I was recently invited to become part of the 2015 Better with Leerdammer Blogger team. As a member of the team I would be challenged to create a sandwich with the ingredients provided for five days running. I am a big fan of Leerdammer and so for me, this is a delicious challenge to fulfil! I also love sandwiches! This is a definite win/win situation! This is Day Three!
Easy Chicken Gyros
ingredients:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1 1/2 TBS Greek yogurt
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3/4 of an English cucumber, deseeded, grated and squeezed to remove as much juice as possible
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 fresh TBS lemon juice
- 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1/4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 soft Greek Flat Breads
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 ripe tomato, deseeded and diced
- 2 - 3 TBS finely chopped red onions
- a small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
- salt and pepper as needed
instructions:
How to cook Easy Chicken Gyros
- First put the chicken in to marinate. (You should do this at least two hours ahead of time, and up to 12 hours ahead of time. Mix together all of the marinade ingredients in a plastic refrigerator container. Add the chicken and turn it to coat on all sides. Put the lid on and then place in the refrigerator to marinate.
- To make the Tzatziki, make sure your cucumber has been squeezed quite dry, then put it into a bowl and stir together with the remaining ingredients. Set aside for about 20 minutes in order for the flavours to meld well together.
- To make the salad for the Gyros, mix together the cucumbers, onion, tomato and parsley. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper. Alternately you can just lay the ingredients out on a plate and let people help themselves.
- When you are ready to serve, heat the grill to high. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding any marinade. Grill the chicken on the grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side., until golden brown and cooked through.
- Cut the chicken into pieces. Keep warm while you warm your flat breads as per package instructions.
- To serve top each flat bread with some of the Tzatziki sauce, a portion of the chicken and some of the salad. Roll up, secure and enjoy!
I have to say . . . I am awfully fond of the flavours of gingerbread . . . those warm baking spices . . . ginger, cinnamon, cloves . . . and molasses, thick and sweet. Oh so good.
I'm also awfully fond of jam, I admit . . . but then you already knew that. It doesn't matter which kind, I'm not overly fussed, although I do quite like strawberry and raspberry jams . . . raspberry jam in particular has a great affinity for gingerbread flavours. Trust me. Tis true.
And when that gingerbread comes in the form of big SOFT sugary cookies, stogged full of white chocolate chips . . . and layered together in pairs with raspberry jam . . . well, I am also pretty AWFULLY fond of that!
I cannot think of anyone that wouldn't fall in love with these delightfully delicious cookies. These are truly what I would call "Moreish." Scrummy even . . . not to belabor a point.
Add to the mix a nice glass of ice cold milk and . . . well . . . it's just heavenly bliss. There is no other way to describe the experience. Winners all round. If you love gingerbread, and you love jam, and you love white chocolate and cookies and milk . . . you will positively ADORE these tasty little babies. I'd stake my reputation on that. I really would. Make sure you bring your appetites. These are hefty little delights!
Makes 12 large double cookies
additional granulated sugar for rolling
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk to combine. Beat in the treacle mixture. Sift the flour, spices, soda and salt together. Stir this into the wet mixture until aough comes together. Stir in chocolate chips.
Roll into 2 inch in diameter balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place at least 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes, until the edges are turning golden brown. Allow to stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before scooping onto wire racks to finish cooling completely.
Once they are completely cold, sandwich together in pairs with raspberry jam. Delicious.
I have to admit, that of all the sandwiches out there, and all the sandwiches I have eaten in my lifetime, my favourite has to be the good old fashioned Cheese Toastie, or Grilled Cheese as it is also called. Over here they call sandwiches sarnies in some places. Or Baps . . .
Bap. Sarnie. Toastie. Sandwich. Truth be told no matter what they are called this carb loving heart of mine just adores them whatever they be called, and the grilled cheese is my most favourite-est indulgence of all!
Here I am again, another Sunday, another meals of the week post! It is hard to believe that this was the last week of June and we are now into July. Halfway through the year! Summer is here however and we are moving on to eating lighter things, using fresh and local produce wherever possible.
This week was the first real week of Strawberry season here in Nova Scotia and as you will see, I have been enjoying them! I try only to ever eat and use strawberries in season, so when they are in season, I enjoy them as often as possible. They are still a bit on the expensive side at the moment but as the days progress, they will drop in price exponentially!
I started sharing my meals of the week with you in March of this year, as a way to keep a record of what I was eating and to inspire me to eat better. I never want to be that person who eats only frozen dinners, or restaurant meals, or from out of tin cans!
I love to cook and I love to eat. There is a huge temptation when you live all on your own to become somewhat lazy when it comes to eating, or to get into a rut when it comes to meals. I want to keep as exciting and delicious as possible, with a good measure of healthy thrown into the mix!
My motto is "Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good!" I like food that is delicious and at the same time simple to make and uncomplicated. I had more than my share of complicated cooking when I worked at the Manor. Don't get me wrong. I like fancy sometimes, but generally, as a rule, I like to keep things simple.
And with that in mind, here are the simple meals I cooked for myself for the last week of June. I did eat out once, and I had dinner at my sister's twice. For those occasions I have endeavored to show you something comparable!
If you are a person who lives on their own, or perhaps are a couple of empty nesters, I hope that I can inspire you to want to also cook simple and delicious meals for yourself as well!!
