Chicken Souvlaki

• 4 pieces flat bread or pitas
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 3/4 cup crumbled Feta
• 1/4 cup kalamata onions, pitted
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  
• 1 small cucumber, diced
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (I used dried)
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200° F. Wrap the bread in foil and place in oven.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, Feta, and olives.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oregano, thyme, pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons of the vinegar, and the lemon juice. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the oil, whisking constantly until incorporated.
4. Pour 2 ½ tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the tomato mixture, toss, and set aside.
   
5. Add the chicken to the remaining vinaigrette and toss. Place chicken on grill and cook until done.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill, and the remaining vinegar. Spread the bread with the yogurt sauce and top with chicken and tomato salad. Fold in half, if desired.

I adapted this recipe from Real Simple. The original recipe called for baking the chicken, but I think grilling it made it absolutely delicious!

Deconstructed Quinoa Burritos

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 - 14 oz. can of organic mixed beans (pinto, black, small kidney)
1/2-1 cup pico de gallo fresh salsa
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
hot sauce (optional)
whole wheat tortillas (optional)
organic blue corn tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package instructions.  Once cooked, remove quinoa from pan, scoop into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool.

Drain beans and salsa and mix together in a bowl, along with next four ingredients - through feta cheese.  Stir in desired amount of hot sauce, if you like it spicy!  Serve as is, or in a tortilla, and/or with tortilla chips.  I enjoyed mine as a "salad" in a bowl with a few chips on the side.  Greg ate his as a wrap in a tortilla, with a few chips on the side.  We both liked this meal very much!

Cold pasta/spinach & tuna salad

Ingredients:

16 oz. any whole grain pasta, cooked
EVOO, 1 teaspoon-ish
1 large can of Albacore tuna, drained
1/3 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (Greek)
1.5-2 T. dijon mustard
1 cup frozen sweet peas
1/2 cup fresh carrots, julienne or chopped small
1.5 cups fresh baby spinach
Balsamic viaigrette, a splash or two

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain pasta and add a touch of extra virgin olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together, set aside.

Drain tuna in can and place in a medium sized bowl.  Mix in yogurt and mustard, this should coat the tuna very well, since it serves as the "sauce" of the pasta dish. 

Steam frozen peas in the microwave until fresh. Prepare carrots: either julienne cut or chopped in small pieces (I used my mini food processor).  Cut the stems off of baby spinach.  Add peas, carrots and spinach to tuna mixture, then toss in pasta and mix thoroughly.  Top off the pasta salad with the Balsamic vinaigrette and devour!

Smarter Chicken Salad (Sandwiches)

Ingredients:

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

several heavy duty plastic wrap or "snack size" Ziploc baggies

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

7 tablespoons (about 2 ounces) coarsely chopped smoked almonds

6 cups mixed salad greens

Directions:

Fill a Dutch oven two-thirds full of water; bring to a boil.

Wrap each chicken breast half completely and tightly in heavy-duty plastic wrap or baggie (I used "snack size" Ziploc baggies). Add the chicken to boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from pan, and let stand for 5 minutes. Unwrap chicken and shred; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cold. Do this part quickly, because as chicken cools it becomes harder to shred.

Combine light mayonnaise and the next 7 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until combined. Add chicken, 1/3 cup celery, cranberries, and tomatoes; toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Toss in smoked almonds and serve over salad greens.

Note:  I ate this as a salad, but served it on toasted sour dough bread as a sandwich to Greg, because he loves him some toasty sandwiches!  Do whatever suits your hunger and nutritional needs best.  Make sure to use the smoked almonds, they "make" this recipe work.  Recipe from http://www.cookinglight.com/

Rosemary Sage Burgers

Burgers

* 1 lb ground turkey
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I use dried)
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage (I use dried)
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 4 whole-grain buns
* 1 cup baby spinach leaves


Chive "mayo"

* 1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
* 2 dashes each salt and pepper

Apple slaw
* 3 green apples, peeled, cored and grated (I put them in the blender and pulse them on "chop"
mode.)
* 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium high. Combine turkey, rosemary, sage, and salt in a medium-sized bowl; form into 4 patties.
2. In a small bowl, combine mayo ingredients.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine slaw ingredients.
4. Grill patties 4 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Toast the buns and spread each top with mayo. Place burger on bun and top with slaw and several spinach leaves.

These burgers are so easy to make and have a ton of flavor. I serve them with sweet potato fries.

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Melt together 1 stick butter and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat.

2. Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well.

3. Stir in 1/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (In the original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here as well.)

4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F for about 30-35 minutes. 

This recipe is only slightly modified from epicurious.com based on a reader suggestion.  My step mom, Kris, made these for us and they are so ridiculously good I had to make them myself to share with dinner club!  We definitely added the walnuts... amazing!  These are a more "fudgy" brownie as opposed to a "cakey" brownie, so make sure that suits you.  Phenomenal and very easy to make!