegetables to make it fuller.  Same salad two ways!

salad #2

The flavors of the Mediterranean really shine in this salad.  The marinade doubles as a salad dressing which makes things easy, and the lemon and oregano flavors pop in your mouth!  The chicken comes out juicy and so tasty and is perfect next to the cucumber, tomato salad mixture.  If you like olive, throw them in.  This is a versatile salad. 

It's hearty and easy to make.  Again, you can cook the chicken ahead and throw this together in no time at all.  Overall it's a great 30  minutes meal that you could make any weeknight. 

So Greek Chicken Salad is saving the day today, with a great low carb meal.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad (2 Ways)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in half to make four cutlets

4 Pita Bread, cut into eighths

Tazatziki (store bought)

Marinade / Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon  ( 2-3 Tablespoons )
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

For Salad #1:

3 Persian or 1 English cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced thick

1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used orange and red)

1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

½ red onion, sliced thinly

1/4 c Feta cheese, crumbled

For Salad #2:
1/2 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, torn
all other ingredients listed in Salad #1

Whisk together all the marinade / dressing ingredients in large, shallow dish. Pour out ⅓ cup to use as the dressing; reserve in the refrigerator for later.

Add the chicken to the marinade and evenly coat; cover and allow to marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

To a large bowl, add all vegetables and toss.  Set aside.   

Heat a outdoor grill to medium-high heat.  Add chicken, discarding the marinade to the grill.  Cook 5-6 minutes per side until cooked through (180 degrees) Remove from the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes.  Slice the chicken and arrange on plates.  Add dressing to the salad and toss.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.  Add salad to the side of the  chicken and add several pieces of pita bread to each plate.   Drizzle with any remaining dressing and serve with the tzatziki.

adapted from Café Delites

Workout Night Dinners: Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

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Weeknight dinners are a popular subject.  You come home late, your tired, and you still have to cook?  You want dinners that are on the table fast, everyone likes, and will satisfy your hunger. 

MGG and I have found a sub-set of that "weeknight dinner"  that we call WORKOUT NIGHTS. We have a workout regimen 2-3 nights a week in which we rush home from work and get ready for a vigorous aerobic workout.  Then comes dinner...

I'll tell you, after a workout I'm not all that hungry for at least an hour, plus I'm tired as a dog chasing butterflies all afternoon!  So dinner on those days?  Well lets just say they need to be really light, but recharge us and our sore muscles.  SALAD TO THE RESCUE.   Add a little protein to the mix and we are refueled in a healthy way.  Ready to pass out to face another day! 

In comes my "to make" list of goodies from Pinterest.  I found that Karina from Café Delites really knows how to do protein and salads.  This week I decided to make my version of her Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad (barely tweaking it)  HOLY COW!  I think that this marinade/dressing has to be the best one EVER.  I love it so much that I'm making this my go to marinade for everything grilled, baked, or pan fried.  It's that good.

To make this salad work for us on Workout Nights, I did some of the prep work while I was waiting for MGG to get home.  I made the marinade and prepped the veggies with the exception of the avocado.  As the chicken is grilled I used the grill pre-heating time to marinate the chicken for 15 minutes while it came to room temperature.  This worked out perfect and was so flavorful that it really didn't need much more time. 

About an hour after our workout MGG lit the grill outside and I threw the chicken in the marinade.  15 minutes later he threw the chicken on the barbie and I decorated the salad platter and sliced the avocado.  Chicken done, rested, and sliced and dinner was served!

The best part of all that?  The flavors of this salad were outstanding.  Seriously outstanding.  You need to make this now.  It is a great 30 minute meal, the perfect salad, and weeknights never tasted so good!

WORKOUT NIGHT DINNER ACCOMPLISHED!

Kitchen Note:  Lemon juice (acid) will cook your protein as it sits in the marinade.  For chicken it should not be left on more than a couple of hours or it will break down the protein too much and affect the texture of the chicken.  Beef and pork can be left in the marinade up to about 4 hours as they take longer to break down.






Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad

adapted slightly from Café Delites

serves 4

Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked pepper, to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, slice in half to make thin cutlets

4 cups lettuce leaves, washed and dried ( I used Lafayette mix)
1 large English cucumber, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a re-sealable storage bag.  Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (or you can use and indoor grill pan).  Add the chicken to the marinade in the bag and allow to sit while coming to room temperature on the counter 15 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator).

Prepare all of the salad ingredients and add to a large bowl or serving platter.  

Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through. thin sliced chicken about 4-5 minutes on the first side and about 3-4 on the other side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. 

Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange in the salad. Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining dressing. Serve with lemon wedges if you like.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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I think I've mentioned that MGG is a rabbit.

It's true.  He eats so much salad and veggies that I know he must have been a rabbit in another life.  He's even starting to look like a rabbit to me!  haha!

