stuff your salad in a tomato

Tomatoes are huge and inexpensive right now, and I've been looking for ways to mix up my habitual lunch salad with toppings like tuna and a bunch of different types of beans, but when I picked up a Runner's World magazine while I was at the airport this weekend, I was inspired by a bunch of their great recipes. Who knew they'd have recipes? Guess I shouldn't be that surprised, but I was quite impressed.... 

Among other healthy, fresh, balanced and light recipes was one for a stuffed tomato. I found a bunch of varieties on stuffed tomatoes when I went to Runner's World's site to look for the recipes ones I'd seen in the magazine and now plan to chop up my salads and try a few of these variations among others on their site. Maybe they will come up with a cheap {and non-clutter causing}Nook version of the mag so I don't drown us in magazines saved merely for their recipes. Image belongs to foodstuff, who also has a great looking recipe.

roasted shrimp

Umb. I'm dumb. Where has this been? I'm sure I own the Ina Garten cookbook that it's in. As in, for the last three years this recipe {or rather this simple 8 minute interaction between a hot oven and four household staples} has been sitting in my kitchen, in painfully close proximity to the freezer which houses an old, colossal and overly ambitions, never ending bag of frozen shrimp.

Le Sigh. Despite the time it took, I'm so glad cute Little Kitchen could bring it to the forefront of my Google Reader so that at least, albeit feeling like an idiot, I could at least come out of the cave I've been living in, begin to enjoy this and make some more room in my freezer. Or maybe not since I'll probably go to Costco for an elephant sized bag later today.

This. Is. So. Good. So versatile. So stinkingfrikinannoyingly simple. Be generous with your oil, salt and pepper and use good olive oil. Eat these babies alone, chopped up on salads, thrown into summer pastas, make little ceviches.

Roasted Shrimp

via The Little Kitchen that Could {to whom the pic belongs} from Ina Garten

{Ingredients}
2 lbs. large shrimp (15-20 count), peeled and deveined with tails left on

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon Old Bay blackening seasoning is also good if you have it
{Directions}

If your shrimp were frozen, as mine were, easily thaw them by running them under lukewarm water in a colander or setting them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes or so. They are then easy to peel if they aren't already.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in one layer.  Roast for 8 minutes or just until pink and cooked through.  Set aside to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature, on top of salads, mixed in pasta, or even in warmed corn tortillas with some fresh pico de gallo, cilantro, maybe some chopped mango, cabbage, and a little chipotle mayo.

blackberry fage

Operation Clean Out Freezer and Pantry is in full force.

After the pasta frozen fruit is next on the hit list. I have frozen cranberries, peaches, blackberries and strawberries. Since this stuff isn't in season anyway, now is a great time to start using it!

{blackberry yogurt}
heaping 1/2 c. frozen blackberries
1 c. greek yogurt
2 T. granola (or Grape Nuts - if you're in OCOF&P)
2 t. honey

Heat blackberries in a coffee mug for 1-2 minutes in the microwave until thawed. To thawed berries (and resulting liquid that I kept for sweetness) mix yogurt, granola & honey.

pumpkin pie for lunch.

we're just taking this to a new level.

it's october! 


{pumpkin pie for lunch}
combine the following {with a vigorous spoon or a blender}


one cup fat free fage Greek yogurt
three tablespoons pumpkin puree
one half a banana {not necessary, and seems weird but it sweetens it!}
one tablespoon Stonewall Kitchen Maple Pumpkin Butter
one fourth a cup chopped toasted pecans or almonds
a dash of pumpkin pie spice
graham cracker crumbs


yum.

a match made in heaven

one tablespoon

+

one to two cups

=

{love}

toppings? toasted pecans, diced peaches, cinnamon granola...

{asian salad}

a really great way to get your veggies and mix up the flavors! the peanut butter gives this a nutty flavor as well as a tiny bit of hearty creaminess.

