Mediterranean Kale Salad with Hummus Dressing

Mediterranean Kale Salad with Hummus Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE HUMMUS DRESSING:

• 1/3 cup Sabra Classic Hummus
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons water, depending on how thick you like it
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

• 1 large bunch kale, ribs removed and finely chopped 
• 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup pita chips
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. First make the hummus dressing. In a small bowl or jar, combine the hummus, olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add a little bit of water until it reaches your desired consistency. Set aside while you make the salad.
2. In a large bowl, add the kale, chickpeas, tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, pita chips, and basil. Drizzle with hummus dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

Recipe and Image found on: twopeasandtheirpod.com

Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
**vegetables like mushrooms, onion, tomatoes and zucchini, if desired

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice {about 3 lemons}
• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions:

1. Trim chicken and cut into large chunks- mine were about 1.5″ big and I got 4-6 chunks from each chicken breast.
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and thyme into Ziploc bag or plastic container. Add in chicken. Seal and squeeze bag or turn container over and shake gently so all pieces of meat are well-coated with marinade. Put into refrigerator and marinate 6-8 hours or more.
3. To get ready to grill, remove chicken from refrigerator, pull out chicken pieces and dump remaining marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers.  Spray grill with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil, then preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.
4. Grill skewers about 12-15 minutes, turning the first time as soon as you see nice grill marks. Souvlaki is done when the chicken is slightly browned and firm, but not hard to the touch. {If you use a meat thermometer, the temp should register 160 degrees. It will increase to 165 degrees even after you take it off the grill. I love using a thermometer as it really helps me not over-cook the chicken!}

Feel free to add extra vegetables to the grill! o marinate vegetables, if you just have a few, set aside 3-5 TBSP of the marinade prior to mixing with the chicken. Then just put vegetables & marinade in a separate ziplock bag in the fridge, turning the bag occasionally to mix it. If you’re doing a good amount of vegetables, I’d double the marinade instead!

Greek Lemon Rice:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 TBSP lemon juice {I loved 3 TBSP but my kids preferred it less lemony}
• 2 cups hot chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. {Make sure pan has a lid!} Add in oil. After about a minute, add in rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t brown too much. Add salt and lemon juice to rice and saute 1 minute more.
2. Slowly add in chicken broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on the pan. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. If all the liquid has been absorbed after 30 minutes, remove lid, turn off heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving. If there’s still a bit of liquid, let it cook without the lid on for another 5 minutes or so. Then turn heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes.

** Can make rice the night before! Just fluff with fork and heat up in microwave before serving!**

Spiralized Greek Salad

Spiralized Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 2 large cucumbers spiralized
• 4 oz . of feta cheese crumbled
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 pepperoncini peppers sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp . extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp . garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp . Greek or Italian seasoning
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Spiralize your cucumbers and then lay them flat on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and let the moisture come out. After 10 minutes, pat them dry.
2. In a medium sized bowl add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, and peppers. Toss to distribute.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and greek seasonings. Whisk until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Drizzle over salad and then sprinkle with black pepper.

Recipe found on: http://prettyprovidence.com/