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.  

Caprese Pizza Dip - from Susan

Susan brought this wonderful dip to our Sunday School get-together this weekend!  We decided we liked it with tortilla chips, and it's best if it can be kept warm.  This would be a great appetizer for a Greek dinner, and the tomatoes make it perfect for summer-time!

(Photo from us-masala.blogspot.com)

Caprese Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

1 pint/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temp
10 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup + 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped roughly
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.   Place tomato halves on top.  Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and salt, then bake for 12 – 17 minutes.  Take out of the oven and set aside.  While tomatoes are roasting, mix softened cream cheese with mozzarella and ¼ cup parmesan.  Stir in fresh basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper – mixing well to combine.  Place the tomatoes at the bottom of a baking dish, top it with the cheese mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan, drizzle 1 tbsp oil on top.  Bake for 20 – 22 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly.  Serve immediately with crackers, chips, or toasted crusty bread.

Sun-dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Bruschetta

I found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it recently when I hosted a girls' night at my house.  It was a big hit, and I'll definitely be making it again!  It's the perfect appetizer for any dinner party.  I had a lot of extra tapenade left over - so it could definitely be used as a dip, too.

 

(Photo from: garnishwithlemon.com)

 

 

Sun-dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Bruschetta

(from:  garnishwithlemon.com)

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread
• 4 oz. Crumbled Feta cheese
• 4 oz. Light cream cheese softened
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 oz. Kalamata olives coarsely chopped
• 1- 7 ounce jar julienne sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 10 basil leaves chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Slice the bread into ½ inch slices and toast in oven until lightly browned (about 9 minutes). Rub the bread with one of the garlic cloves after you remove it from the oven. Can be made two days ahead, put in air tight container once it has cooled.
3. Combine Feta and cream cheese until smooth.
4. Put remaining garlic cloves, olives and sun-dried tomatoes in bowl of food processor. Pulse until coarsley chopped but not pureed. Slice basil in ribbons and stir into tapenade.
5. Right before serving, spread crostini with cream cheese mixture and top with olive tomato tapenade.

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken

My church hosted a Spring Fling event recently for women in the church.  This lovely dish was served for dinner and was so wonderful!  All of the ladies at the table talked about how great it tasted.  I can't wait to try it at home!  It goes well with pita bread or chips.

Couscous Salad with Fresh Spinach and Chicken
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 ½ cups cooked couscous
2 cups baby spinach leaves, rolled and sliced into slivers
1 cup dried cranberries

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, chopped

Cooked and sliced chicken (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and Nature’s Seasoning)

Dressing:

½ cup plain low fat yogurt
3 T olive oil
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic

 

Directions:
Combine the almonds and the red onion in a bowl. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and

garlic. Pour over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill, serve with sliced chicken.

Baked Greek Chicken

I easily get tired of chicken recipes since we eat chicken pretty often.  A few weeks ago we were planning to eat chicken for dinner and wanted to try something different.  We were both hungry and had not planned ahead - so we didn't have it marinated and I didn't feel like standing over the stove watching it cook.  This baked chicken recipe was perfect!  It had so much flavor and was ready to eat quickly!

Baked Greek Chicken
2-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic (or garlic puree from a jar)
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Directions:
Place the chicken in a small casserole dish.  Mix all of the other ingredients together.  Pour over the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Stuffed Eggplant

I'm making a switch from some of the German recipes that I've been posting to a few recipes from the Greek cookbook that I mentioned a few weeks ago.  Kent and I went to the Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Birmingham with our friends, Caroline and Franklin, in September.  I bought the church's cookbook, The Greeks Have a Recipe for It.  I've been wanting to try some of the recipes and chose two to try recently.  They were both wonderful!  I love eating eggplant, but it can take a long time to cook.  Since the eggplant is sauteed in this recipe, it doesn't take as long to cook as it might in other recipes.  It's also nice that this recipe uses ground chuck instead of more expensive ground lamb like many Greek recipes.  This meal is great to cook for two any night of the week, but guests will also love it since it's a little fancy!

Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients:
2 long, medium sized eggplant
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. ground chuck
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
 3 tsp. parsley
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated Kasseri cheese*
Salt and ppepper to taste

Directions:
Wash eggplant and cut in half lengthwisee.  Scoop out pulp and set aside.  Reserve shell.  Saute onion and garlic in oil until golden (add the garlic after the onion has cooked a few minutes so that the garlic with not begin to burn).  Add meat and continue to cook until brown.  Add tomato sauce, parsley, water, pulp from eggplant, salt and pepper and cook 15 minutes longer, or until most of thee liquid is absorbed.  Remove from stove and fill eggplant shells with meat mixture.  Place in casserole and sprinkle each shell with cheese.  Add water, about 1 cup, to casserole and bake in 350 degrees until shell of eggplant in soft.

*I used Parmesan cheese, which is similar to Kasseri.  Kasseri could probably be found at Greek or Mediterranean grocery stores.