Introducing Creativity To The Alternative Diet: Many of us have segued from traditional dietary lifestyle to alternative dietary lifestyles, i.e. Gluten free, Vegan, Grain free, Real food, etc. What are we discovering?? These recipes are NOT mediocre!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Greek Food!!!

Alright Chic Chefs, here we go! I am so excited because we are starting another round, I finished my midterms, and I love Greek food!
A few weeks ago I met a new friend and she had the kids and me over for dinner. She made an amazing Greek meal! So, thanks to Darla for sharing her recipes! I am only going to include two recipes for the official submission but highly recommend you serve this with tzatziki sauce and a fresh green Greek salad (lettuce, spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomato, cucumber, etc.)

As the Greeks say, “Kali Orexi!”

Pita Bread (Courtesy of www.greekfood.about.com)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• 4 cups of bread flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture and salt water. Knead with hands for 10 minutes in the bowl. Add olive oil and continue to knead until all oil is absorbed. Shape into a ball in the bowl, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead for 5 minutes more.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and lightly oil baking sheets.
Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places.
Place on baking sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.
Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides.

Grilled Chicken
, Serves 8 (Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com)
*Darla added onion and red pepper and also just used boneless skinless chicken cut into strips.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
In a glass dish, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lemon juice. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill, and discard the marinade. Cook chicken pieces up to 15 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Smaller pieces will not take as long.

6 comments:

Cahill Clan said...

this sounds sooooo good!!!! Can't wait to make it!!!

carrie said...

I'm honestly so curious how many of us will make home made flat bread and how many of us will cheat! :) For me it will totally depend on the day!

Rachel said...

I think the key is - make ahead. That's what I am going to do because I really want to make it.

Eva said...

yum, this sounds very good and is making me hungry as we speak. Could be the recipes could be the pregnancy, I say both.

Eva said...

Rachel did Darla add the onion and red pepper to the marinade or at the end?

Rachel said...

She added the onions and peppers in the cooking process so we got to enjoy them with the chicken.