Mini Key Lime Pies and a Great Summer Lunch Menu

A couple of months ago I was asked to cater a luncheon for the Department Head of one of the schools at UGA. When I started planning my menu, I decided what dessert I wanted to make first and then planned the rest of the menu around that. I saw these adorable Mini Key Lime Pies and I knew they would be the perfect summer treat and a great way to end any summer lunch.
The main dish was this delicious salad which I have made many times before and since this event. It is one of the best tasting salads and I love the cute presentation of each individual serving in mason jars.


I can't ever go wrong with the simple roasted shrimp that my family loves, so I added that to the menu as well.
The last thing I made was this wonderful Red Lentil dip that is served with pita chips. I remember when I first made it a couple years ago and it is seriously one of the best dips ever invented.
The luncheon was an overwhelming success and I got wonderful, positive feedback. It was so much fun to organize, put together and present this meal. I love making delicious food and sharing it with other people.

Here is the recipe for Greek Salad with Orzo and Black-eyed Peas from epicurious (I made it exactly as the recipes states this time) and here is my adaptation when I made it last time

Here is the basic recipe for the Roasted Shrimp, this time I added a little Greek Seasoning to the shrimp and roasted them at 450 degrees for 7 minutes

Here is the recipe for Garlicky Red Lentil Dal with my changes, originally from Cooking Light

Here is the recipe for Mini Key Lime Pies as seen on Plum Pie
* I doubled the recipe for the crust and made 8 mini pies
*I made a sweetened whipped cream topping, but not with rum- just vanilla and powdered sugar

Greek Meatballs and Greek Roasted Vegetables

I first made this meal last summer. I had clipped the recipe for the roasted vegetables out of Family Circle Magazine and decided to make meatballs to round out the meal.
I had some ground turkey and I just added ingredients that I thought would make a tasty meatball and hoped for the best.

They turned out great and everyone was very excited about this dinner. I quickly wrote down the estimates of what I used for the meatballs, so I could make them again because I didn't take a picture of them that first time we ate them.

I don't like repeating recipes over and over again, because I like to try new things all the time, but I knew that I wanted to make this particular meal again sometime.
I recently made the meatballs and roasted vegetables again, this time using ground turkey breast for the meatballs and the results were great.

The key to keeping the meatballs moist is browning them first in a little bit of oil, then adding liquid- I prefer chicken broth- and then covering them, to let them cook completely.

I really love the combination of eggplant, green pepper, and red potatoes, that the recipe uses in the roasted vegetables. Chickpeas are added to these veggies, near the end of the roasting time and really enhance the whole dish. Top it off with fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs and a little feta, and you have got a real winner.

Both times that I have made this meal, I have prepared the veggies first, and started roasting them, then made the meatballs while the veggies are in the oven. That way everything is ready at about the same time.


Greek Meatballs by Mary Ann
20 oz ground turkey, 93% lean or ground turkey breast
1 egg
2-3 oz feta cheese crumbles, flavored with basil and tomato
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
garlic powder
salt
black pepper
2 Tbls skim milk

Mix all meatball ingredients with a fork.
Form meat mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.
Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a saute pan over med-high heat. Add 1/2 of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup chicken broth or water. cover with a lid and cook until meat is no longer pink in the middle, about 6-8 minutes.
Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Greek-style Roasted Vegetables adapted from Family Circle magazine

• 1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, sliced
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. In a large roasting pan, toss together the potatoes, eggplants, onion, green pepper, 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic salt and pepper. Peel off the lemon zest with a peeler and add to mixture. Reserve lemon. Roast vegetables at 425 degree F for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

2. Add chickpeas and roast an additional 15 minutes.

3. Stir in juice from lemon, oregano and mint. Top with feta crumbles.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods. My family loves it too.
Have you tried it?
I buy mine in the bulk section of the local health food store. I love red quinoa too.
It is better for you than rice, bulgur, millet, pasta, etc. Any of those things. It is a complete protein and you can prepare it in no time.
Make sure that you rinse your quinoa before cooking it. I put mine in a sieve and rinse it multiple times before I cook it. This removes the acidic, bitter coating that it has on it.
I made a Greek salad with my quinoa and also served some roasted acorn squash over some of my quinoa the next day.
It is so versatile. You can eat it warm or cold. Sweet or savory. You can add it to bake goods. Basically you can do whatever you want with it.
It is a super food.
I love it.
Greek Quinoa Salad by Mary Ann
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups baby spinach
feta cheese
lemon juice
olive oil
1/2 Tbls Greek seasoning

Combine quinoa, bell pepper, garbanzo beans, and spinach in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Add Greek seasoning.
Toss all ingredients and sprinkle feta cheese over top.

