Feel like having some Greek?

I made this on Wednesday... Tasted AWESOME...

Chicken Soulvaki w/ Tzatziki sauce, Long Grain White Rice topped with Roasted Tomatos, and Greek Salad

To Dish authentically: Place a large warm Pita on the plate, scoop long grain fluffy rice down the center. To one side of the rice, plate the salad, to the other - place 2 skewers of meat. Place 2-3 roasted tomatoes on top of the rice... Sprinkle it all with Feta cheese.

My Roasted Tomatoes Recipe:
***You will want to make this first since it take a while...

Ingredients:
-Roma Tomatoes
-Olive Oil
-Oregano

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Place 6-8 Roma Tomatoes cut in half on a cookie sheet.

3. Drizzle with olive oil

4. If you like, sprinkle with oregano.

5. Place in oven and cook for 1 hr to 1.5 hrs.



My Tzatziki Sauce Recipe:
***You will want to make this second since it take a while for tatiki sauce flavors to meld...

Ingredients:
-3 cups Greek Yogurt
-Juice from 1 Large Lemon
-1 garlic clove, chopped (you can use minced garlic from a jar as well)
-2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
-1 Tbsp salt for salting cucumbers
-1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version… I usually don’t have dill so I leave it out often… tastes about the same)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.)

2. Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 Tbsp salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

3. In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed.

4. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)
***This should keep for about 5 days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

My Chicken Soulvaki Recipe:
Obtain 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut to 1'' by 1'' cubes

Ingredients:
-1 cup olive oil
-Juice from 1 large lemon
-2 Tbsp finely minced garlic (or garlic puree from a jar)
-2 Tbsp dried oregano
*Note, if marinating longer, wait to add lemon juice until last 30 min.

1. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts, then cut each bread into 1'' by 1'' cubes.
2. Put chicken strips into large Ziploc bag or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

3. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano in a bowl and stir together with a whisk or spoon.

4. Pour marinade into Ziploc bag or plastic container, seal, and squeeze bag or turn container over and shake gently so all pieces of meat are well-coated with marinade. Put in fridge to marinate.

5. To get ready to grill, remove chicken from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, then drain chicken pieces and thread onto skewers. I put about six pieces on a skewer.

6. Spray grill with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil, then preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.

7. Grill skewers about 12-15 minutes, turning often. Souvlaki is done when the chicken is slightly browned and firm, but not hard to the touch.


My Greek Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:
- Spinach leaf lettuce
- Feta Cheese
- Roma Tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- Cucumber
- Black Olives
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Peel and dice cucumber

2. Dice roma tomatoes

3. Combine equal amounts of cucumber, spinach, and tomatoes in bowl, along with the olives. More or less of whatever based on your own tastes.

4. Drizzle olive oil and Feta cheese – as much or as little as you’d like for you.

5. Add Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

My Rice Recipe:
Basic Rice rule: 1 cup of rice per 2 cups of liquid. Fix as recommended on package, I used Mahatma. Instead of water, use chicken broth. Very simple – just make sure it isn’t over cooked or under cooked.