{asian salad}

adapted from hungry girl

INGREDIENTS

1 16oz package broccoli slaw mix (a bagged mixture of shredded broccoli and cabbage)

1 cup canned mandarin orange slices

2 cups shelled and cooked edamame beans (find shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable section)

1/3 c. cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes or 1 T. sriracha sauce

1/3 to 1/2 c. asian dressing such as Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing. I used Central Market's Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette 

1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter.

{additional veggie options}

1 cup steamed broccoli

1 cup steamed snap peas

1/2 c. water chestnuts

1 cup steamed asparagus pieces

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together pepper flakes or sauce with dressing and peanut butter. Toss well with combined slaw mix, cilantro and edamame. Chill covered for at least and hour before serving. Adapt to taste!

vegetable pasta toss

wondering what to do with all those great vegetables from the stuffed peppers?? here's a yummy, fresh, flexible pasta sauce and you don't even have to turn on the oven. next time i try this, i might put a little white wine in there with the tomatoes.

{vegetable pasta toss}
serves 4
a few drizzles of olive oil

2 small, diced

1 T minced garlic

1 slender zucchini, small dice
1 slender yellow summer squash, small dice

1 sweet bell pepper, small dice
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed {or 1 c cooked ground beef}

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved {or 1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes}
1 T ground cumin

1 T ground coriander

1 t cinnamon

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta or pasta of choice
juice of one lemon, divided

salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
::directions::


Bring a large pot of water to boil.

 Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat up a large skillet with a lid on medium high heat. Depending on whether it is nonstick or stainless steel, drizzle a very little oil or a tablespoon or 2 into the pan, and heat it up. When it is shimmering, add the garlic and let it toast briefly, 15-30 seconds. Do not let it burn. Add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with salt.



Add veggies {and chickpeas if you're using them}. When the onion has totally caramelized and the zucchini is a little tender, add the spices and stir. Do not allow the spices to stick and burn. Add the juice of half of the lemon to the pan to deglaze it. Then add the tomatoes. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Uncover and stir to allow tomatoes to break up and liquids to evaporate. Add breadcrumbs if you want it thicker. Remove from heat and add meat if you're using it, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and cheese. Toss the cooked noodles with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon. Serve combined or separately.

{image belongs to themarmot}

have you tried greek yogurt?

This summer, through various sources, I heard all about the wonders of Greek yogurt. It's strained differently so it's thicker while still having fat free options, and it's packed with protein. This week I've been enjoying the plain version and putting diced up fruit in it. I have the blueberry in my refrigerator waiting for lunch tomorrow. Check it out:

5.3 ounces of Stoneyfeild Farm's Oikos blueberry flavor has 120 calories 13 grams of protein. The plain version of the same size has 90 calories and 16 grams of protein which is a whopping 32% daily value of protein.
Fage is another brand that's a few cents more expensive at my local HEB. They carry both of these at the HEBs and Randalls near me, in addition to a few other brands. If you can't find them at a "normal" grocery story, I wager you won't regret the trip to a nearby Central Market or Whole Foods.

You can't get much more nutritious than that, and I think they're pretty yummy as well!

steak salad

Hey look! A man salad.
This was a great summer dinner that kept Taylor feeling he'd been heartily cooked for and involved a tasty little portion of red meat that I didn't mind eating. {read: not ground beef}

steak salad
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb strip steak
2 heaping cups arugula
2 heaping cups baby spinach
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 to 1/3 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup red bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon seasoning salt
red wine vinaigrette dressing {recipe below}
cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS
Heat skillet to high heat. Season steak generously with Worcestershire sauce and cracked pepper and rub in to both sides. Add steak to skillet and cook about 2 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches around 130 degrees. Transfer to cutting board and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes. While meat is resting, divide vegetables evenly among two rimmed plates and toss with desired amount of dressing and seasoning salt.

Cut meat into thin strips, trimming as desired, and then cut each strip in half. Top tossed salads with steak.

red wine vinaigrette
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Add all ingredients together and whisk in the oil.