Zucchini- Cranberry Muffins and Greek Barley and Tofu Salad

Thanks for all the well wishes. I am feeling much better- I hope the flu never comes back! Now on to the food.

When Mary, The Food Librarian, left me a little note on her blog (she knew I had all the frozen cranberries) on her post about these Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins- I quickly wrote them into my schedule. They are so good! I made a couple of changes, like using half whole wheat flour and subbing unsweetened applesauce for the oil. And when I was searching in the freezer for my cranberries, I discovered another bag of them! Yeah! The recipe comes from Martha Stewart. Hopefully you have some frozen cranberries hiding in your freezer!

The Barley recipe came about when I was looking for a quick and healthy lunch that I could make with what I had on hand in the fridge and the pantry. I had never tried barley and tofu together, but I thought it sounded good, so I went ahead with my experiment.
I decided to saute the tofu with some Greek Seasoning (I love it!), to get a crunchy edge on the tofu. I took the other components and mixed the salad together and there you have it- a healthy, fast, lunch! It was really good and my little girls gobbled it up (even the tofu)!

Greek Barley and Tofu Salad by Mary Ann
1 cup instant barley

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

14 oz pkg. extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1- 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Greek Seasoning

juice of 1 lemon

Cook the barley according to pkg directions. While the barley is cooking, heat 1 Tbls canola oil in an electric skillet. Add tofu to skillet and season with Greek Seasoning. Cook tofu until golden on all sides, 5-8 minutes. Remove tofu to a separate bowl.

When barley is cooked, transfer to a large bowl. Add cooked tofu, roasted red peppers, garbanzo

beans, and cucumber. Stir to combine. Add lemon juice and stir again.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and season to taste with more greek seasoning or salt and pepper.

Zucchini-Cranberry Muffins from Martha Stewart

Dry:

1 3/4 c flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

Wet:

2 eggs

1 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil (I used unsweetened applesauce)

1/2 t vanilla

1 c finely shredded zucchini

Combine dry and wet then add 1/2 cup whole cranberries. (The Food Librarian quartered her cranberries)

As with all muffins, don't overmix.

Bake them at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

Coming on Monday-Hummus

Greek-style Stuffed Peppers and Greek WonTon Cups

The other day I noticed that I had a little bulgur and some feta I needed to use and 6 gorgeous peppers, so I turned to The Food You Crave and found a recipe for Greek-style Stuffed Peppers. I made a couple changes to the recipe- I used ground turkey breast instead of ground beef and added a can of cannellini beans. I was able to fill 12 pepper halves and still had a little of the meat mixture leftover, so I made some Greek WonTon cups- using Greek Seasoning to flavor them and cooked up the leftover meat mixture. I put the mixture inside and topped them with some chopped plum tomatoes. Yum!

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

1 pd lean or extra-lean ground beef ( I used 20 oz. ground turkey breast)

One 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated ( about 1 1/2 cups)

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion, minced

1/2 cup bulgur

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1.2 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

3 medium red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, core and ribs removed

Two 14.5 oz cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, finely chopped and juices reserved (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil and garlic)

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, beans, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes with their juices over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake the peppers until filling is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 45 minutes longer.

To make Greek WonTon cups- Go to this post and substitute Greek Seasoning for spice mix used.

Up next- Homemade Samoas for my Matt, on his birthday

Lunchbox- Oat Bran-Applesauce Mini Muffins, 7-Grain Greek Salad, Whole-Wheat Wrap & Bulgur Salad, and Homemade Sausage Roll

The Lunchbox has been missing for a couple of weeks! We have had so many great meal leftovers that I really haven't had to make too many additional salads or baked goods to fill lunches. But, this week, I got back to business, making a couple of salads, muffins, and wraps that are lunchbox friendly. The Oat Bran muffins are very hearty and healthy, with no added sugar or fat. A perfect nutritional boost for the middle of the day. The 7-Grain Salad uses one of my fave seasonings, Greek. The veggies and beans add great texture and the Kashi Pilaf is really good. The bulgur salad and wrap were a nice combo and the Homemade Sausage Roll was one of my son's favorite items. He loves sausage and so do I, when it is turkey sausage, because I know it is a little bit healthier. If your lunchbox needs a healthy makeover, here are some great recipes to try!