The other day "said rabbit" and I were walking through Costco and he picked up a container of Poki and a container of quinoa salad.  The poki is a favorite of his, but when I saw that quinoa salad and the price tag, I had to stop him there.   "But it tastes soooo good" he says.  "Yes honey, I know it does, but I can make it for you at home for a fraction of the cost and it will taste AWESOME!"  "Trust me...."

He grudgingly put it back and off we went.  Now I was under the gun to make a totally awesome quinoa salad that compares to the likes of Costco!  No problem.

I got to work in the kitchen while he looked over my shoulder to see what I was putting in it.  (Not as if I hadn't made quinoa salad before...sheesh!)  I think he was really counting on the lemony flavor of the Costco brand.  So I put a nice big lemon in front of him and put him to work zesting and juicing it.  That seemed to satisfy him for the moment.  The real test would come when he actually took his first bite.

About 30 minutes later we sat down to lunch with this huge wonderful Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, his poki, and some fruit and he had his first taste!  He savored the flavor, and then a big smile erupted across his face.  BINGO!  I knew I had him. He leaned over and gave me a big smooch.  Oh yea! One satisfied customer.

Enjoy!!


Mediterranean Quinoa

serves 10

2 cups  multi-colored quinoa or any colored quinoa 

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbls olive oil

1 tsp lemon zest   

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, halved    

1/2 cup yellow, orange and red mini bell peppers, small dice   

1/2 cup chopped English cucumber, diced  

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp fresh mint, minced  

Rinse and drain quinoa in a mesh strainer.  Bring broth to a bowl over high heat in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa and reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.  Add the quinoa and vegetables to a large bowl.  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, zest, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.  Drizzle over salad and toss to combine.  Sprinkle feta cheese and mint over the top and serve.

Picnic in the Park: Mediterranean Chicken Wraps

I so glad that spring has been really good to us lately.  I love being outdoors!

Most weekends you can find us hiking, swimming, hanging at the beach or eating alfresco.  While the weather has been a little up and down lately we've had a perfect day for a picnic in the park!  So I seized the moment and packed us a scrumptious lunch, packed the blanket and headed to Griffith Park for an afternoon of leisurely fun and food.

I just love, love, love...all of our wonderful parks.  Griffith Park is a landmark in Los Angeles.  It's a huge 4300 acre area that houses the LA Zoo, the LA Observatory, the Greek Theatre among all the natural reserves that house a multitude of wildlife.  There are many trails for hiking and designated picnic areas.  It's a great place to spend the afternoon.

So we drove to a perfect picnic spot and started unwrapping out food goodies.  First up are these tasty Mediterranean Chicken Wraps.  Oh boy are these good!  Last night we grilled a Greek Lemon Chicken and I made sure we had leftovers for another use.  Perfect, as these were cut up and used in these wraps.  The rest of the ingredients are fresh veggies rolled up in a tortilla with the chicken and a sprinkling of cheese.  There you have it!  The perfect, portable, sandwich.  

A big bonus is you can eat them with your hands...less silverware.  Yea! The kids, heck, the whole family will love them.  They really are the perfect picnic dish.  They would be great to take to a concert in the park...hmmm I'm thinking Hollywood Bowl!  They have all the great flavors of the Mediterranean.  Simple, smart, tasty, and filling.  What better than that?

Enjoy!




Mediterranean Chicken Wraps

serves 2

Ingredients:
2 8-inch tortillas or wraps
1 grilled chicken breast, cut in slices1 cup of romaine, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium tomato, cubed
1/2 cucumber, seeded and julienned
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:

Lay out two tortillas.  Divide the chicken, lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber and place them down the center.  Top with feta cheese.

Fold in two opposite sides of the tortilla toward the middle. Then roll the long side over, rolling tightly like a burrito to enclose all the ingredients.  Secure with a toothpick if needed.  To serve cut the wraps in half slicing on the diagonal.  

Serve and enjoy!

Note:  If you are taking these to another location, make sure to wrap them in parchment paper or aluminum foil to keep them fresh.

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad

It's a summer of salads! Even though it's September and all the stores claim that it's fall already, it isn't here in Southern California.

Nope. It's 105, hot and humid. So I would say that still qualifies as summer, wouldn't you?

Even so, the stores still have a wonderful assortment of late summer vegetables that need to be put to good use.  So why not make a salad with some juicy summer tomatoes and some fresh herbs?  

I've been glancing through my Ina Garten cookbooks lately and picked up one titled "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?".  She has the most perfect recipes that just always, always work. The flavors pop and I've never had a dish I didn't like from Ina. Don't you just love her?  So anyway, I found a wonderful salad she called "Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad" which was right up my alley.  I love the combination of tomatoes, cucumber, mint, garbanzo beans, feta etc....all wrapped up in a lemon vinaigrette.   This was what I decided to make and I'm sooooo glad I did!

