I'll Skewer You - Chicken Souvlaki

My favorite thing to eat at a Greek restaurant is Greek style ribs. 100%. However ribs are not my forte (at least not yet), so I make my second favorite dish - chicken souvlaki! I prefer poultry, but if you wanted to make pork or lamb, you can easily sub it out. 

The pain in the ass with souvlaki is the marinating time. I am not always amazing at meal planning and usually sort it out when I go to cook. However, since my Greek meals take a bit more than that, I usually remember/get my act together with sufficient time for the chicken to absorb the goodness. It should marinate over night, I usually do it for a few hours the day of the meal to great results though.

And by goodness I mean: extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup), garlic (at least 3 cloves, again I go 5), oregano, and salt and pepper. Oh, and you'll need a couple chicken breasts.

Start by combining the marinate (everything but the chicken). Trim the chicken and cut into what I describe as two bite pieces. Put into the marinate as you go along, ensuring each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before cooking, ideally overnight.  

You can cook on a barbecue  or if you're in an apartment like me, in your oven. If cooking in the oven preheat it to 375. Soak some wood skewers in water so they don't burn. Then skewer chicken. I usually do 5-6 pieces per skewer, you can do more or less if you want to - remember, you make the rules! Cook about 10 minutes per side until cooked and not salmonella pink inside. Enjoy immediately!

And sorry for the lack of photos this post! I was a bad blogger and with my chicken hands I neglected to take photos. Raw chicken is unappetizing anyway.

Healthy Snack & Side - Tzatziki & Hummus

I love Greek side dishes, and specifically for this post anything I can dip bread or chips into. I hate coughing up money to buy pre-made things in the store, so I now happily make tzatziki and hummus at home! Both are super easy! When I'm making these for a Greek dinner, I usually make them the night prior so the tzatziki can marinate.

Tzatziki

You'll need: 500g Greek yogurt (I use non-fat), a cucumber, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. First, grate one small-medium sized cucumber and using either cheesecloth or a paper towel squeeze the water out. Put rung out cucumber in a bowl with the Greek yogurt, chopped / minced / pressed garlic (3 cloves/tsps) and about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Stir well. You can enjoy right away but I find waiting at least a few hours makes it better.

Hummus

Just like my bean dip this takes moments to make and is healthy and yummy! Start with one can of chickpeas (garbanzo), empty and rinse well. Put them into your food processor or blender and add 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice to taste (1-2 tbsp is usually good), at least 2 cloves garlic (5 is my magic number), and a bit of cumin. Puree. This is consumable immediate. Store in airtight container. 

Gluten Free Greek Week! Part I - Greek Salad

I heart Greek food. One of my happiest trips was to Greece, simply because I got to go to tavernas and order a table full of food! It certainly doesn't hurt that most of the food is naturally gluten free! So I thought I would have a series this week focusing on the things you can make (easily - I promise!) to have your own Greek feast at home!

The first thing I always make is Greek salad. I typically make it one day prior as it totally gets better on day two and day three. And it's really easy to make. You'll need:

• 2-3 cucumbers (I heart cucumbers, so I always use three)
• 1/2-1 onion of your preference
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tomatos (I always omit)
• Olives (optional, again I omit)
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Oregano to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Feta Cheese

Start by chopping up all the vegetables into bite size pieces. Modify the amounts based on your preference. Then pour in the olive oil and add spices and stir really well. If you aren't mixing it in the container you will be storing it in, transfer it now. Then top with feta and cover, leaving it at least 4 hours before eating.

It stays good for a few days in the fridge, and is a really nice side dish, or have a bigger portion for a healthy lunch!

The Gluten Free Glamour at Beauty & Essex

One of the lame things about being celiac or gluten intolerant is that you don't always get to go to the cool places. I mean, I know a lot of great places to eat in Manhattan, but they aren't always the hottest restaurant. I had my on Beauty & Essex for a while, and booked a table immediately after I found out they have a gluten free menu. Julie at Goodie Goodie Gluten Free has photos of the menu on her post.

You will certainly want to book a table long before you go, and you certainly want to dress stylishly to avoid feeling like an outside, but once there you will feel so glam in Beauty & Essex - it just has that kind of vibe. 

After waiting 20 minutes past our booking time (my only complaint) we were seated. We had a cocktail while waiting and another one later one. Our server was fantastic and really knowledgeable about gluten free. My husband and I decided to order the avocado and watermelon salad and salt and vinegar fries to share, and we each had a filet mignon for our main. All were fantastic. I will be duping the salad at home, fries we amazing, meat was very nice, and the sauces were all delicious. 

To finish, and purely as a food blogger, I had to have dessert. Stuffed from dinner my husband and I decided to split the Black Bottomed Butterscotch Pot de Crème which was gluten free. It was ridiculous. I wanted it to never end and would go back for that alone.

So, if you are in Manhattan and looking for a posh place to enjoy, highly recommend.

I Made Chicken Fried Rice!

I know, this is not a major accomplishment. I am actually very comfortable cooking asian dishes and have made many which are far more complex than fried rice, but I had never made fried rice before. So when I did last week, I felt victorious even though what I did was so disgustingly easy.

Step One: Rice

Cook rice. In whatever works for you: stove top, rice cooker, etc. As long as said rice is cooked.

Step Two: Meat

While rice cooks, cook chicken. Cut it up really tiny (think pea-sized). If you hate chicken use pork or beef or tofu. Cook in wok or frying pan with a bit of oil and garlic. I did not have garlic (gasp!) so garlic olive oil did the trick. Prepare any other vegetables you'd like to add. I put in carrots as it was all I had without a trip to the grocery store. Peas would be ideal/traditional as well. Cook those in the frying pan too.

Step Three: Put it all together

Put the cooked rice into the chicken and vegetable pan/wok. Put in soy sauce to your liking (2 tbsp is what works for me). I added some spinach because I did not have peas and felt it needed something green. Add an egg if you like. Fry while constantly stirring for a few minutes. Once done, serve immediately.

It's great beside: a Feel Good Foods spring roll and/or gyoza <- I had mine with this combo. Stir fry of you liking. By itself for good old leftover lunch. Sweet and sour chicken.