Greek Chicken Kebabs with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

I have really been missing one of my favorite restaurants in Katy where we get the most delicious kebabs so this recipe really caught my eye and I couldn't wait to try it. The homemade Tzatziki sauce was easy to make and so delicious. Since we don't have a grill right now I baked ours in the oven (and also, baked the veggies about 5 minutes extra on their own before adding them to the skewers with the chicken for the rest of the cook time). The marinade for the meat was amazing as well and I have been enjoying the leftovers immensely! Thanks Mel's Kitchen Cafe for the recipe!

Ingredients:
Tzatziki Sauce:
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, shredded
1 clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

Marinade:
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chicken and Vegetables:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 small to medium zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1-2 red peppers, cut into squares
1 red onion, cut into squares
(I also used a can of artichoke hearts)

Directions:
For the tzatziki sauce, wrap the shredded cucumber in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
For the marinade, in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
Place the chicken in a resealable gallon-size ziploc bag (or in a shallow dish) and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag (or cover the dish) and let marinade for 1-2 hours.
If using wooden skewers, soak them for 15-20 minutes prior to assembling.
Thread the chicken, zucchini, peppers and onion onto skewers. Give the kebabs a little sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.
Grill over medium to medium-high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Serve immediately with tzatziki sauce for dipping.

Kebabs with Spiced Honey Glaze (Beef or Chicken)

I have been wanting to make these for a long time and they were well worth the wait! The week got crazy and I ended up waiting too long to use the beef I bought for them (I am particular about my meat), so I used chicken instead and they were still delicious! I would have never thought to grill canned artichokes, but they were amazing and the spiced honey glaze with sooo delicious! This is a Rachael Ray recipe and she doesn't provide nutrition information so I did my best :-) with it (I used 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 red onion, 1 c grape tomatoes, the whole can artichokes and only 2 T olive oil).

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes (or chicken)
24 grape tomatoes
3 red onions, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used less)
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and cumin.
2. Thread the beef, tomatoes, onions and artichoke hearts onto 8 skewers; brush with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the kebabs on the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks appear, about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Brush immediately with the honey mixture. (Tip Set the honey mixture near the hot grill to warm it up for easier brushing.)

Per my best calculations, using chicken breasts, each kebab is approx 100 calories.

3 Recipes: Grilled Beef Skewers, Sun-Dried Tomato Relish, and Summer Squash and Chive Pancakes

When I saw this yummy dinner on The Daily Dish, I instantly knew I wanted to try it! I love all kebabs and the squash and chive pancakes sounded awesome! The pancakes were our favorite part of the dinner and we'll definitely make them as sides for other dishes in the future. The beef had an awesome flavor (even though I only marinated it for 2 hours) and it was a perfect combo with the relish. The relish was my least favorite part of the meal, I think I'm just not used to the strong flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes, but I did love the way the 3 things complimented each other. Plus, it all looked so fancy together which is always fun :-)!

Summer Squash & Chive Pancakes

Ingredients:
- Canola oil spray
- 2 cups of cooked yellow squash, crushed (from about 3 1/2 yellow squash)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp of fresh chives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- A pinch of ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Place the squash in a large pot. Fill with water making sure to cover the squash completely.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and cover, cooking until soft.
3. Once soft, drain and set to the side to cool for a few minutes while you chop the rest of your ingredients.
4. After the squash has cooled down a bit, add them to a food processor and pulse until crushed.
5. Place the squash in a large mixing bowl with the egg, egg white, flour, baking powder, garlic, Parmesan cheese, chives, salt, and pepper, and mix until smooth.
6. Spray the bottom of a large griddle pan with canola oil and place the burner on medium heat.
7. Take 1/4 cup of the batter (per 1 pancake) and drop it onto the griddle. Use the book of a spoon to slightly flatten them and cook for a few minutes until golden brown on the bottom side.
8. Once the bottom has cooked, flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown.
9. Set the finished pancakes aside on a platter and repeat with the remaining batter until all 12 pancakes are made. Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Beef Skewers

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of beef of choice, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of salt
- Skewers (I use metal)

Directions:
1. In a resealable bag or glass container, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper with the beef. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Once the beef is done marinating and you are ready to begin cooking, place a grill pan on medium-high heat (or preheat your gas or charcoal grill).
3. Remove the meat from the marinade and begin placing the cubes on a skewer
4. When the skewers all set, place on the grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side.
5. Arrange the skewers on a plate and serve along side the relish below.

Sun-Dried Tomato Relish

Ingredients:
- 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of frozen (thawed) corn (or 1 ear of corn kernels removed if you are using fresh)
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (I omitted because the tomatoes were already plenty oily)
- 1/2 of an avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 1/4 cup of feta cheese crumbles
- Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a small to medium-sized bowl, combine the onion, tomatoes, corn, and olive oil.
2. If you are prepping this in advance, refrigerate these ingredients until ready to serve.
3. Just before serving add the avocado and feta cheese before mixing all of the ingredients together. Add the ground black pepper to taste.
4. Serve the relish alongside the beef skewers, and enjoy!

Sirloin and Summer Vegetable Kebabs with Chimichurri

This recipe came from the latest Martha Stewart magazine. I've been craving my favorite beef kabobs from a local restaurant, but haven't had the chance to go get any, so I decided to make my own to hold me over :-). I loved the flavor of the meet and the chimichurri was really good. I put a little less oregano than called for and would put even less the next time around (I felt like it overpowered the other flavors a little). Kebabs just always look so pretty and are a fun way to eat your veggies. I made a wild rice blend to go with it and loved it...I'm really loving wild rice lately!
Ingredients:
1 lb. beef sirloin tips, cut into 1 1/2 in pieces
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1 med zucchini
1 small yellow summer squash
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
For Chimichurri...
Whisk together:
1/2 c fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 c fresh oregano, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 t fresh lemon juice
3/4 t coarse salt

Directions:
Marinate beef in vinegar, soy sauce and ground pepper for 30 minutes (also soak 4 wooden skewers in water during this time).
Slice veggies into 1 inch pieces.
Heat grill to med-high.
Thread beef onto skewers alternating with vegetables.
Grill for 7-8 min per side.
Drizzle/Dip with Chimichurri.