SUNDAY, June 25th - Dinner at my sister's
Most Sundays I have Sunday Dinner at my sisters. This week was no different. My sister cooked her usual pot roast which she served with a variety of vegetables and gravy. The photograph you see above is of my own recipe for Caramelized Onion Pot Roast. I can promise you that it is very good with a rich and bountiful gravy and juicy tender beef.
My father always looks for something sweet at the end of the meal. Most days my sister gives him either a small dish of ice cream or a bowl of sugar free jello with squirty cream on top. Last week in honor of Strawberry Season, we all got to enjoy a dish of Mom's Strawberry Shortcake. There was not a scrap left at the end. Seriously delicious!
I love Strawberry season.
MONDAY, June 26th - Easy Pork Schnitzel
After all of the indulgence of Sunday dinner I decided to have a really light supper on Monday. I made some Easy Pork Schnitzel which I enjoyed with a simple salad. Crispy coated tender and juicy pork, flash fried until golden brown on both sides and served with a lemon wedge for squeezing.
This delicious entrée goes very well with potatoes or rice. Homemade Spaetzle is also very nice with it. Especially if you make a tasty gravy on the side. I enjoyed this dish a few years ago in Austria and they served it with chips and a salad. Delicious!
TUESDAY, June 27th - Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich
I kept things light again on Tuesday. The temperatures outside were really warm and I didn't feel like eating a whole awful lot. Salad appealed, but I needed something a it more substantial. I created a delicious open-faced, knife & fork Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich. I used an artisanal garlic bread for the base and topped it with crisp streaky bacon, some grilled thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets that I had marinated in a Caesar Dressing, and some Caesar dressed romaine lettuce. A few shavings of Parmesan on top and a few crisp garlic croutons and dinner was ready!
I don't mind saying, this was most delicious!
WEDNESDAY, June 28th - Dinner Out with Dad
Most Wednesday nights I go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel. Some weeks my sister joins us. Most of the time we go to a local eatery called The Big Scoop. Most of the time we will have fish and chips, but this week we each chose something different. Hazel chose the special which was a Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry. Dad had a hot dog and chips. I had a turkey dinner. We were all very happy with our meals as we are most of the time.
I can't show you a photo of the stir fry that Hazel had, but she really enjoyed it. This photo I am sharing here is for a Cantonese Chicken Chop Suey that I make for myself from time to time. It boasts plenty of crisp tender vegetables, tender pieces of chicken and a delicious sauce. Everything is natural and nothing comes from a jar.
THURSDAY, June 29th - Spinach, Onion & Feta Oven Omelets
Once again something light. I tend to eat much lighter in the summer months. Eggs are often a supper which I enjoy. Sometimes its as simple as eggs on toast, but I am rather fond of these Oven Omelets. They are a delicious mix of chopped wilted spinach, sauteed onion and crumbled feta cheese. The recipe makes two and you bake them in small casserole/ramekins.
They are delicious and filling. Especially when served with some whole wheat toast points and a fresh Tomato Salad vinaigrette. Seriously tasty! That is a salad that I used to make when I worked at a hotel as the Pastry Chef, early on in my cooking career. Wow, that was about 48 years ago now! Time flies when you are having fun!
FRIDAY, June 30th - Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
This was my first time cooking Chicken Parmesan in the Air Fryer. I adapted a recipe I had found on Delish, downsizing it for just two servings. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was a bit worried that the coating wouldn't be crispy, or the chicken juicy. All of my fears were unfounded. The coating wasn't dry in the least and it was full of flavor and that chicken was cooked to perfection!
I served it with some spaghetti that I had tossed together with a knob of butter, some seasoning, a bit of grated parmesan cheese and some parsley flakes. I actually used this method this time for cooking my pasta. It actually cooks perfectly and cooks much faster. It flies against everything I have ever been taught about cooking pasta! Who knew!
SATURDAY, July 1st - Canada Day BBQ at my sisters
Yesterday was Canada day and so we had a BBQ at my sister's place. Dan did burgers on the BBQ, my sister made her macaroni salad and we had a special dessert. The photo above is the recipe for my Smash Burgers. They are also a real favorite. It was really nice getting together with family.
I had brought over a Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert for afters. An empty dish was brought home! No surprise there!
Here are a few other things I cooked last week!
CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD - This is easily the nicest loaf of bread I have ever made in my breadmaker. It was light and fluffy and had a beautiful crumb and delicious cheese flavor! I gave half the loaf to my sister. We are both connoisseurs of cheese bread!!
STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE - Another thing I tried this week was this fabulous Strawberry Spoon Cake. It was really easy to make and tasted beautiful! I did make a bit of a pig of myself with it, I'm afraid. It was so, so, so good! A new favorite!
And there you have it my meals for the past week. I did try to eat a bit lighter and healthier this week, aside from the desserts, but we won't talk about that! haha Everything was delicious and simple with a minimum of waste! Fairly economical as well. I like that.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Blitz the cornflakes until they are crumbs in a small blender. Pour into a bowl. Put the onion, milk, 4 TBS of the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder and egg into the food processor and blitz until smooth. Pour into the bowl with the cornflake crumbs and mix together. Crumble in the beef and mix well together. Divide the mixture between the buns, spreading it out with a fork to cover all of the surface, right to the edges to an even thickness.
Social Icons