Publix's Watermelon Feta Salad

The other night, my friend Susan had us over for dinner.  One of the dishes she served was this wonderful watermelon salad.  I had seen several recipes for this recently, but wasn't sure if I was buying the whole idea of watermelon being a key part of a salad - I'm always a little wary of mixing sweet and savory items.  I was really impressed with this salad, though.  Susan told me the recipe was from Publix, so today I looked it up and made it myself.  It's so great and refreshing.  I'm sure I'll be eating it more throughout the summer!

Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients 4 oz feta cheese
2 lb watermelon slices (or quarters)
8 oz grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups arugula greens (about 5 oz)
1 cup sliced red onions

Prep
Cut feta and watermelon into small bite-size pieces.
Cut tomatoes in half.

Steps
Whisk oil, vinegar, and salt to blend; set aside. Place arugula, onions, and tomatoes in salad bowl.
Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Add cheese and melon; serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 270kcal; FAT 17g; CHOL 25mg; SODIUM 470mg; CARB 26g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 7g; VIT A 50%; VIT C 60%; CALC 25%; IRON 8%

Newly Weds to... Oldly Weds?

Kent and I celebrated 5 years of marriage this week!  I can't believe how quickly the time goes - it makes me feel old!  It also makes me feel like I need to change the name of my blog, but I just don't think I can bear to do it.  So, I guess we'll just have to keep trying to live like newlyweds!  We celebrated with a wonderful dinner at Cafe Dupont.  I had a great ribeye and definitely MUST recommend the beignets for dessert!  I keep meaning to post pictures from our big trip to Switzerland that we took in the Spring as an early marker of our anniversary.  Maybe I'll get around to it one of these days...

Taziki's Friday Special

I found this recipe recently, even though it had been publish in 2008 on AL.com.  I really wanted to make it since Taziki's Friday Special is one of my favorite lunch time items!  I figured that the owners had given AL.com a slightly different version of the recipe to print (a lot of folks don't like to give away all their secrets!) but this dish really did taste like it does at the restaurant!  This recipe is supposed to be enough for 6 people, so I cut down the chicken and pasta portions to 4 people so that Kent and I could eat it for leftovers one night - we still had plenty left over even after the 2nd day, but it doesn't last too long in the fridge.  To cook the chicken, I just sauteed three chicken breasts instead of grilling them, and the chicken was still great.  Be sure to get real feta; I accidentally got reduced fat, and it is not the same!!!  This would be a perfect dish for a luncheon, and I'll definitely be making it again!

 

Photo from AL.com

Taziki's Friday Special
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
½ cup balsamic vinegar
Juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups blended olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups mixed lettuces
1 ½ pounds penne pasta, cooked
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed
2 cups feta cheese crumbled
3 tomatoes seeded and diced
1 handful fresh basil chopped
Flat or pita bread - toasted

To make vinaigrette: Mix thyme, shallots, balsamic vinegar, lemon, sugar, Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in oil. Add salt and pepper.

Place about 1 cup mixed lettuces on each plate. Toss cooked pasta with 12 ounces (or to taste) vinaigrette.

Toss grilled chicken with 6 ounces vinaigrette.

Spoon approximately 3 cups pasta onto lettuce, then add chicken.

Top with diced tomato, feta cheese and fresh basil, to taste.