I served this with some roasted "old" potatoes, kind of a twist on steak and potatoes, but it probably would have been better with some good, toasted crusty bread.

orzo pasta with chicken, peppers and arugula

I'd never had, much less made anything with orzo pasta. I really liked it, and a little bit goes a long way. One serving size is 1/2 of a cup dry and I found that, once cooked very satisfying. I also liked that I could buy exactly the amount I wanted in HEB's bulk section and only pay a dollar and some change. That section is great when I need a little special ingredient but don't want to buy a large portion of it; or if I want to try something new --like orzo!
This is a great base for any veggies you have sitting around. I've been into arugula and have been finding tons of places in which to throw it. Definitely toast the pine nuts.

orzo pasta with chicken and arugula
{serves 4}
INGREDIENTS
2 T. olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 of a red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cups arugula
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted*
1/8 to 1/4 cup lemon vinaigrette dressing**
DIRECTIONS
*{toasting pine nuts: add to dry pot on medium heat, stirring occasionally until slightly browned and fragrant}

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add orzo pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Add to large bowl with toasted pine nuts and set aside. I toasted the nuts in the same pot, once the pasta was finished.

While pasta is cooking, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into non-stick or cast iron skillet. Stir in onion, peppers and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, add garlic and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often. Increase heat to medium high, pour in white wine; cook about 3 minutes. Liquid should simmer and reduce significantly.
Reduce heat to low, stir in chicken and arugula. Cover, and cook to warm through, about 3 minutes. Uncover and stir until arugula is wilted. Add mixture to orzo and pine nuts and toss with dressing.

You may need a little less pasta than that and perhaps a bit more dressing. I plated ours and added the chicken, pepper, arugula mixture and dressing separately to each plate to be sure the proportions were right. Then tossed.

**{if you don't want to make my lemon vinaigrette, you can also toss this with about 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squirt of dijon mustard, or go a different route and do balsamic vinaigrette}

crepes just crepes

I made crepes on Thursday with my friend Ellen! Having only had them in France with Nutella, but aware that they are beginning to have a cult following in Austin with a few crepe trailers popping up about town, I was eager to try my hand at them. The sno cone trailer trend was followed by the cupcake trailer trend and now, evidently, we have mobile crepes.

Crepes are similar to pancakes but flatter and often sweeter. They're typically consumed as a dessert but people are packing all kinds of things into them. I had a chicken avocado crepe at Sweet Eugene's once. It was surprisingly good. So feel free to stuff it with anything that delights your heart.

Ellen did not know that she'd be subjected to my food photography when she agreed to hang out and bake with me. She was a good sport about that and about the cast iron pan with a burning handle that she had to swirl and twirl.

crepes
from The Culinary Institue's Breakfasts and Brunches
{serves 8}
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
melted butter or vegetable oil to coat pan as needed
DIRECTIONS
Sift the flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, blend the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth. I strained the mixture through a mesh colander to be sure it was as smooth as possible, whisking the lumps in the colander. Heat small non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Brush with butter or oil. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, swirling and tilting the pan to coat the bottom with batter. Cook until the first side is set and has a little color, slightly golden with specks of light brown, about 2 minutes. Lift the crepe and turn it over {the C.I.A. recommends using a rubber spatula for this step} Cook the other side about 1 minute more.

{serving suggestions}
avocado and spicy ranch dressing
bananas and peanut butter
strawberris and chocolate syrup
powdered sugar and bluberry syrup
and Nutella...of course

Aaaaand mine's the messy one. So precious. Don't worry, I added bananas and peanut butter as well. And ate about ten.
But they're thin. And made with healthy things like milk, flour and eggs.
So it's ok.

chicken salad

Taylor prefers his chicken salad done pretty plain. He likes Kitchen Door's Austin award winning chicken salad. I, on the other hand, prefer my chicken salad to have much more action-packed chunkiness going on than just chicken and mayo. Plus that wouldn't be exciting food blog fodder. "Shred chicken, mix with mayo. Eat on white bread." So here's my type of chicken salad.


