Chicken Shwarma

My husband and I met in High School, spent a year in a long distance relationship and then I joined him at college. The campus at University of Michigan is a mecca of diversity in the form of both people and food. One of my first introductions to Mediterranean and Greek cuisine was at a small cafe on S. University called Oasis. The chicken shwarma was so good I can still taste it all these years later!

Since then we have lived in a few different cities across the U.S. but I had yet to find a chicken shwarma as good as I had remembered at Oasis, until now!

San Diego has quite a few Greek restaurants and while most of them are a bit too commercial for my taste there is a small cafe called Nikkos my husband and I love. The chicken shwarma is exactly as I remember at Oasis. Warm, soft flat bread, flavorful chicken, and the most delicious garlic sauce I have ever had.

I attempted to make it at home and the results were quite good.

Chicken Shwarma

serves 4-6

4 Flat Bread

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts butterflied

Marinade:

1/2 c. white wine

1 c. Greek yogurt

4 cloves garlic crushed

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cardamon

2 whole cloves

salt and pepper

Sauce:

1 c. plain yogurt

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

Combine all marinade ingredients in medium sized bowl. Place chicken in marinade and place in fridge overnight.

Place chicken on preheated 375 degree grill. Grill on each side for six minutes a side. Grilling the chicken a total of 12 minutes. Remove to plate and set aside.

Sauce:

Crush garlic, add yogurt, tahini and lemon juice. Mix to combine.

Assembly:

Warm flat bread in microwave for 25 seconds. Place 2 strips of chicken in center of flat bread next to a dill pickle spear, spoon on sauce. Fold up sides and serve warm.

Roasted Carrot Medley with Honey Vinaigrette

I need to finish a few other commitments up today. A new monthly menu, inventory list, yearbook photo editing and a few other "to do" items I can't remember right now. I'm sure that I will remember much later tonight. ( when I don't want to do it anymore) Doesn't it always happen like that?

So..... today I will simply present you with a photo and a recipe. A simple, delicious, easy to assemble mid-week recipe. I hope you enjoy!

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Roasted Carrot Medley with Honey Vinaigrette

Adapted from Delicious Magazine

8 oz. carrots peeled and cleaned

6 red carrots (cleaned and sliced)

1/2 can garbanzo beans

2 tbsp. cilantro

olive oil

salt/pepper

Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1 garlic clove ( finely chopped)

Clean carrots and slice in half. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Halfway through baking add garbanzo beans to baking sheet. Return to oven for remaining 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes until soft. Remove from oven.

Assemble vinaigrette and whisk to mix.

Place carrots and beans on serving plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Ginger-Cardamom Roasted Vegetables

It's time to continue our quest for perfect Thanksgiving dishes. We all have vegetables grace our tables on this day, however this thanksgiving how about putting a twist on them. I 'm not suggesting we abandon all tradition, I know that I will still have classic mashed potatoes and gravy, maybe some fresh green beans with bacon and of course the perfect pumpkin pie. But.... a little change is good isn't it!?

We live in a very food driven nation, the availability of global products to us is immense. Fruits and vegetables once only seen in their native lands are now available in your local market. Beautiful and exotic spices are sitting on the shelves begging to find a home in your next meal. Why not utilize some of these amazing foods in your thanksgiving meal?

Ginger-cardamon roasted vegetables gives you a chance to introduce new flavors to your guests without scaring them off. Pick some classic root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips and add a few of the more obscure such as white asparagus and beautiful crab apples. YES, I said crab apples! They are not just for picking off the tree in your grandpa's front yard and throwing at your very annoying little brothers head! Crab apples add a touch of sweetness to the roasted vegetables and compliment the smokey cardamon and sweet ginger beautifully.

So, think about adding a little of the traditional and a touch of the exotic to your table. Your guest will be happy you did!

Ginger-Cardamon Roasted Vegetable

Serves 6

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8 carrots

6 parsnips

4 cloves garlic

1 lb. white asparagus

12 crab apples

1 tbsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Peel the parsnips, carrots and white asparagus. Cut in half lengthwise and cut into uniform medium pieces. Peel garlic and smash to release the oils. Remove the stems and core the crab apples. Leave them whole. ( I cut them in half the first time and they burnt, they roasted much better whole)

Mix together cardamon, ginger, salt and pepper. Place all fruit and vegetable on a baking sheet with a Silpat. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle the spice mixture over all the vegetables. Toss with hands to coat. Bake a t 375 for 25 minutes until parsnips and carrots are soft and tender. Serve immediately.