Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce

One of my favorite meals!  This is SO good.  Serve with Baba Ghanoush and Baked Pita Chips for a complete meal!

Ingredients:

• One recipe of Tahini Sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound chicken breast pieces, cut into one inch chunks
• Cucumber slices
• Shredded lettuce
• Pita bread

Directions:

1. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and chicken pieces in a bowl.  Toss well.
2. Spray a pan with non-stick spray, and heat on medium.
3. Add chicken mixture and cook until done.  Flipping every few minutes. 
4. Remove chicken from pan.
5. Split pitas in half and then CAREFULLY separate the bread.  It will create a pocket.
6. In the pocket put cucumbers down one side, shove lettuce in the bottom, and place chicken on top. You can add tomatoes if you want.  I am anti-raw tomatoes.  That is why mine is tomato free.
7. Top with the tahini sauce.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Cooking Light March 2011

Pita Chips.

Pita chips are SO easy to make and this way they end up not being fried!

So easy.  Feel free to add other spices to spice it up!

Ingredients:

• Pita
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400*F
2. Cut each pita into 8 triangles.
3. Brush/spray with olive oil.  I have an olive oil mister and found that it works wonderfully and just puts a light coating on each one.
4. Sprinkle lightly, or heavily you are the one that has to eat them, with kosher salt.
5. Bake for 5-7 minutes until crisp.  Keep an eye on them.  They will burn easily.

Enjoy with your favorite dip!

Baba Ghanoush

Years ago I dated a Lebanese guy.  We went to a Middle Eastern deli and I was introduced to a food from the Gods....baba ghanoush.  The literal translation he told me was "spoiled father".  Then later he told me it was eggplant and other stuff mixed up. I prefer the first description.

This recipe does take planning and time.  Make sure you factor in the baking of the eggplant and draining.  In all that takes 1 hour 45 minutes.  This does not include chopping, scooping, mixing.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F
2. Wash eggplant and pierce with a fork numerous times all around.  Great time to get out your aggressions!

    3.  Place on a lined, with aluminum foil, baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
    4.  Bake for 45 minutes or until soft.

Once baked it gets really soft and wrinkly

      5.  Cut eggplant in half and scoop out the middle.

   6.  Place in a colander and let drain for 30 minutes.

    7.  In a food processor place pine nuts, cumin, and garlic.  Pulse until finely
         chopped. 
    8.  Add eggplant, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, tahini, 1 teaspoon salt,
         and black pepper to food processor. Process until smooth.
    9.  Spoon eggplant mixture into a medium bowl; stir in parsley.

GORGE.

Recipe From Cooking Light July 2010

Tahini Sauce

Tonight's dinner contains multiple parts.  Here is the first one.  Tahini sauce.  There are many variations and this is mine!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Tahina
• 6 tablespoons PLAIN Greek Yogurt
• 3 tablespoons shredded cucumber
• 5 cloves garlic, minced

Who would think that just this could make something SO tasty?

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  If you are not using this right away I would recommend to place in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Cooking Light March 2011

Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies

If you are like me you have a bunch of half used bags of chocolate chips. 
I am on the mission to:
a) use up said chips
b) develop the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

This is my first attempt.

Ingredients:

•  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 bag mini M&M's
• 1 cup mixture of leftover chips (I used Ghirardelli semisweet chips and Tollhouse mini chips)

UNSALTED and farm fresh eggs.

My random bags.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat the butter and two sugars together in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture and beat until well blended. DO NOT add all at once unless you want a large mess to clean up.  I added mine in thirds.
5. Stir in all your chips.

      6.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  If you don;t have one, I HIGHLY
           recommend you get a cookie scoop.  They make cookie making easy.  Your cookies are
           always the same size so they all cookie evenly!  I use the tablespoon size.

      7.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 
      8.   Check on your cookie monsters:

NOT SO CLOSE!!!

     8.  Cool cookies on a cookie sheet  for 2 minutes.

   DO NOT skip the cooling part.  If you do, this can happen:

     9. Have a cookie and milk break and watch your three year old try to nibble all the M&Ms out.

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

These are fabulous AND since it has oatmeal in it, you get to pretend it is healthy for you!  Score on two points!

 Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

Make sure you get your helpers!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Grease pan.  I used a 8"x11" glass baking dish.  A 9" square would work as well.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.
4. To the sugar mixture add the egg, water, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture and oats to the butter mixture.  Mix well with a spoon!  It is getting thick!
6. With a spoon stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Spread dough into the baking dish and press down with a wooden spatula.  
7. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chunks on top.

     8.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  You need to check and make sure the center is
            firm.  Mine took about 32 minutes.
     9.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

   10.  Serve with a LARGE glass of milk.

Kale Chips

I had extra kale left over from the salad.  So you know what they say...When life gives you kale you make kale chips!

My snack.  Can you tell I have a house full of kids?

Ingredients:

• Kale
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt, to your taste preference

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300*F
2. Wash kale, dry, derib, and cut into bite size pieces.

       3.Add kale to a bowl
       4.  Pour in the Olive Oil and salt.
       5.  Toss well.
       6.  Put on baking sheet.

     7.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until crisp.  Make sure you don't burn it!

It shrivels a lot!

   
     8.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy your snack!