Chunky Chicken Salad
{serves 4}
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2/3 cup grapes, cut into eighths
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup diced onions, cooked
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 teaspoons cracked pepper
3 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise. I used Kraft's new kind made with olive oil.
DIRECTIONS
Combine first four ingredients. Add the honey and then remaining ingredients to taste. Serve stuffed in a big, ripe, yummy tomato or on a bed of lettuce with avocado slices. Or on your favorite toasted bread. The options are limitless, really.
{notes and modifications}
I used a combination of leftover grilled chicken breast and rotisserie chicken meat. Whole Foods makes theirs by adding a little bit of apple cider vinegar. Try that if you like, it sounds good but I make no endorsements since I didn't do it myself. I diced my onions, then zapped them in the microwave for about 2 minutes. You can toast the pecans by placing in dry skillet on medium low and stirring for about 3-5 minutes.


Oh, and please do not get the impression that I'm knocking Kitchen Door. They have good ice.
And oatmeal cookies and frosted cookies and brownies. But I'm sad they left Lake Austin Blvd. Moment of silence...

{image belongs to scottishcow}

vegetable latkes

My friends are going to look at this and roll their eyes. Oh, Erin and her self-inflicted, heath freakish oddities. I thought these were good. They're really healthy and feel like a heartier way to eat vegetables. The recipe I found originally used peas, which I omitted, but substituted for soy beans in this recipe to add some protein. I think you could eat these for a main dish. My husband, on the other hand, would disagree. To his credit, these are a little on the strange side for his preferences.


It's pretty flexible too. I think you could use just about any vegetable that meets your fancy. You probably have some articles in your vegetable drawer right now that would be happy to offer their services.
My super cool mesh colanders enjoyed participating. That bottom one suspends itself over the sink. I know you're j.

Mmm carrots. I hadn't peeled a carrot in a looooong while. It was a job given to me once upon a time. Probably since my mom succumbed to the convenience of those bagged baby carrots. This picture reminds me of making carrot cake cupcakes.... go ahead. Check them out, I'll wait for you.
I stored half the grated vegetables and spice mixture for later in the week, then mixed them together with 2 eggs when I made them again.

Indian-Spiced Vegetable Latkes
adapted from smitten kitchen
Makes about 24 pancakes.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup frozen soy beans, shelled*
1 medium onion, peeled
1 medium sized russet or Idaho potato, peeled
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled (I used half an eggplant)
1 large carrot, peeled
1 zucchini
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place two nonstick baking sheets in oven.

In small saucepan, bring salted water to boil. Add soy beans and cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then rinse in colander under cool, running water. Set aside in colander to drain completely. (Or, you could do this step in the microwave, and save yourself a good bit of effort.) Mash or add to food processor in step below.

Using box grater or food processor fitted with grating disc, coarsely grate onion, potatoes, carrot and zucchini and place in colander set in sink, setting aside to drain.

In large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in flour and spices. Mix in cilantro.

Press vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to bowl. Season mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork.

In heavy-bottomed, 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat, heat 1-2 tablespoons oil (I used an extra-virgin olive oil spray to lightly coat the pan); until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant 1/4-cup portions of potato mixture into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.

Fry until bottoms are golden-brown (the color really counts on this; the darker you let it go, the more the pancake holds together - this goes for both sides.), 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in oven while making remaining pancakes.

Using paper towels, carefully wipe out pan. And 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out pan and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons oil before each batch.

*Found in the frozen food section likely called edamame

Now, eat your veggies!

tex mex summer salad

Wondering what to do with that avocado now, since you only used 1/6th of it for your sandwich on Saturday? Make a scrumptious little salad! Depending on how generous you feel like being with that avocado, and whether or not you want to add black beans, this could even be a meal.
Cast of characters, minus a few of the flavorings.

tex mex summer salad
INGREDIENTS
1 large avocado
2 roma tomatoes
juice from one lime
1 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used canned)
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans (I'd use canned...but had none)
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/3 c. finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tsp salt or seasoning salt
2 tsp chili powder
DIRECTIONS
Dice avocado and tomatoes and add to medium sized bowl with corn and black beans. Add lime juice, cilantro and spices and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes to a hour before serving.

