Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce and Greek Salad

Its been a while since anyone has posted. I was given this recipe on paper and couldn't find it online to save so I thought I would post it here incase I ever loose the paper with the recipe I still have it here.  

Chicken Marinade:

2 lbs Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

3 TBSP  fresh lemon juice

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TSPS red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp oregano

Place yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano into large ziplock bag or bowl and mix.  Add chicken.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight.  Grill chicken on medium high heat for approx. 5-7 minutes per side.  

Tzatziki Sauce:

16 oz. plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 English cucumber with peel, grated

1 clove garlic

1 TBSP fresh lemon Juice

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 TBSP chopped fresh dill (or about 1 tsp dried dill)

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

Squeeze excess water from grated cucumber then stir together with all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Greek Salad:

3 tomatoes, diced

2 cucumbers, peeled and diced

1/4 red onion, diced

2 TBSP fresh Italian parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried parsley)

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Feta Cheese- desired amount

Mix all ingredients and toss to coat.

Warm or toast naan/pita bread.  Top with tzatziki sauce, chicken and Green Salad.  

 

Snickerdoodles

My recipes are a huge mess.  I can't keep track of them.  I'm about to just do a full-size binder with one recipe per page alphabetized.  Sigh...  Much better than the random papers thrown in the cupboard with the other cook books.

Anyhoo... couldn't find this recipe that we love... so now that I've found it, I'm posting here to share with y'all and so I don't lose it again.

Mrs. Siggs Snickerdoodles

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2.  Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

3.  Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Stir Fry Sauce

Yesterday we were in want of stir fry as we had all the tasty veggies to go with it.  But for years we've been working on finding the right sauce.  Buying it in a bottle seems to go too fast.  So, we looked up a recipe and made our own.   I didn't have the fresh ginger, garlic, or scallion, but I substituted Garlic Powder & Onion Powder.  I sorta forgot the ginger.  We doubled the recipe for our fam as follows:

6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
2 scallion, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili oil (or to taste. You can substitute almost any type of spicy or flavorful oil that you like)
4 teaspoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons water

Directions:
1 - Dissolve cornstarch in water.
2 - Combine all ingredients.
3 - To use, make your stirfry until almost fully cooked. Stir in sauce in the last few minutes. Bring to a boil until thickened.

It was tasty. Go make it with broccolli, carrots, celery, green pepper, tasty chicken, & rice. Yummmmm.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/stir-fry-sauce-204223?scaleto=8&mode=null&st=true&oc=linkback

Chicken Tikka Masala

I got this recipe from Allrecipe.com  It's yummy!  Next time I will just broil the chicken in the oven.  Make sure you make Naan bread to go with it. 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 4 long skewers

1 tablespoon butter 1 clove garlic, minced 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons paprika 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.	Preheat a grill for high heat.
3.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4.	Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Mint Chocolate Chip Icee

We had a girls night out with the wonderful ladies in my ward.  We learned to make a few yummy dishes and watched Lift of Pi.  This dessert is going to replace ice cream at my house. 


About 2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)
Handful of spinach
1/2 avocado
Capful of mint flavoring or fresh mint
2 cups of ice

After it's all blended, add a handful of chocolate chips. Blending time depends on the size of chocolate chunks you like.

Ice Cream

I got this recipe from a lady in my ward.   It is good, as in goo-ooood!

Ice Cream
2 c. sugar
2 eggs

Stir good and add:
1 quart half and half
1 quart whipping cream
1 large package instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate if you're making chocolate ice cream)

Stir all together

Add whole milk to the fill line of your ice cream maker and churn away.

For Cookies and Cream - add one pkg Oreos - if you want more chunks of cookies wait til almost the end to add this.

For Chocolate -  make sure to use the chocolate pudding, and add 1 c. Hershey's syrup and 2 large Hershey Bars with almonds chopped (or you can use plain)

For Strawberry Banana Nut - add 1 container of sweetened strawberries thawed, 3 ripe bananas and 1 c. pecans

Snicker Apple Salad

Have you guys had this yet?  It's a pinterest favorite I believe.  Well - I pretty much love it.  You have to try it!

SNICKER SALAD
(tastes like a yummy caramel apple with nuts and chocolate)
recipe from Erica's Bloggity Blog

Ingredients:
Cool whip
one package of instant vanilla pudding (small box)
one cup of milk
Snickers (frozen or cold - easier to chop)
green apples (tart, with a little sweet and lots of juicy)

1.Add instant pudding into mixing bowl and pour in 1 Cup cold milk. Mix well and let chill while chopping candy.