This was fabulous.  Crunchy, sweet, salty, and tart all rolled into one dish.  Plus, this was really easy to make.  Great as a side dish with some grilled chicken, or as a lunch main dish. It holds up well so the leftovers are just as delicious.  A real winner!

Here's her recipe below.  

You can't beat a salad, in the summer, or any other time.

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad


(Serves 4 to 6)
adapted from Ina Garten's : Copyright 2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored, and ½-inch-diced 
1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and ½-inch-diced 
1 can or jar (12 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil leaves 
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons) 
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
½ cup good olive oil 
8 ounces good feta cheese, ½-inch-diced 

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, mint, and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine. 

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently. 

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken

It's been a busy week.

A new branch of my favorite grocery store decided to close it's doors this week.  It's so sad to see such a beautiful store, fully stocked...always...have to close it's doors due to lack of patrons.  This place was never, never crowded.  With 8 checking lanes only 1 was open every time I went with little to no wait in line.

Amazing.  Where do all the people that live in that neighborhood shop?  They must being going to local ethnic stores, or outside their area to another chain grocery store.

So last Wednesday the store advertised 50% off of everything....I mean everything...in the store.  OMG...I've stopped by to pick up a few items before the store closed this week and couldn't find a place to park!  Wondering what was going on I spotted the 50% off sign.  NOW the people come.

So there must have been about 200 people in the store shopping.  All the wine, pasta,candy, canned goods etc...the items were endless (and so was the check out line).  Not wanting to fill my house with random items that I have no place to store, I browsed through the items and chose big ticket items I would get the most bang for my buck.  I got Parmesan cheese wedges I can freeze.  Expensive balsamic, sherry, and champagne vinegars.  Various oils such as walnut and hazelnut.  All at 50% off!  I found some specialty gourmet spices such as saffron to add to my cart.  I hit the jackpot!

I can't wait to cook with my new items....but today is not the day.  I spent 45 min in line to check out (I kept saying "is this worth it?")  But what the heck.   I stood there, laughed with the other people in line to pass the time, watching others keep leaving their cart to run and get one more thing!  

So I'm home around 7 pm and I'm tired.  Time for dinner and I want comfort food.  This Mediterranean Lemon Chicken it just what I'm craving.  Easy to make with either chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into long strips.  A few veggies, some lemon which makes a great sauce, all served over some Basmati rice.  Don't you love the flavor of Basmati rice? This meal will take you to a comfort zone you won't want to leave.

Enjoy!




Mediterranean Lemon Chicken

serves 4

2 T butter
1 lb chicken tenderloins
1 8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 T flour
1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
salt & pepper
cooked Basmati rice

In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.  Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add broth, zest, juice, and thyme.  Cook about 4 minutes until thick and bubbly. Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Sever over rice.

Restaurant Review: Panini Cafe

MGG and I love to try new restaurants.  One weekend we happened to go to a relatively new place called Panini Cafe  over in Woodland Hills that serves Italian and Mediterranean food. 

WoooWee!  Did we hit the jackpot.  Their food is outstanding!  Let me say upfront that Panini Cafe isn’t asking me or paying me to say this.  They don’t even know about it!  These are purely our own impressions of their wonderful dishes! 

The menu is filled with wonderful items.  They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Breakfast specialties include scrambles and omelets, French toast, and oatmeal.  We haven’t had their breakfast yet but hear that it is delish! 

We've eaten here several times now and are addicted to some items.  Both times we have a late lunch or early diner after a long day of running around.  Each time we’ve chosen an appetizer that will knock your socks off.   We’ve had their fresh Tatziki with fresh pita bread…killer.  This time we chose their Humus Trio which consists of 3 varieties of humus (black bean, traditional, and edamame) and includes fresh pita and chopped tomatoes and greens.  The Edamame humus is my favorite.  Nice and light but with a zip of garlic.  As I was eating this I said…”I need to buy more of this and take it home!”  Just fabulous!   Just look at this appetizer plate.  It’s rather large and should be shared by several people, or you can try and eat it all yourself like I almost did.  

Now, on to the main course.  We've tried several of their dishes such as Mousaka and the Linguine with Grilled Vegetables and Feta.  Both were delicious!  But my hands down, flip your skirt up, favorite dish has to be the Charbroiled Chicken Skish kabob.  O..M..G!  Even the menu says “A MUST” next to the item…that says it all!

Just look at this baby.  A HUGE plate with wonderful, succulent, marinated chicken, and vegetables.  And that’s not all…it comes with your choice of grain and salad.  We chose the Basmati Rice and a Romaine Avocado Salad dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette.  HEAVEN!

This is my new obsession.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  So much so I think I will order some to take home for dinner tonight.

So if you get the change to try the Panini Cafe, please do.  The food is outstanding.  The atmosphere is nice.  It’s a family friendly place with excellent food.  Next time I’m not going to eat so much food so I can try one of their desserts…they look decadent for sure.