Something Light

The last two recipe posts I have done were desserts.  I was starting to feel like I all I have eaten has been sweets lately.  With Easter with my family and then co-workers bringing in their leftover desserts into work, I needed something light. 

I pulled out one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks.  I love Rachael Ray.  Her recipes are simple, quick, and always tasty.  I have several of her books and so far, I have not been disappointed in any I have made.  Actually, that is a lie.  I made this one macaroni and cheese type recipe but I think the problem was my fault.  I didn't buy the best quality cheese and I overcooked it a little and it was weird and grainy in texture.  M didn't like it either. 

Anyway, I found this chicken pita wrap recipe in the cookbook I pulled out and wanted it right then.  I didn't want to wait to go to the grocery and then have to wait until some weeknight to have it.  But I did and it was worth the wait.  I love adding olives to salads and since this was a Greek style pita, there were olives.  They just add such an awesome layer of flavor.  I added the green ones to my pita and M added the kalamata.  He was a big fan of this dinner as well.  It would be perfect on a hot summer night and would actually make a great picnic because that kind of weather is coming.  You would just need to keep everything separate and it would be a cold pita instead of a warm one which would be just as good.

Let me apologize for the quality of the picture. I couldn't get a good one.

Warm Grilled Chicken Pitas, Greek Style

Adapted from Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals 2

6-8 chicken tenders

salt and pepper

4 whole wheat pita breads

zest and juice of one lemon

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1 heart of romaine, chopped

1/3 cup kalamata and/or green olives, whole or chopped

feta cheese, as much as you like

1 tomato, chopped

1/3 of a cucumber, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 to warm the pita bread.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice along with the vinegar.  Whisk in the olive oil.  Add the oregano and garlic and whisk to combine.  Put the chicken in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle about half the dressing over the chicken and turn them to coat.

While the chicken is marinating, preheat a grill pan or large saute pan over high heat.  If you are using a saute pan, add some olive oil.  If you are using a grill pan, it helps to spray with some cooking spray so the chicken doesn't stick.  Once the pan gets hot, add the chicken.  Cook about 5-6 minutes on either side until cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine all the veggies, olives, feta cheese, and parsley into a big bowl.  Toss around to get everything all combined nicely.  Wrap the pitas in foil and put in the oven for about 3 minutes.  You just want them to get warm.  Do not burn them.

When the chicken is done, transfer to a platter.  Remove the pitas from the oven and slice each one in half.  Put everything on the table and let everyone make their own pita however they like.  Chop up some of chicken and put in the pita.  Top with the salad and drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the whole thing.  You could also toss the salad with the dressing and chicken in the bowl but I wanted to have another one of these pitas for my lunch the following day so M and I just put the dressing on our individual pitas.

Note: You could also increase the measurements and make more pitas for a crowd.  I think this would be a great summer barbecue dish.  Feel free to also use your favorite dressing instead and mix and match the veggies to your liking.  There are so many possibilities when making a salad.