Chicken Souvlaki and Tzatziki Sauce

Ohhhhh. Every once in a while you get a recipe that is so good, so authentic and so incredibly easy that you keep looking for the catch. I got this from a cooking demo at the Greek festival. Apparently, it's from The Key to Greek Cooking. I roasted some potatoes with greek seasoning and served them on the side.

Chef Athena's Favorite Chicken Souvlaki
1lb boneless, skinless chx breasts cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes
1-2 cloves garlic
2t oregano
1.5t ground cumin
Paprika to taste
3T lemon juice
1/2T Greek olive oil (I used regular)
1.5t Kosher or Sea Salt
1t ground pepper

In a bowl, prepare marinade. Mix garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper until well blended. Pour marinade over chicken, mix, cover and let sit for 30 min. Just before grilling, add the salt to the chx.
Grill chicken on skewers. Remove, and serve with:
Pita bread (no pocket, butter and heat first)
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Feta cheese, crumbled
Bell peppers
Tzatziki (recipe follows)

Pile it all on the pita, fold, eat and OPA!

Tzatziki (Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce)

2c greek yogurt
1c cucumber, peeled & diced or shredded (mine went in the food processor)
1 clove garlic (or to taste)
1T olive oil
1T lemon juice (start low and work up)
1t garlic salt (can use sea salt instead)
1T chopped dill

Wrapped cucumber in paper towels and press out moisture.
Combine cucumbers with remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill. Serve with pita, souvlaki, gyro or on potatoes.

Hazelnut Encrusted Salmon

Hazelnut-Encrusted Salmon (adapted from the Whole Food Bible)
Makes 4 Servings
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley (flat leaf)
1 T. grated lemon zest (if you have access to a Meyer, use it!)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
2 T. olive oil
4 cups mixed organic baby greens or one large head of organic, red lettuce
Lemon wedges
Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor-do not over grind and turn into a
paste (if you don’t own one, use a hammer and a small, freezer Ziploc bag–works great!). Mix the hazelnuts, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper on a plate.
Dry the salmon; dredge the fillets on both sides in the nut mixture.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the salmon and cook
for about 5 minutes on each side, making sure that the salmon is cooked
through (if you don’t like the smell of fish in your home, cook your salmon in a cast iron skillet right on your gas or charcoal grill).
Toss the greens/lettuce with the house dressing below and then place a handful of greens on each plate. Transfer the hot salmon fillets on top. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately. Fish is best when it’s nice n’ hot!
Our “House” Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (Maille is best but Grey Poupon works well too)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
pinch sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Mix and shake well before tossing lightly on greens (sippy cups or small mason jars work well for this step). Add a little bit at a time to avoid overdressing.
Enjoy!

I found this one on cafe zupas via stephmodo.com

Chicken Apple Sausage Chowder with Sweet Potatoes

I found this one on cookthink.com
I had a few sweet potatoes to use up and I found this recipe. It is a GREAT recipe, and we are going to use it a lot more this fall. It was a bit heavy for a summer night, but oh so tasty.


1 pound chicken-apple sausage links (At the farmers market and only used 1/2 pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes (2 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 cups (1 liter-sized box) chicken broth
Pinch saffron threads (loose 1/2 teaspoon...I omitted this)
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (I used 1% milk)
1 cup frozen sweet corn or fresh raw corn kernels
Few dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (optional...I opted out)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (I omitted this too)


1. Using a small, sharp knife, make a slit in the sausages lengthwise and remove the meat from the casings. Discard the casings.

2. Preheat a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then add the sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces as you drop it into the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sausages are cooked through and nicely browned on the outside, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pot, then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any brown pieces that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the flour and stir to coat all the onions with the flour. Cook a minute or two, stirring, then add the sweet potatoes, cider vinegar, chicken broth, and saffron. Bring the chowder to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the half-and-half or milk, corn, and cooked sausage, and simmer another 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce, if desired. Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Granola

I found this recipe the other day and really liked it. I thought I would share...

Fruit + Nut Granola (adapted from Real Simple)

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup unsalted pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment on baking sheet (located next to the wax paper and aluminum foil) and set aside. In a large bowl toss the oats, almonds, coconut and pepitas with the maple syrup, oil and salt. Pour evenly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and make sure the mixture is evenly distributed. Bake for 25 minutes (and not a minute longer!). After removing the baking sheet from the oven, pour the dried cherries on top of the mixture and carefully toss. Allow to cool before placing the granola in an airtight container (I like those glass lock containers from Costco).

A few notes regarding ingredients:
Pepitas: I found these at the farmer's market
Unsweetened Coconut: Also at the farmer's market
Pure Maple Syrup: The best price per ounce can be found at Costco with Target being a close second with their Archer Farms brand. I ended up using my favorite syrup, Log Cabin Light and it turned out great.
Dried Tart Cherries: Good versions can be found at Target (again, Archer Farms) or at the farmers market. I omitted these since I prefer fresh berries with my granola in the summer.

Yet another find from www.stephmodo.com via www.cafezupa.com

Fish Taco Sauce

I like to make Bonnie's cajun Tilapia recipe and then use the leftovers for fish tacos. What really makes them is the sauce.

small flour tortillas
shredded cabbage or bag of coleslaw mix
cajun fish, chopped up
fish taco sauce:
1/2 C plain yogurt
1/2 C mayo
1 lime, juiced (abt 1-2 Tbsp)
1 tsp minced capers
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I try to mix up the sauce a couple of hours before dinner, but it isnt neccessary. Also, if you want it spicier (this is spicy enough for me) you can add a minced jalapeno pepper.

Then just assemble: flour tortilla, some fish, some sauce and some cabbage.