Recipe: Chicken Gyros

I have always really enjoyed Mediterrean food, but besides store-bought hummus, it's not usually something I make at home. Recently, I decided to try my hand at making chicken gyros, and it was a success! I looked up a few different recipes and came up with one that was pretty healthy and delicious!

Ingredients (Servings: 2)
For tzatziki sauce:
2-3 oz. Greek yogurt, plain (a little less than half of a standard 6 oz Chobani yogurt container)
1/8 cup cucumber, very finely diced 
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dill
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon juice (from about a quarter of a lemon)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
For chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Greek yogurt, plain
Fresh lemon juice (from about a half of a lemon)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dill
Salt and pepper
For assembling:
2 pitas (I used whole wheat)
Feta cheese
Kalamata Olives, chopped
Tomatoes, diced (I prefer roma)

I know this seems like a lot of ingredients, but a lot of them are spices and vinegars that you probably already have on hand. I actually only had to buy a couple things to make these.

To start, mix together all the ingredients for the chicken marinade. Once combined, add the chicken to the bowl and make sure each piece is completely coated. Cover and refrigerate it for 30 - 60 minutes.

Once that is complete, assemble the tzatziki sauce by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. It helps if you can let this sit in the refrigerator for a little bit while the flavors marry. My tzatziki sauce was actually better the second day because the flavors had melded together more.

When the chicken is finished marinading, transfer it to a skillet over medium heat. While the chicken is cooking, toast the whole wheat pitas just so they're slightly crispy and warm. I put mine in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Once the chicken is cooked through, place half the chicken on to each pita. Top with feta cheese, kalamata olives, the tzatziki sauce, and diced tomatoes. I served it with a delicious Greek salad with similar toppings as the gyro.  

Here is the final plate....good for you and delicious! Enjoy!

~ Kris

Recipe: Greek Stuffed Peppers

I’m always looking for good vegetarian or seafood dishes to prepare, especially during Fridays in Lent. I just came across a good one and thought I’d share. I found this on Eating Well online. The ingredients are pretty simple and there’s nothing complicated about the preparation.  

4 servings 

Ingredients:

-          4 yellow orange, yellow, and/or red bell peppers

-          ½ cup whole wheat orzo

-          1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

-          1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-          1 medium onion, chopped

-          6 oz. baby spinach, chopped

-          1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried

-          ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

-          ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

-          1 tbsp sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar

-          ¼ tsp salt

Start by cutting the peppers in half – lengthwise through the stem. Remove all the seeds and membrane so the inside is completely clear. 

Arrange them cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Microwave until the peppers are soft, about 7-9 minutes. Let them cool slightly, drain them and set aside. (Of note, I cut the recipe in half, so I only did two peppers.)   

While you’re waiting for those in the microwave, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add your orzo. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

When the orzo and peppers are underway, mash the chickpeas until they make a chunky paste, making sure to leave some of the chickpeas whole.

Next, heat your oil in a skillet over medium heat and add your onions. Of course, I omitted this step since I hate onions; however, I did add minced garlic and crushed red pepper at this point. The recipe didn’t call for either of these, but I would highly recommend adding both of them – especially the garlic. I put garlic in just about everything I cook, and it definitely makes sense in this dish. After a couple minutes, add the chopped spinach and oregano and let it cook until the spinach wilts. Stir in the cooked orzo, chickpeas, ½ cup feta (save the rest for the end), sundried tomatoes, vinegar and salt. Cook for about 1 minute until it’s all heated through. Your mixture should look like this:

Grab your peppers and spoon the mixture into each one. Sprinkle the rest of the feta over the top of each pepper and serve!

There are a lot of possibilities with this dish, depending on the ingredients you have on hand. If you have artichokes, you could chop those up and add them to the dish. Also, if you want to add meat, you could finely chop chicken and mix that in. Fresh herbs like basil would be a nice addition. Experiment!  

This was delicious, easy, versatile and healthy! Enjoy!

~ Kris