Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Cheese Salad

Ty and I went to the grocery store the other day and saw the cutest little baby watermelon. I knew it was a little out of season, but I couldn't resist. I had to have it! I did a quick inventory of what we had in our fridge and remembered the feta cheese we used for the chicken roulade. So that's what we did! We grabbed the watermelon, some mint, and headed home to make an incredibly simple, but bright and flavorful watermelon, mint, and feta cheese salad. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1/2 baby watermelon
2 or 3 leaves of fresh mint
1/4 cup of crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions:
1. Cut the watermelon into 1 inch cubes.
2. Finely chop the mint and mix with watermelon.
3. Mix in the feta cheese and you're done!

Mediterranean Chicken Roulade

As the fall season approaches, the herbs in Ty's garden have begun getting ready for the colder weather. We've been trying all sorts of new recipes to incorporate the herbs before they go dormant. Today we used Ty's oregano plant to make a Mediterranean chicken roulade. It turned out absolutely perfect and I have to say it looked and tasted quite gourmet. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
1 package of thinly sliced chicken breasts (about 4 slices)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
A dash of salt and pepper
A dash of red pepper flakes
A dash of sumac and za'atar
1 package of reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
A handful of oregano
1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. While that's heating up, make the filling. Start by finely chopping the oregano and garlic. Once chopped, mix with feta cheese. Zest half a lemon and mix in with filling. Set aside.

3. On to the chicken! Coat bottom of ceramic roasting pan with EVOO. Place chicken breast in pan and make sure both sides are covered with EVOO. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, sumac, and za'atar.

4. Place filling on the skinnier side of the breast. Roll as tight as you can. Set in place with a toothpick or a string of cooking twine.

5. Once all are wrapped, sear the chicken in a frying pan until brown on all sides. This should only take 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Place chicken in roasting pan and bake in oven for 10 minutes. Flip sides and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Let the meat rest for a minute or two and then begin slicing. Place slices in a separate plate. Once all are placed, drizzle the remaining EVOO from the roasting pan and sprinkle a little more filling if you have some leftover. You can also squeeze a little lemon juice on top and/or place a few lemon slices for presentation.

Lamb Chops with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Tyler and I went on an impromptu run to Williams & Sonoma this past weekend and boy did we have the best luck! We found a Chinese bamboo steamer (I've always wanted one), a jar of sumac and za'atar (love!), and the star of the meal tonight, a hot mint jelly, which was only $2.99 for a big jar! Ty came up with the idea to make lamb chops with a yogurt-mint sauce for dinner and it turned out perfectly. Not only was it delicious, but it was so easy to make. We made it in less than 30 minutes. Hope you love it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
2 lamb chops
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tsp. of sumac
1/2 cup of fat-free plain yogurt
4 tbsp. of hot mint jelly
Handful of fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Season the meat with sea salt and sumac. Sumac has a really tart, lemony flavor. It's the perfect seasoning for a more gamey meat like lamb.

2. Grill on the foreman or on the stove. It should take about 10 minutes per chop. Once it's done, set aside. Always let your meats rest to ensure maximum tenderness and minimum runniness.
3. Now it's time for the sauce! Chop up some fresh parsley. We used the parsley from Tyler's herb garden. Mix the yogurt, hot mint jelly, and parsley in a bowl.

4. And you're done! Just add a sprig of parsley on top of the meat and drizzle a little sauce on the chop or you can set it on the side. It's delicious!

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush, which means "crumbled bread" in Arabic, is one of my favorite Levantine mezza dishes. I first had it in Amman and was absolutely floored by the bright flavors I tasted in each bite. Who knew vegetables could be so delicious?! Traditionally, fattoush is a mix of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac or za'atar (fabulous!) seasoning, and of course, pita chips! When I was looking in the fridge tonight, I realized I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, but I went ahead and tried making my own version, using the ingredients I did have! I'll show you how to make a simplified version of fattoush and you'll be saying "wow". And even better, it doesn't take long to prepare at all! This version is just for one person. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 Cucumber
Lots of Grape Tomatoes, around 15
A handful of pita chips
A handful of dill (thanks to Suzanne for letting us pick some from the garden. It was delicious)
A dash of sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Peel and dice the cucumbers into one inch cubes.

2. Slice the grace tomatoes into small one inch cubes.

3. Mix cucumbers and grape tomatoes together.
4. Finely chop the dill and mix in with the cucumbers and toatoes.

5. Dress the mixture with the EVOO, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Now crush the pita chips. You can either use store-bought pita chips like I did or make your own. If you do decide to make your own, just take a pita, break into bite size pieces, and bake in the oven till golden brown. Season with a little salt and pepper or get creative, and use some interesting seasonings!