Perhaps you can tell that my avocado was quite ripe. Great for below sandwich, still tasty but a little mushy for this salad. Chilling this before serving not only enhances the refreshing aspect of the salad but also allows the flavors to blend. Obviously this is quite flexible and I suggest you taste it as you add spices... diced peppers like red or jalapenos would be another great addition. Squeezing a bit of orange into it would probably be really good as well. This could also be a yummy topping for fajitas or grilled shrimp tacos or even salmon. So easy, so versatile, what's not to love?

the simple but scrumptious saturday sandwich

Yes. I'm devoting an entire post to a sandwich. Will you write this off? Or will you open your mind to all that this sandwich holds for you? For you, loyal readers, I am divulging my secrets.

The key here, the ticket to greatness, the road straight to the heart of your eagerly awaiting recipient, is an overripe avocado.

Cut that avocado in half, twist the halves apart, stab the seed, yank it out and throw it away. Whew. Using one of the halves, cut a few thin slices lengthwise. I recommend four slices. You want these four slices to be about a half inch wide at their widest part. Since your avocado is just slightly overripe, the skin will peel right off. Place one slice at a time onto your favorite, toasted bread and cut into it, spreading the thin slivers onto the bread as you move the sliver of avocado across the bread.

Repeat with remaining slices, spreading gently and generously.Now avocado is the key, but this, dear readers, is your secret ingredient....
Now that you're intrigued by that bottle and lusting after that avocado, let's just cut to the chase...

the simple but scrumptious saturday sandwich
INGREDIENTS
1/2 boneless grilled chicken breast, cut thinly lengthwise (or meat of choice)
2 slices good bread
2 thin slices provolone cheese
4 thin roma tomato slices
1 leaf Romaine lettuce or spinach
1/4 to 1/6 overripe avocado
1 - 2 tbs. Newman's Family Recipe Italian dressing
yellow mustard
DIRECTIONS
Heat broiler to low. Place bread slices on baking sheet and toast one side to desired crispness, perhaps about 2 minutes. Remove and flip to non-toasted side. Drizzle slices (slowly!) with dressing and spread with knife. Return slices, dressing side up, and continue toasting, but remove one slice after about a minute, once you can barely see it's starting to toast. Allow the second slice to finish toasting and remove.

Spread avocado onto the dressing side of both slices of bread, as demonstrated in above tutorial. Onto fully toasted slice, spread yellow mustard. Avocado and mustard? Yes. Trust me. Onto partially toasted slice, place chicken and top with provolone cheese. Return to broiler until cheese gets sweaty and droopy, about 2 minutes. Top with tomatoes, leafy greens and pickles. Top with the other slice of bread.
This picture shows the sandwich done with turkey lunch meat and uninspiring bread. I have plans to make a wheat bread soon, so stay tuned.

This is a technicality but nevertheless: If you like your sandwiches cut in half, so you can bite into the non-crust side, I've found it's easier to cut the bread in half before beginning with the broiler et cetera and deal with four halves, rather than trying to cut it in half later. But that wasn't worth explaining in the directions. It probably wasn't worth explaining at all....except that then I would be withholding an element of this Simple but Scrumptious Saturday Sandwich, and I promised to divulge my secrets.

Serve with Zapps and fruit and a chocolate chip cookie.

hummus among us

The raw garlic makes the hummus spicy so only add one clove if you're interested in toning it down. Black beans and maybe a dash of paprika or nutmeg (probably not those two spices simultaneously) would also add a different flavor. If you don't have a food processor and aren't interested in purchasing one based upon my recommendation, you could also do this with a potato masher tool or even a fork. Perhaps a blender as well as long as you were generous with the olive oil. Very easy and really good. If you're one of my girlfriends who can make itty bitty meals without worrying about starving a non-existent husband, you should really try this. Or if your significant other doesn't mind stashing his carnivoirish tendencies for a night. Mine minds. But I personally spread this out into about three meals.
Chickpeas are a legume that, like all legumes, are high in protein and fiber and low in fat and cholesterol. Adding black beans will not only amp up the flavor but the protein and fiber content as well. Since the only meats I ever really eat are chicken and salmon, I'm enjoying figuring out some protein varieties to add to my repertoire. If you get canned chickpeas and black beans look for the low sodium ones.