Oat Bran-Applesauce Mini Muffins from Martha Stewart

Makes 2 dozen

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 ounces dates, pitted and chopped (1/2 cup)

1 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 mini-muffin tins with cooking spray. Place applesauce and dates in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely.

Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in bran, buttermilk, egg, honey, ginger, and vanilla. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, allspice, and 1/4 cup oats. Stir into bran mixture. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling to the brims. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon oats over muffins.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of 1 comes out clean, 21 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks. (Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days

7-Grain Greek Salad by Mary Ann

1 pkg. Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf, cooked according to pkg. directions

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 or 3 tomatoes, chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbls olive oil

1-2 Tbls greek seasoning

When Kashi Pilaf is cool, place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season with additional greek seasoning, to taste. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Whole-Wheat Wrap and Bulgur Wheat Salad from myrecipes.com

1/4 cup bulgur wheat

1/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 scallion, chopped

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 whole-wheat wrap

1/2 cup packaged salad greens

1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Cook the bulgur according to the package directions, transfer to a bowl, and let cool. Add the edamame, scallion, oil, lemon juice, and pepper. Toss and transfer to a plate. Meanwhile, fill the wrap half with the greens, bell pepper, carrot, and mozzarella. Roll up and serve with Bulgur Wheat Salad.

Homemade Sausage Roll by Mary Ann

1 pkg. reduced fat, refrigerated cresent roll dough

1-2 links sweet lean italian turkey sausage, such as Jenny-O

poppy seeds

Remove the casings from the sausage and cook in a skillet, crumbling as it cooks. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll cresent dough onto a cooking sheet, but do not divide it into triangles. Keep it together, by pressing the perferations in the dough, together with your fingers. You should have a large triangle. Spread the cook sausage down the center of the dough, and bring one side of the dough over the top of the sausage, covering it completely, and close the dough by pressing it together. You should have a large roll, with open ends. Sprinkle poppy seeds onto the top of the roll and press them gently into the dough.

Bake for 11-15 minutes, until the cresent dough is cooked through.

Coming Tuesday- Tuesday's with Dorie- Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

Daring Bakers Pizza- Greek, Summer Squash, Hummus, BBQ Chicken, Nutella, Mexican, and Thai

Greek- my pizza sauce, greek-seasoned chicken, baby spinach, red peppers, mozzarella and feta

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was pizza. The pizza dough used cold fermentation as the method and we were supposed to toss the dough. No pictures of tossing here- by the time I let the dough rest in the fridge over night and sit on the counter for a few hours the next day, it was so elastic, I could barely hold it up. I got it onto my fists and the dough was already streched out to an enormous size. I attempted tossing but couldn't get any pics of it, because it happened too fast. Sorry. This dough came together easily and I went a little crazy with the toppings. I actually made 7 dough balls because I wanted a dessert pizza too. Check out what other DBer's did with this challenge by visiting the Daring Bakers Blogroll!

Summer Squash- my pizza sauce, thinly sliced summer squash and zucchini, fresh basil, garlic sea salt and mozzarella

Hummus- roasted red pepper hummus, spinach, yellow, orange and red bell peppers, feta

BBQ Chicken- BBQ sauce, cooked chicken, pineapple chunks, green bell peppers, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

Nutella- granulated sugar instead of cornmeal on pan, after baking- Nutella, fresh strawberry slices and blueberries

Mexican- refried beans, black beans, red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, taco cheese blend, added fresh, chopped tomatoes from the garden after it was done baking

Thai- peanut sauce (creamy PB, tamari, and rice wine vinegar), fresh bean sprouts, green onions, matchstick carrots, cilantro,- after done baking- cucumber slices and roasted peanuts

My Pizza sauce: (makes enough for 2 large round pizzas)

1 Tbls olive oil

1 small white onion, chopped

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbls fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme, removed from stems

