So I just had Daphne's California Greek Cafe for the first time and was quite impressed. I got the grilled chicken kebabs, side Greek salad with light dressing, fire roasted veggies and it came with whole wheat pita and tzatziki. I looked online and found some good Greek recipes I want to try, I like to make Greek salads at home but I am going to try to expand my knowledge about Greek food!
"Good For You Greek Salad"
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 1 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 5/8 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
- 3/8 small red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1-1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 black Greek olives, pitted and sliced
In shallow salad bowl, or on serving platter, combine tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Sprinkle with oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and olives over salad. Serve.
Only 190 calories per serving! A great substitution is with Fat Free Feta, Trader Joe's has a good one; they taste the same yet you cut out a lot of calories!
"Greek Couscous Salad"
Ingredients for 4 Servings:
- 5/8 (6 ounce) package garlic and herb couscous mix (or any flavor you prefer)
- 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 (5 ounce) jar pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon mixed bell peppers (green, red, yellow, orange), diced
- 1/4 cucumber, sliced and then halved
- 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons Greek vinaigrette salad dressing
Cook couscous according to package directions. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool. Stir to break up clusters of couscous.When the couscous has cooled to room temperature, mix in tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, cucumber, parsley, and feta. Gradually stir vinaigrette into couscous until you arrive at desired moistness.
Only 160 calories per serving!
"Yia Yia's Tzatziki Sauce"
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers
- 2 (16 ounce) containers sour cream
- 1 (16 ounce) container Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Peel cucumbers and grate into a colander. Squeeze out excess water.Mix together sour cream, yogurt, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in cucumbers. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.
Good alternative to the Tzatziki I made the other day which required fresh dill. I would use non-fat greek yogurt and most likely no sour cream. Tzatziki is great with whole wheat pita, on sandwiches, with chicken, even as a veggie dip! At Daphne's they served Tzatziki with Pita; I spread the sauce on each Pita slice and topped it with some of the Fire Roasted veggies, it was like a pizza!
"Grilled Chicken Breast with Cucumber and Bell Pepper Relish"
Ingredients for 4 Servings:
- 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/8 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- In a medium bowl, prepare the relish by mixing together the cucumber, parsley, chopped onion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the cumin and chili powder with the olive oil. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, and place in a shallow dish. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the grill for medium heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Serve with cucumber relish.
"Martinated Greek Chicken Kebabs"
Ingredients for 2 Servings:
- 1/2 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 large red onion, cut into wedges
- 1/2 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