7. Mix the pita chips in with everything else. Serve immediately. You don't want the pita chips getting soggy!

 

Homemade Dumplings

After spending a lovely labor day weekend in Charlottesville (what a perfect weekend!), Ty and I returned home after a two and a half hour drive, craving a little something yummy. I looked in the fridge and knew just the thing, dumplings!

It seems daunting to make dumplings, but it's so simple and very healthy. Follow the directions below and you'll find that you yourself can make restaurant-delicious dumplings. :)

What you'll need:
1 package of dumpling or wonton wrappers (you can get these at the Chinese market - Wonton wrappers are more "slippery". They make great soup dumplings. Dumpling wrappers are better for fried dumplings)
1 lb of ground turkey (you can also use ground pork!)
4 spring onions
A dash of salt and pepper
2 tbsp. of soy sauce
1 tbsp. of sesame oil

Directions:
1. Finely chop the spring onions. Remember, vegetables always come before meat! Set aside.

2. Prepare ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add spring onions. Mix well. Add more seasoning if you need more flavor and set aside.

3. We're about to start making the dumplings! Follow the system I list below.This is how I've made dumplings since I was a kid and I promise it makes the process much easier. Start by filling a dish with cold water. Place the wrappers, cold water, and ground turkey in a line. You'll start by lining the wrappers on all sides with water, fill with a spoonful of the ground turkey, and wrap the dumplings. Make sure all the sides are closed. Set aside.

4. Get a pot of boiling water ready.
5. Place dumplings in boiling water and wait for the dumplings to float to the top. It should only take about 5 to 7 minutes. Once they start floating, they're ready to eat!
6. You can make a dipping sauce with soy sauce and sesame oil and finely chopped garlic, or Ty's favorite, Siracha sauce!

Chicken Tacos

An important lesson I've learned over the years is that you don't have to grocery shop for specific recipes. You can start with a set of ingredients and reinvent them into a new taste experience. Meals during the week don't have to be the usual boring stuff. Just be creative and don't be afraid to try something new! Today's post takes us from the Middle East to Central America. We're using the same chicken breast from yesterday, along with corn on the cob, cilantro, and tomatoes, to make yummy chicken tacos that are super good for you!

What you'll need:
1 package of corn tortillas
1 chicken breast, diced into thin slices
2 corn on the cobs, kernels sliced off into a bowl
1 tomato, cubed
A bunch of cilantro
1 package of Southwestern salsa or any salsa you want
1 package of Parmesan cheese
1 package of spinach
1 tsp. of cornstarch and water
1 tsp. of olive oil
Dash of cumin and red pepper flakes
Hot sauce for seasoning

Directions:
1. Start a pot of boiling water. Peel and place corn cobs in boiling water.
2. As the corn is cooking, start slicing the tomato. Set aside.
3. Corn doesn't take long to cook. Take out of water and let cool. Once cool, slice kernels off the cob.
4. Now time for the chicken (I like doing meats last since I'd much prefer not contaminating my cutting board and knife). Slice chicken breast into thin 2 inch slices. Once cut, dip in a bowl of cornstarch mixed with water. This is my guaranteed trick to succulent, tender, and juicy chicken.
5. Heat up a frying pan with a little olive oil. Drop the chicken in and start cooking! Season with cumin and red pepper flakes. This doesn't take long, maybe just 5 minutes. Set aside.
6. Start lining up a buffet style with all your taco toppings: tortillas, corn, tomato, cilantro, southwestern salsa, Parmesan cheese, and spinach! People can make their tacos as they go. It's delicious I promise :)

Tip! As people are ready to make their tacos, have them come by the stove to heat it up a little. Just place the taco on an unlit gas burner. Once set, turn the stove on low heat. The tortilla will bubble a little on top. When it does, flip the tortilla over and cook on the other side for a few seconds. It should be just a little browned.

Classic Israeli Salad

Wow, it has been a very long time since my last post. But I would like nothing more than sharing my first home cooked meal with you since being overseas these past few months :)

While overseas, I got to spend a good amount of time in Amman and Tel Aviv and it was fabulous. My favorite past-time, not surprisingly, was getting to experience the local cuisine. Middle Eastern food is so vibrant. I could honestly write a novel about the richness and depth of flavors of their food. I spent my days trying all the different varieties of falafel, hummus, schwarma, the fresh herb salads, and the little sweet treats from the bakery. And it'd be wrong of me to not mention the wonders of their black coffee with cardamon and chai tea. Just delightful.

To celebrate and commemorate my time there, I decided to prepare baked chicken sprinkled with cajun seasoning and Israeli salad and fresh corn on the cob. What I'd love to share with you is my twist on the Israeli salad. It's an incredibly easy and super delicious way to treat yourself to those much needed vegetables. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 Cucumber
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion
Bunch of cilantro
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

 Directions:
1. Chop the cucumber, tomato, and onion into small cubes. Place into bowl.
2. Chop cilantro into small pieces. Mix with vegetables.
3. Add lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
4. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

And that's it!