Lemon Chicken Turkey Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon Moroccan or Greek seasoning blend**
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup diced tomato

**If you don't have Greek seasoning on hand, you can make it yourself. Here is the recipe I followed:

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation

• Combine first 6 ingredients; add 1 teaspoon rind, stirring well. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into 1/4-inch-thick oval patties.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes.
• Combine remaining 1 teaspoon rind, yogurt, and oregano, stirring well. Fill each pita half with 1 patty, 1 tablespoon yogurt mixture, 1/4 cup lettuce, and 1 tablespoon tomato.

These burgers are a fun escape from the "norm" and are bursting with flavor!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 chicken breasts (cooked chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces) 
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives (chopped) *I didn't include these 
• 1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 12 grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 english cucumber (sliced and quartered)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

We absolutely loved this recipe!  We served it with some toasted pita bread cut in triangles and used them sort of like scoops/chips. The flavor was fresh and this will definitely be a repeater!

Lime and Coconut Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp oil
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• pinch cayenne
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges

1. Mix all ingredients except fresh cilantro and limes.
2. Add chicken and marinade to a large bowl or ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
3. Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
4. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil continuously for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
5. Grill chicken breasts.
6. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve rice with sauce on the side.

The coconut milk in this recipe made it sweet and delicious! We loved it!

Greek Roasted Chicken & Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 16 oz. package fresh tri-colored cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coursely chopped fresh spinach
• 1 jar of Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup slivered red onion

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add tortellini, and cook for 7 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, and salt. Place the cooked tortellini in the bowl, and toss to coat. 
3. Gently mix the spinach, feta cheese, olives, roasted chicken, and onion into the bowl with the pasta. Cover and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken

 Original recipe from epicurious.com
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper* OR 2 teaspoons dried crushed Cayenne pepper plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt** (8 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 unpeeled lemon; thinly sliced into rounds, 
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place Cayenne pepper and sweet paprika in a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons warm water and let stand until paste forms, about 5 minutes. Add yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to spice mixture in bowl; whisk to blend. Stir in garlic and lemon slices, then chicken. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. NOTE:  I marinated the chicken for 24 hours, in a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer baggie in the refrigerator.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Discard marinade in bowl.  Brush grill rack with oil or use a non-stick cooking spray. Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 10 to 12 minutes on each side. I served the chicken with cilantro/lime Jasmine rice and cucumber/tomato Greek salad.