Greek Lemon Rice

2 c long grain rice
3 c chicken broth
juice from one lemon (maybe 1 1/2 according to taste)
2 T butter
fresh cracked pepper

Cook rice in chicken broth according to package directions....about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Heat butter in a skillet on high heat until it sizzles. Lift the cover of the pot and quickly pour in the hot butter and close the cover quickly (it will spatter). When the sizzling stops (a few seconds), remove the cover, stir briefly, and recover.

Alow to sit 5-10 minutes before serving. The pilaf is supposed to be smooth and creamy, and slightly mushy. Serve with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

Slow Cooker Greek Chicken Gyros

I Love Love Love Greek food and Chicken Gyros are at the top of my list. This was a great way to make them without any effort on my part. I will definitely be making these again and again!

***Updated Tip*** Costco now carries a great tzatziki sauce that is a great sub for the plain greek yogurt...I buy the pitas there too!

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 t lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t allspice

1/2-1 c plain Greek yogurt
pita bread

Place chicken in greased slow cooker. Lay onion over chicken and sprinkle with seasonings. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours (my chicken was frozen). After 6 hours pour off excess water and shred chicken. Then stir in 1/2 to 1 cup yogurt based on desired creaminess. Spoon onto warm pita halves. Garnish with Roma tomato slices and cucumber slices. Makes 6-8 servings.
I garnished mine with sauteed zucchini and grape tomatoes (yum). You can make your own pita bread with the delicious recipe on this site...or if your short on time like I was I stopped at a local Greek restaurant and bought the pita bread a la cart and warmed it up with butter on a dry skillet at home....WOW! It was to die for!..Pita bread from the store will never compare so I suggest those options first. Enjoy!

Homemade Pita Bread

Have you ever bought pita bread at the store and thought, "ugg this stuff is gross!" Well I have, and I was thrilled when I saw this post on melskitchencafe.com (one of my fave food blogs). I made this recipe just as directed. I used potato flakes in mine not potato flour. It was a little messy, and definately took longer than buying them at the store, but I was rewarded by their soft, warm, deliciousness. These really are good, so if you like to make breads try it for sure!

Soft Wrap Bread
from King Arthur Flour

*Makes about 8-9 breads

3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don't be worried - just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn't dry out), until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat "slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

Chicken Souvlaki

I got this recipe from one of my favorite reads. The Enlightened Homemaker. If you want something good and healthy, be sure to check her out. It is great to add a little Greek flavor to the menu!

Chicken Marinade:
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 cup water
2 T. Greek Seasoning, I used McCormicks
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning

Put about 8 chicken tenders in the marinade and let sit for at least 15 minutes. While marinating, make the following dressing:

Tzatziki Sauce:
2/3 cup Greek yogurt or plain
1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. finely chopped chives
2 T. fresh dill, chopped or 2 tsp. dried
1 T. lemon juicesalt and pepper to taste

Mix and let sit in fridge until ready to use. Now, to put together; Cook chicken in the skillet in all marinade on medium until no longer pink. Most of the marinade should be soaked up. You can also grill the chicken if you marinade it longer. Slice chicken in small pieces, chop lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. Put sauce , at least 2 Tb. on one side of golden Naan bread, layer chicken, lettuce, tomato,cucumber and feta if desired. Season if needed with pepper and salt.