It was my mom’s birthday last week! Who doesn’t love celebrating birthdays?
The best part about birthdays, no matter how old you get, is that it’s the one day a year you can be selfish and expect everything to be about you. Between demanding workdays, short weekends, busy families (especially those with kids), it’s the day you can put everyone else on the back-burner and say “Today, it’s all about me for a change.” That does not go away with age. (more…)
I have been drooling over this recipe for weeks. The day I found it, I thought to myself “I’m going to add this to my list of delicious but easy dishes to make.” That is, my ongoing list of recipes to make on days when I’m low on time. Recipe ideas are welcome. I think this one will be a winner. It’s light and yet while low on calories and carbs, the chicken and lettuce are bursting with flavor. (more…)
I grew up eating za’atar wih labaneh in a sandwich, or as a dip with Arabic bread. Lately, I’ve been noticing a zaatar craze outside middle eastern households. It’s starting to catch on, like hummus. So I found this great recipe for Za’atar Chicken that I adapted from Bon Appetit, and I thought why not try something new with a food I’m used to having a much different way. Well, I tried it and the my dad’s taste buds were utterly confused. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.
Panini Grilled Za’atar Chicken
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts 4 cloves Garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons zaatar juice from 1 lemon 1 tablespoon dry RosemaryDirections
Mix together zaatar, olive oil, lemon juice and dry rosemary in a large ziplock bag. Add chicken and coat chicken well. Marinate 1 hour to overnight. Grill the chicken on the panini grill until cooked through. Sprinkle with zaatar before serving.
Servings: 2
Nutrition Information: Cals 276. Carbs 12g. Fat 17g. Protein 24g. Sodium 259mg.
Right before Thanksgiving, my mom gave me a box of all her old Cooking Light and Bon Appetit magazines. She’s been hanging onto these magazines since 1998 and probably even earlier. It was seriously the sweetest gift. She was probably thinking that if I took the time to try out the recipes, I’d actually get better. Well, the box of magazines is sitting pretty in my garage at the moment – I’ll get to them eventually. I did, however, start paying more attention to Cooking Light and Bon Appetit online. That’s where I found this super easy and flavorful chicken recipe. Seriously, who doesn’t love pepperoni and marinara.
I had to make a few changes, namely melting the cheese on the stovetop and using turkey pepperoni. Adapted from Cooking Light.
Chicken with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Cooking spray 2 cloves garlic, minced 16 slices Turkey Pepperoni, coarsely chopped 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1 1/2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce or regular marinara sauce 1 tablespoons Dried Basil 2 teaspoons olive oil 4 Chicken Breasts Black Pepper, to taste 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeseDirections
Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray, then add the garlic and pepperoni. Cook 2 minutes. Add oregano. Then add marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in basil, and remove from heat. In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on each side for about five minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken, bring to a boil. And simmer for 15 minutes. Add mozzarella cheese, cover and cook on low until the cheese melts.Servings: 4
Nutrition Information: Cals 320. Carbs 12g. Fat 11g. Protein 41g. Sodium 775mg. Sugar 9g.
I bought a box of filo dough a week or so ago and I have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I’m not crafty with sweets, at all. I finally did some research about how exactly to handle filo dough and all that research did not prepare me for the actual handling. I’m warning anyone who plans to make this dish, filo dough is super fragile. Once I figured out how to deal with these thin sheets, making fillo-wrapped chicken was easy.
Filo-Wrapped Baked Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
4 sheets Filo Dough 2 Chicken Breasts 7 oz Chopped Spinach (I bought a 14oz can) 1 tablespoon pine nuts 1 oz Goat Cheese 2-3 tablepoons I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Lemon Juice, to taste Sea Salt, to tasteDirections
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together spinach, goat cheese, lemon juice, sea salt and pine nuts in a bowl. Cut a pocket in the middle of each chicken breast. Place one sheet of Filo dough on your work surface, brush with butter. Then place a second sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Place the chicken breast in the middle of the filo sheets, and spoon spinach mixture on top covering the surface. Carefully fold over the right then left side of the filo dough and carefully place into a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat with the second chicken breast. Brush the top of each wrap with butter. Bake for 60 minutes.Servings: 2
Nutrition Information: Cals 395. Carbs 15g. Fat 16g. Protein 39g. Sodium 616mg. Sugar 1g.
The best chicken shawirma I’ve ever had was in Amman, Jordan. Back when we used to spend our summer vacation abroad, my sister and I would make our way to our then favorite spot Al-Daya’a (I’m sure there are newer places that have set up shop). It was amazing – 4 or 5 years ago. Tender chicken, wrapped in warm pita bread stuffed with turnips and garlic sauce. The garlic sauce is something I won’t forget. But it wasn’t special to Al-Daya’a. Every shawirma and Kabob place had this magical sauce – a sauce that goes with all meat and perfect for dipping your fries. Well, I found a really easy way to create that same garlic sauce taste.
All of a sudden, I was craving some chicken shawirma. And while Washington, DC is not short of shawirma shops like Shwarma King, Shawarma Spot, and DC Shawarma Food Truck, I wanted to make it at home and in enjoy it in the comfort of my warm home without having to battle city traffic.
Adapted from Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information: (With ½ Large White Pita Bread) Cals 388. Carbs 24g. Fat 10g. Protein 50g. Sodium 754mg. Sugar 5g.
