My Take on Greek with an Orzo Twist!
Chicken souvlaki is soooo good... but have you noticed how expensive Greek take out is? Now you can make it at home!
So I think I have mentioned a few times that Dairy and I aren't friends and lucky for me I turn that into a challenge! The best part of souvlaki is the tzatziki sauce but damn it! I couldn't eat it any more. But then I found....
#presidentschoice cashew cucumber dill spread... I'm not going to say it tastes exactly like tzatziki but it is certainly a very close and welcome alternative!
But how to make the souvlaki? I chose #freefrom antibiotic free chicken breasts from Superstore and cut raw into cubes.
At this point when I looked at my luscious pile of healthy chicken I reflected on all the times I legit spent between $19.95 and $23.95 on a two skewer chicken souvlaki meal, supplemented only by copious amounts of rice and potatoes. It was still delicious but honestly I felt I could do better, for cheaper and with a twist! Over to the marinade....
For the marinade...
I use high quality non-GMO avocado oil
Lemon or lime juice
Oregano
Garlic powder
Onion powder or minced onion
Place in a bag and toss occasionally to evenly coat.
At least 2 hours in the marinade is ideal!
These cook perfectly on soaked wood skewers. The skewers need to be soaked to ensure they don't burn in the cooking process. This is especially important if you opt for the BBQ cooking option. In this case I oven cooked the skewers and what is really important is using a tray that allows for drip off to ensure they do not sit in what naturally releases from them in the cooking process.
Cook at 400 degrees for minimum 30 minutes. Look for the browning on top and aim to flip at the half way mark.
Meanwhile boil a pot of water to cook the orzo pasta.
Cut up the typical Greek salad veggies with one variation... I love to include red and yellow or orange peppers instead of the cheaper and more subdue green peppers. I saved so much making this meal at home; the sweetness the coloured peppers bring to the table was well worth the slight additional cost! I use #pcorganics and other organic brands supplied by Superstore and love how comparable in cost they are to conventional vegetables!
I chilled the cooked orzo for addition to the salad and included the homemade salad dressing.
Come summer my recipes will include lots of veggies that I have grown... in the mean time note the fresh basil in this salad! I kept these little beauties alive all winter from an East facing window in my house!
I am aware that Greek food traditionally includes pita bread.... but for this meal I included pre-made naan bread rounds which worked just as well.
This whole meal cam together well, had all the feel of a traditional Greek meal with some modern light variations! I hope you have the joy of a quality flavorful Greek meal at a fraction of the take out price! Send me pics of your recipe renditions! Also please join my blog's email subscription! It helps me to create more quality recipes! and I will ensure you hear all of my new stuff first!! Also any blog members can recommend future post ideas!
The Recipe:
The Chicken:
Plan for minimum 3/4 of a chicken breast per person, cubed (this recipe marinades 4 breasts);
Place chicken in sealable bag and add 1/2 cup high quality high heat oil. I chose non-gmo avocado oil;
include minimum 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice;
add 2 tablspoons dried oregano;
2 tablespoons garlic powder;
2 tablespoons minced dried onion.
Marinade ideally for 2 or more hours, tossing occassionally.
The Salad:
Boil water with avocado oil and add 1 to 2 cups of orzo pasta depending on how many people you are serving. a group of 4 needs only 1 cup of orzo;
Cut up 1 full cucumber, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 red and 1 yellow pepper and sliced red onion to taste. If you can eat dairy #jealous crumble feta cheese on the salad.
The Dressing:
1 cup of a high quality oil (I use Avocado oil) do not use coconut oil.
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (you can adjust depending on the level of tartness you like)
1/2 a red onion or a shallot emulsified in a blender. You can do this in some or all of the oil.
2 tablespoons of grainy Dijon mustard (definately use the grainy version rather than regular dijon, but regular will do in a pinch)
1 tsp garlic powder (or emulsify 1 clove of garlic with the onion if you like a garlicy dressing)
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste.
Now I recommend you try it like this first.. but if its too strong you can add a sweetener like coconut sugar to it in small sprinklings until the bite of the vinegar is gone. I have dabbled in adding lemon juice to it too, but if you do I would start with less red wine vinegar.
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