2-14 oz cans petite diced tomatoes, flavored with olive oil and garlic

1 6-oz can tomato paste

To make sauce- heat oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion and saute, until almost tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add herbs and saute for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and cook until bubbly. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes. Scoop mixture into blender and puree, for a few minutes, until completely pureed. Set aside

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled -

FOR GF: 4 ½ cups GF Flour Blend with xanthan gum or 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup corn flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1 ½ cup arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch + 2 tsp xanthan or guar gum

1 3/4 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Instant yeast - FOR GF use 2 tsp1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)

1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)

1 Tb sugar - FOR GF use agave syrup

Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Or

2. FOR GF: Add the oil, sugar or agave syrup and cold water, then mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper

.4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

Or

8. FOR GF: On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about ½ inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

Or

10. FOR GF: Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough).

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

Or

11. FOR GF: Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

Or

12. FOR GF: Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.1

3. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

Or

13. FOR GF: Follow the notes for this step.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Come back in the morning for Sarah's Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake!

Greek Salad

To finish off the birthday dinner we had Greek Salad as well. Usually when I make this salad it has chicken, sauteed in Greek seasoning, on top to make it more of a meal. We had a little chicken leftover, that we couldn't fit on the pizza, so we threw that on top. The salad is a little different from the way I usually fix it- check out this LINK , to see the other way we eat this salad and the greek seasoning I use. There are no tomatoes in the picture, but we added them on the side, because some members of my family think tomatoes are poisonous-(it is an adult). I love serving this in a trifle bowl, because then you can see all the pretty colors and it just looks lovely on the table.


Greek Salad with Vinaigrette by Mary Ann
3 oz baby spinach
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small orange pepper, chopped
1- 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 or 15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 oz block feta cheese, crumbled
2 tomatoes, chopped

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle Greek Vinaigrette over top and toss; or let everyone dress their own salad.

Greek Vinaigrette* or Athenos Brand Greek Dressing with Feta Cheese
4 Tbls fresh lemon juice
4 Tbls red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

*Combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients in a blender. Start blending and slowly pour in olive oil. Turn off blender and stir in feta cheese. Store in the fridge.

Greek Chicken Pizza

My sister wanted Greek Salad for her birthday, but also wanted pizza, so I came up with this Greek Chicken Pizza. We doubled the pizza dough, because some people just have to have pepperoni! (I only use turkey pepperoni and we threw on some mushrooms so there would be at least 1 veggie!) This is a hearty pizza, with the toppings piled on high. Spinach, artichoke hearts, red peppers, greek seasoned chicken, feta and mozzarella. It was delish! Don't mind the little pool of liquid on the pizza, just a little moisture from the veggies- it didn't affect the taste at all!


Greek Chicken Pizza by Mary Ann
Pizza dough: (double to make 2 large round pizzas)
3 and a half cups flour
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp honey
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp of salt
Pizza sauce: (makes enough for 2 large round pizzas)
1 Tbls olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, removed from stems
2-14 oz cans petite diced tomatoes, flavored with olive oil and garlic
1 6-oz can tomato paste
Greek chicken:
1 Tbls olive oil
16-20 oz. chicken breast or tenders, cut into bite size pieces
2-4 Tbls Greek seasoning
Pizza Toppings:
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
3 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix ingredients for pizza dough in a mixer with paddle attachment, until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
To made sauce- heat oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion and saute, until almost tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add herbs and saute for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and cook until bubbly. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes. Scoop mixture into blender and puree, for a few minutes, until completely pureed. Set aside.
To cook chicken- Heat oil in electric skillet. Add chicken and season heavily with greek seasoning. Saute for a few minutes, until all sides are cooked. Cover and turn heat to low. Let cook until completely cooked through and then keep covered.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray round pizza pan with cooking spray. Put pizza dough on pan and roll out to edges, leaving enough around the edges to make a nice crust. Prick crust with a fork in a few places. Bake for 6 minutes and remove from oven.
Spread crust evenly with pizza sauce. Layer spinach on top of sauce- it is okay if it overlaps. Place red pepper strips on top of spinach. Place artichoke hearts around peppers. Sprinkle chicken all over the top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of chicken and top with crumbled feta. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve!