Greek To Me

One of my fears in life is that Pinterest will disappear and I will lose my favorite recipes. I barely look at cookbooks anymore; my recipes are all online. A couple of years I discovered chicken souvlaki (it took me decades to order something other than my beloved moussaka from a Greek restaurant/festival, okay). Then it hit me that mere mortals could make this, PLUS my family (including our picky kid) likes it, but I could never remember which recipe I used. They're more or less the same, but here they are without all the pro-blogger ads or step-by-step photos. Shout-out to my husband who is happy and talented in front of the grill, even immediately after getting home from work.

Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp of minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tsp Cavender's Greek seasoning
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes (or left whole and sliced after grilling)
1-2 bell peppers, chunked
1 small onion, chunked

This is from Stella's Grocery and the chicken
was orange so I want to try adding paprika.

1. In a large bowl whisk together the ingredients through black pepper, then add in the cubed chicken and toss to coat.
2. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for 45 minutes up to 2 hours. Any longer and it starts changing the texture of the chicken. Start the Tzatziki in the meantime (below).
3. Heat the grill to medium high heat.
4. Thread the chicken, bell pepper chunks, and onion onto metal or wooden skewers. Be sure to soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes. I use double-prong metal skewers so the meat doesn't spin around.
5. Grill the skewers for 3-4 minutes then flip it over and grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 of a seedless cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt 
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (less pungent than fresh)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Shred half of a cucumber (about a cup) onto a paper towel. Squeeze out excess moisture.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
3. Fold in the cucumber and refrigerate for an hour.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad
(which sure beats the shredded iceberg and plain tomato that some restaurants here use on souvlaki pitas)
3/4 cup diced cucumber (the other half of the tzatziki one)
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (I omit this or soak the onion slices in water before this)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp Cavender's Greek seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup feta crumbles

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, Greek seasoning, salt, & pepper. Fold in cucumber, tomato, onion, and olives. Top with feta. Allow to chill and meld if you have time.

Flatbread I like this recipe for a soft tortilla (no yeast=no wait for rise), or I use mini-naan or Greek pitas from Walmart.

Souvlaki: Putting it all together
Put a few pieces of grilled chicken, a dollop of tzatziki, and a spoonful of tomato-cucumber salad on a flatbread and eat while the cool stuff is still cool and hot stuff is still hot. My kids prefer sour cream instead of tzatziki.

And while I'm writing about Greek food, let me tell you about turkey burgers. "Wait, what? Turkey burgers are never going to taste like a juicy, beef burger, so why bother?" Let me tell you, my mind was changed by one of those sweet people handing out free samples at Wegmans. I probably wouldn't have bought their pre-made Greek turkey burger patties otherwise. And then made my own at home. Our kids even like them! Sometimes Wegmans is generous with sharing recipes, but not with their pricey convenience items. (Don't get me started on their Ultimate Chocolate Indulgence Cookies which are oh so good, cost $2 each. I digress.) Ground turkey is cheaper and healthier than ground beef, and we save even more by making these from scratch instead of buying them prepped from Wegmans. You can even form meatballs and serve them in flatbread (pictured here).

Greek Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup packed spinach, chopped

1/3 c feta cheese

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (optional)

1 tsp Cavender's seasoning

5-6 hamburger buns

Mix all ingredients gently by hand, handling as little as possible. Form into 5-6 patties, cook on nonstick skillet. They don't sear like beef burgers, so I cook them on a medium flame, and the moisture eventually evaporates and caramelizes. Serve on Wegmans rosemary olive oil rolls, regular hamburger buns, or flatbreads. Top w/ tzatziki & cucumber slices.