2.Chop Snickers bars into bite size pieces (I usually use about 2 bags of mini sickers or more - I like A LOT or about 10-15 king size). I have added Milky way bars and Rolos in with the Snickers before or you can omit the Snickers and just add Rolos and Milky Way bars if there is a peanut allergy.

3.Chop green apples into bite sized pieces (I use about 8-10)

4.Fold in one 8 ounce container of Cool Whip (or more if you think it needs more. I usually buy the 16 ounce container just in case) into the pudding.

5.Combine candy and apples in bowl with pudding mixture.

6. ENJOY!! Be sure and control yourself or you might just eat the whole bowl yourself!

Chili - Slow Cooker

I made this today and we all enjoyed it.  Lots of good flavor.  I based what I did off of this recipe I found on Allrecipe.  Nice easy recipe to put in before church and eat when we got home.

Slow Cooker Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion - diced
1 bell pepper - diced (I used a red one)
2 gloves garlic - diced

Brown ground beef and then place in crock pot.  In same pan, saute onions, peppers, and garlic til cooked down and soft.  Place in crock pot with beef.

Add the following:

3 cans beans - I used 1 can kidney beans & 2 cans pinto beans
1-2 cans tomato sauce plus a little water to clean the can out
1 can diced tomatoes
oregano  - maybe 1/2 tsp
cumin - maybe 1/2 tsp
chili powder to taste
salt
pepper


Mix all together in crockpot, cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. 

We also added about a cup of rice, but it got too mushy so next time we will add it closer to the end of cooking.

Sauteed Cauliflower

I'm not usually a cauliflower fan, but I loved this:

Sauteed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower broken into large florets 

2 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 T lemon juice

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil begins to warm, layer the florets in the pan along with the garlic slices. After a minute or so, add the salt and pepper to taste, chicken stock and lemon juice. Cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is crisp tender. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

Double. No triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

All of you health nuts,  you will probably want to stay away from this recipe.  Everyone else that loves the good stuff... Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup almonds, chopped (I like good stuff, so I eliminated these :) 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix together. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined.

Add the chocolates and almonds and mix until combined. Using two tablespoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop the dough two inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets. The cookies should be very soft when they are removed from the oven. They will firm up as they cool.

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos

 Found this recipe here.  And it was so good.  I made a few minor changes because I have a child who hates anything spicy so I took out the jalapenos and I didn't have cilantro or lime so I left those out.  If you want to add those check out the original recipe. 

 Ingredients

• 1-2 whole Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed Small(depends on how big and how many you want in your burritos)
• 1 whole Red Pepper, Diced Small
• 1 whole Red Onion, Diced Small 
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil 
• 1 teaspoon Cumin 
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder 
• 1 pinch Salt And Pepper 
• 2 cups or 1 can (15oz) Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
•  Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Tortillas 

 In a bowl, toss your raw veggies in olive oil and season with spices. Place in a large baking dish and roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway through.
Let cool. Add your roasted veggies to a can of rinsed black beans. Add cilantro and squirt of lime juice. Combine gently.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.
Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others. Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.
Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Dumplings

These are biscuit type of dumpling to make chicken dumpling soup or for any soup you wanted.  They are not like the dumplings used in traditional southern cooking, they might be more of a mormom thing.

Dumplings
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix and then add:
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. oil

Stir until just moistened.  Drop by spoonfuls into hot soup, cover tightly and boil 15 mins. 

Homemade Poptarts

We made these for conference morning breakfast.  They were fun and yummy, but a little time consuming.  I let my kids choose two flavors, which they thought was fun.  Again I found this recipe on Pinterest.  We tried the blueberry, peach, brown sugar cinnamon, Coconut almond, & smores from the filling options below and then we also made a strawberry and mixed berry using the directions for the blueberry cobbler.    Our favorites were mixed berry and brown sugar cinnamon. 
Recipe For Pastry Dough:

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Cup White Flour
• 2 Tbsp Baking Stevia
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Plain Chobani
• 1/4 Unsalted Butter Diced at Refrigerator Temp.
• 3 Tbsp Skim Milk

Directions:

1. In a mixer combine flours, Stevia, and salt. 
2. Slowly add in milk and Chobani
3. Beat in butter until thick. (You may have to add more flour if your butter is warm)
4. Roll up dough and wrap it with plastic wrap.
5. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

 Here are the different filling ideas: Ingredients For Fillings:
Blueberry Cobbler : 1 Tbsp Fresh Blueberries, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar, 1 Tsp Fat Free Cream Cheese
Sweet Peach: 1 Tbsp Peaches Diced, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar (You can use any fruit.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 1 Tsp Cinnamon 1/2 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese
Blackberry Jam - Sugar Free Smuckers Jam (Use any flavor)
Banana Cinnamon- 1 Tbsp Thin Banana Slices, Sprinkle Cinnamon
Lemon Curd - 1 Tbsp Light Lemon Curd from can (find in baking aisle)
Apple Pie Oats- 1 Tbsp Quick Oats, 1/2 Tbsp Green Apple Diced, 1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
Cherry Cream- 1 Tbsp Fresh Cherries Diced, 1/2 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese, 1 Tsp Stevia
Coconut Almond Cream- 1 Tbsp Shredded Coconut, 1/2 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese, 1/2 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
Sweet Green Apple- 1 Tbsp Green Apple Dices, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar
Smores- 1 Tbsp Marshmallow Cream, 1 Tbsp Crushed Graham Cracker, 1 Dark Chocolate Hershey’s Square Chopped

No Knead Crusty Bread

You may have seen this bread on pinterest, which is where I found it.  I have to tell you it is so so so sooooooooooooooooooooo good and easy.  I have made it probably 5 times now.  It is so good that it doesn't last very long, and I have had double it that last few times I have made it.  We love sour dough bread and this has somewhat of a sour dough taste to it. Here is the site to find picture directions and if you want to check it out.  I will just post the recipe. 

Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot* with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  

 

*I have used both a cast iron pot and a pyrex bowl and they have both work if you don't have a cast iron pot.

Pumpkin Cranberry Breakfast Cookies

I saw this in our paper and thought they looked good.  I was thinking of making these and packing them in kids lunch with some yogurt and fruit/vegetables.  I think I could incorporate chia seeds or something like that, give it a little boost in nutrients.  It is kind of high in sugar but probably no more than a PBJ? (which we do a lot for lunches!)

Pumpkin Cranberry Breakfast Cookies

2 cups canned pumpkin puree
2 large organic eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup olive oil
4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup dried organic cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, sugar, vanilla and olive oil. Combine using paddle attachment until just incorporated.
In a large bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture in 1-cup batches, scraping the sides of the bowl between each round. Once all of the flour is combined, gently fold in dried cranberries and dark chocolate.
Using a large spoon, drop balls of dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, spacing a few inches apart. Bake for approximately 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet pans. Remove and store in an airtight container.

credit goes to Chef Rita French via Arizona Republic.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to try it.  It is a quick and easy cookie recipe and so so good.  We all seem to be obsessed with lemons as well, so I wanted to share.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

credit to:
Lauren Brennan; laurenslatest.com

Black Bean Burgers

I made these after trying a black bean burger sample at Costco, and everyone liked them.  I did double the recipe for my family, because this recipe was for 4 patties.  I found it on allrecipes.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Four Cheese Margherita Pizza

I made this tonight, and I am in love.  This is my new favorite pizza.  It is sooooo good.  I wanted to eat more and more and more.  Unfortunately, my stomach can't hold that much food with my swollen prego belly.  I loved it so much, I am already planning to make more tomorrow.  Blake loved it too.  I think he was surprised by how yummy it was.  Recipe comes from allrecipes.com.

I used the pizza dough recipe in the family cook book.  That is my go to recipe, it always turns out great.  I baked it for about 10 minutes and then added the toppings and them baked it again for 10 minutes. 

 Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 2 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crusts
• 8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 4 ounces shredded Fontina cheese   *I did not use this cheese and it still turned out yummy!
• 10 fresh basil leaves, washed, dried
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Stir together olive oil, garlic, and salt; toss with tomatoes, and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Brush each pizza crust with some of the tomato marinade. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with Mozzarella and Fontina cheeses. Arrange tomatoes overtop, then sprinkle with shredded basil, Parmesan, and feta cheese.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 10 minutes.  

Zucchini Oven Chips

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Best Black Beans

I got this recipe off of allrecipe.com.  I made these to go along with our fish tacos.  Super easy and yummy!

 Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.