My Big But Not-Fat Greek Dinner

My favorite ingredients to cook with are: lemon, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs. These ingredients are essential to Greek cuisine, thus Greek food is one of my favorites(the other being Italian) I make shish kababs often but never really used a recipe, I sort of threw the above ingredients together. This time, I used recipes from Elly Says Opa I served the kababs with whole wheat Greek pita bread, along with homemade tzatziki sauce (I usually buy it premade). It turned out fantastic, and it was just as good the next day as leftovers. Also, I used some tzatziki as a healthy dip for veggies. Opa!


Shish Kababs

1 lb. lamb or pork tenderloin, cut into chunks peppers, onions, or any other vegetables you would like, cut into chunks (I used tomatoes, green and red peppers & red onion)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, smashed (I used 4 cloves, I looooove garlic)

1 teaspoon oregano (I used a combo of fresh and dried, about 2 tsp altogether)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix lemon juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Put meat and vegetables in a large ziplock bag and pour marinade mixture into bag. Seal and shake bag.

Refrigerate for several hours or over night. (I marinated for about 7 hours, the chicken longer than the veggies)

Place meat and veggies on skewers (if you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about half an hour beforehand, so they don't char). Grill!

Tzatziki

1 32oz container of plain yogurt (I do not recommend fat free, and a Greek yogurt like Fage will also work great)
1 English cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, seeded
5 cloves garlic, crushed (I usually crush with the help of a little salt and EVOO
1 tsp white wine vinegar
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don't have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.

Peel and seed the cucumber. Squeeze as much moisture out as possible. Shred/grate/process cucumbers and strain. Pat dry with a cloth or paper towel.

Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt to taste. It's best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.

Drizzle EVOO over the top.