Chicken Gyros w/ Pickled Beets

State Fair Season is right upon us.  In Kentucky, the State Fair starts today and goes until Aug. 25.  One of our favorite things to do at the fair is eat... obviously.  And one of our favorite booths to visit is definitely one that offers Greek gyros! 

Every now and then, we'll divulge at home with gyros of our own.  They're so easy, and versatile - not to mention completely delicious!

For these, I pickled some beets, made some orange-cucumber tzatziki, and loaded up on some grape tomatoes and lettuce.  Pair those accompaniments with some marinated chicken, and you've got a meal!

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

1 lb. chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
juice from 1 orange
juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup olive oil

Pickled Beets:

2 small red beets, peeled and julienned
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
hard spices - for these, I used a combination of mustard seeds, crushed bay leaf, star anise, cloves, and juniper berries

Pitas
Grape Tomatoes
Grilled Onions
Lettuce
Homemade Tzatziki
Any other toppings you want!

For the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, orange juice, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, chili flakes, and olive oil.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Add chicken to the bowl and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

For the beets: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, and spices.  Bring mixture to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let cool slightly. 

Place julienned beets in a medium bowl and strain pickling liquid over top.  Let pickle for a least 30 minutes.

Preheat a propane or charcoal grill to high heat. 

Remove chicken from marinade.  Spray grill with non-stick spray or wipe grates with oil.  Grill tenderloins until white throughout. 

Heat pitas on grill until marked. 

To assemble, place one or two pieces of chicken in the center of each pita.  Top with lettuce, grape tomatoes, onions, pickled beets, and tzatziki (I simple combined plain greek yogurt, orange juice, and finely diced cucumber).  And you've got yourself one heck of a gyro!

Have you ever made gyros at home?  How do you like yours?

Have a great weekend guys!

Beets & Bowties

It's Friday!  And boy am I glad!  The week seemed to fly by, but it definitely had it's ups and downs.  But now that it's Friday, I'm looking forward to getting my 8-hour shift at work over with and on to my weekend off! 

I plan on hitting up the Farmer's Market, getting some sushi with friends, and possibly kicking Andy's butt in a round or two of tennis.  Full of myself much?  Yeah, maybe just a little. 

Anyway, on to today's post.

Andy doesn't like beets.  We kept getting beets in our CSA for a few weeks, and while I didn't mind, Andy was getting a little perturbed.  But what's a good fiancee to do in moments like these?  Well, I force-feed.  I couldn't let the beets go to waste just because he claims not to like them!  I honestly think deep down, he actually adores them - but just doesn't want to admit it.  Why?  Because I'm pretty sure he ate this pasta without any complaints - and it's chock full of beets.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Jeanette's Healthy Living's recipe

5-7 small to medium-sized beets, cleaned (I used a combo of golden and red)
1 cup water
1/4 cup roastes peanuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8 oz. farfalle pasta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Place beets in a medium sized baking dish and add cup of water.  Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until beets have softened and can cut easily.

Let cool until safe enough to handle.  Peel away skin with a paring knife or your hands (don't be afraid to get messy).

Cut beats into 1/2 inch cubes.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering.  Saute onions on medium heat for about 15-18 minutes.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute or so.

Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add pasta to the pan and mix well.  Add mozzarella and stir until melted.  Stir in additional pasta water if desired.

Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with roasted peanuts.

This was definitely one of my better beet dishes.  And don't worry - I'm not through with beets yet.  I've got something special coming up next week... you won't be sorry =)  And you may think I'm evil, but that's nothing new!  I'll keep you in suspense until then.

Have a safe weekend everybody!

Garlic & Dill Roasted Root Vegetables

If you haven't noticed, there's a couple of changes around these parts!  Obviously, the header is new - I couldn't resist using some of our engagement photos (with our photographer's permission of course!) to make a new header for the blog!  These two are definitely two of my favorites!

Also, thanks to all of you for the input about a possible blog name change in the future - Feeding Andy is definitely a top contender.  

Anyway, let's get to why you came!  The food!  

Every now and then, my crisper drawers and pantry get overloaded with vegetables.  What's my favorite thing to do with vegetables?  Roast them!  It's so easy, and I just love the way roasted vegetables taste.  Throw in a few herbs and even better!

Ingredients:

2 large new potatoes, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 large turnip, peeled and cubed (same as the potatoes)

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 large beets, peeled and cubed (again, same as the potatoes - and don't be afraid to get a little red)

Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Add potatoes, garlic, turnip, carrots, and beets to the baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Spread into an even layer on the baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables for about 30 minutes, or until browned and vegetables are tender.

Place vegetables in a large bowl and stir in chopped dill.

The dill definitely brings this side to a whole new level.  It's such a unique flavor and I loved having it in something other than some ranch dressing or tartar sauce!

What do you do when you're overloaded with vegetables?

Tempeh Stir Fry

I'm happy to say that this Tuesday morning started off a lot better than yesterday's dog fiasco.  The only thing wrong with today (so far) is that Andy happened to take my keys with him to work!  But I didn't have to work today, so it wasn't like I needed them for anything.  And it gives us an excuse to have lunch together so he can give me my keys back.  So win-win if you ask me =)

And boy is it a hot one!  Almost as hot as yesterday's heat index of 114 F!  Seriously?  114!  And as of right now, it's a heat index of 111 F.  Will. NOT. Be. Running. Outside. Today.  As much as I hate running on the treadmill, my butt is not going to be found passed out on the sidewalk (which I know it will be if I attempt to run outside!).

Anyway, we've been trying to eat a little bit healthier around these parts, but still wanting to get our protein in.  Tofu really isn't an option right now for us, I'm still quite unsure about it - I know, I know - it takes on the flavor you put it in and all that jazz, and eventually I'll get over this hump, but right now, we're both on the fence about tofu. 

I've been hearing a lot of good things about tempeh - which can best be described as a soybean cake, so I figured we could safely give that a try!  Whole Foods had a couple different varieties, so we opted for 2 packs of Vegetable Blend Tempeh.  Andy was still a little leary about it, but I told him to trust me on this one!

Ingredients:

Adapted from Post Punk Kitchen's recipe

1 cup chopped collard greens
1 cup chopped kale
2 8 oz. packages Vegetable Medley Tempeh
2 tablespoons soy sauce
juice from 1 lemon
1 cup water
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 shallot, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
small handful of cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
3 Thai chiles, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 golden beets, peeled and cubed
2 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
Barbecue Sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 400F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread beets and potatoes on sheet in a single layer.  Season beets and potatoes with salt and pepper.  Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add collard greens and kale.  Simmer for about 8-10 minutes.  Drain greens and set aside.

Crumble up the tempeh into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add 1 cup of water, soy sauce, and lemon juice.  Cover and bring mixture to a boil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is gone.

Lower the heat and push tempeh to one side of the skillet.  Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil on the bare side of the skillet and add shallots, chiles, and garlic.  Sauce for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Mix garlic and shallots in with the tempeh and saute for about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in cilantro, fennel seed, and greens.  Cook for 10 more minutes before mixing in beets and potatoes.  Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes and serve!  Top with your favorite barbecue sauce, if desired.

This meal exceeded every expectation in my book.  The only thing Andy thought was somewhat off about it was the beets, but he's not as big of a fan of beets as I am, so that's completely understandable.  But he actually liked the tempeh!  So that's a win in my book.

This definitely won't be the last time I ever try tempeh, it's my vegetarian protein of choice as of right now =)

Have you guys tried tempeh?  What's your favorite way to have it?


See you guys tomorrow!