Spicy Hummus Pitas
INGREDIENTS
1 15 oz can chickpeas / garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 c. olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pita bread pockets
{recommended variations}
sliced cucumbers
sliced roma or cherry tomatoes
baby spinach leaves
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until creamy. Add pepper, salt, lemon juice to taste or more olive oil if it’s not smooth enough.

Envelope pita(s) in foil and place under broiler on low for about 3 minutes. Uncover and allow to toast for 1 to 2 min on each side. Add hummus and any additional desired ingredients.There's a "digital macro" shot of my garlic press. I'm still trying to figure out the settings on my point and shoot and the "maco" setting is much better than the "digital macro" setting. Hence the unacceptable fuzziness of this shot. Regardless, this is a trusty little garlic press and I just wanted to show it off.My supporting actress of choice is the Nature's Choice Sweet Cherubs. If I had cucumbers they would have been diced up and thown in there too. I'm sorry I had already begun to devour my dinner before taking this picture.

Chicken Gyros with Cucumber Salsa and Tsatsiki

First I have to say that it is so typical of Epicurious to categorize this as "Quick & Easy" when it involved not only homemade tsatsiki but homemade salsa and homemade garlic sauce. This was certainly good --all the flavor I'd expect from an Epicurious recipe but not what I'd call "Quick & Easy." Save your categories for Top Chef, Epicurious.

Chicken Gyros
adapted from Gourmet
INGREDIENTS
2 cucumbers, divided
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
dried parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4-5 tablespoons cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1 (12-ounces) package naan bread (four 8-inch pieces)
or 4 (8-inch) pita rounds
1/2 roast chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded (about 2 1/4 cups)
8 leaves of spinach, shredded or chopped

DIRECTIONS
Tsatsiki
Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then squeeze it with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, one third of garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tsatsiki.
Cucumber Salsa
Cut remaining cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces and stir together with tomatoes, onion, dash of parsley, mint, remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and dash of salt and pepper to make salsa.
Garlic Oil Spread
Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper in a small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. (I did this in the microwave.) Generously brush one side of bread with oil and toss chicken in with the remainder. Stir to keep warm while toasting bread.

Heat bread, oiled side up, on cookie sheet, covered with foil, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes. Uncover and broil, flipping bread for even coloring, until golden in spots, about 2 minutes.

Open pita and fill with spinach, salsa, chicken and tsatsiki. Or serve all ingredients on top of pita or naan bread. This is even better as leftovers, as chicken stored in garlic rosemary sauce has marinated in the flavor. YUM!

I accidentally put oregano in the salsa. Don't do that.

pesto whole wheat penne pasta

This is a vestige of my college days. I could eat this for every meal. Once tay and I discovered HEB's premarinated fajita chicken meat, it made an excellent addition to this dish. That fajita meat is great for us because we can grill it on our little indoor grill and then I can put the meat in a variety of dishes throughout the week to make it fit our 2 person portion size. Typically I can make this pasta, we have leftovers for the next day and we still have half the fajita meat for another dish. The fajita meat doesn't have a Mexican-y taste. It has a lot of flavor and is really tender. It has gone great with everything that I've put it in, and Taylor likes it, so, anything with it in it, he will eat.
Here goes.

Pesto Penne Pasta with Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1-2 c. diced HEB premarinated, grilled, fajita chicken meat
8 oz. Whole Wheat Penne pasta
1/3 c. pesto
1/2 c. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
2 T. olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions (this is half the standard size box). Drain and return to pot. Add chicken. Pour in olive oil and pesto, mix well. Add cheese, mix well. The more pesto the better. I buy those little containers made by HEB. Without the chicken, it would be good sided for grilled chicken breasts. If I served it as a side, I'd probably add some little diced roma tomotes.

I don't think Tay is a huge fan of this but I really like it and he eats it because of his fajita chicken meat. I think I served this with some chopped cantelope and honeydew. Yum yum!