ARABIC CHICKEN SHAWARMA

Disclosure: I am not really a huge fan of East Indian or Arabic type meals (mostly the cumin that I don't really care for) but I thought I would give this a try. Not my cup of tea but my husband enjoyed it. It paired really well with Tabbouleh Salad.

Arabic Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into sixths
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of cayenne

Directions:

• Pour olive oil and marinade spices into large plastic zip-lock bag. Seal the bag and shake to combine.
• Cut the chicken breasts into sixths, then place the pieces into zip-lock bag. Seal the bag and work the marinade into the chicken. 
• Place the bag of chicken into the fridge to marinate overnight
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick cooking spray)
• Slice chicken into smaller pieces, to your preference, and lay evenly on the baking sheet
• Bake for 8 minutes, flip the chicken pieces over, then bake for another 8 minutes (or until chicken is thoroughly cooked). 
• Serve warm with Tabbouleh Salad and pita bread. 

Recipe for Tabbouleh Salad

TABBOULEH SALAD

This salad pairs well with Arabic Chicken Shawarma. It is very refreshing and relatively easy to make. Would be great for a hot summer day.

Tabbouleh Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 1-2 cups boiling water OR vegetarian or chicken stock (I used water and found that I needed 1.5 cups)
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes (~2-3 roma tomatoes), seeded and chopped 
• 1 1/2 cups cucumber (~1 large cucumber), chopped
• 1/3 cup green onions (~3 green onions), thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

note: I personally am not a fan of mint, so I only added ~1/4 cup.  I still found this to be too powerful for me... husband wasn't a huge fan either.  Next time, I think I will skip the mint. 

Directions: 

• Place bulgur wheat in large bowl. Pour the boiling water (or stock) over the bulgur. Let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Wheat should be light and fluffy. I found that I had to add more water (original recipe called for 1 cup and I had to add another half cup). 
• While bulgur is soaking, to a separate bowl add lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. Stir together. 
• Add onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint, and dressing to bulgur wheat and still until well combined. I found that it tasted better once the dressing had time to soak into the wheat and vegetables for 10-15 minutes. 
• Serve at room temperature or can place in fridge for 15-30 minutes to cool off. 

Recipe for Arabic Chicken Shawarma

GUACAMOLE

One of my ultimate favourite snacks - homemade guacamole. Ok... so maybe it isn't exactly a snack, but it could be, right?! This is another option to take over to a party where there is a really good chance it'll be the only guac (and even if it isn't, it's probably the best one there). This guac recipe can also be used in various other meals as well.... spread onto taco shells, use on grilled cheese sandwiches, use as a pizza sauce, etc.  YUM. I LOVE GUACAMOLE. It really goes with almost anything :)

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 4 avocados, pitted and mashed
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/8 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 tbsp lime juice
• Epicure's Guacamole Dip mix

Note: add ingredients to taste. I prefer less cilantro and more onions and probably use close to the entire tbsp of lime juice, some prefer a ton of cilantro... taste and add, taste and add.

Directions:

• Remove pit from avocados and mash
• Add chopped tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. 
• Add ~1-3 tsp of Epicure's Guacamole Dip mix, as per taste preference. Mix well
• Squirt bowl with lime juice and give it one good stir.
• Taste it. Depending on your preference, add more of above ingredients if you feel that it's not "quite" there
• Serve immediately after making (before avocados start browning) 

CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS

I know that I've said other recipes are easy to make but, honestly, it doesn't get any easier than this.  We made tacos out of this chicken meat, although would be delicious as a salad, in a quesadilla, or on a plate of nachos. Oooh... I bet it would be amazing over a baked potato with some green onions, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients: 

• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 packet of taco seasoning mix
• 1 16oz jar (or ~2 cups) of salsa OR 2 cups of homemade salsa

• additional ingredients to make tacos or a salad, your preference: 
• tortilla shells, bowl, or chips
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• cheddar cheese, shredded
• sour cream
• guacamole

Directions:

• Place chicken in bottom of crock pot
• Mix taco seasoning and salsa together in a separate bowl and then pour over the chicken
• Cover and cook for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high
• Shred chicken with a fork and return back into crock pot with remaining salsa for ~10-30 minutes prior to serving

I quickly whipped together a bowl of guacamole and used it to spread on the bottom of the tortilla shell then topped with chicken, shredded cheese and lettuce (husband added sour cream).  We used the remaining guacamole with tortilla chips as our "side dish" for the evening. It is Friday night, after all! YUM!

Recipe for Guacamole

MEXICAN FRITTATA

I am weird when it comes to eggs. I don't really like them, but I kind of do. I think it's more the texture that I have a problem with then the actual eggs themselves (I have MAJOR texture issues with foods). I could never imagine eating a poached egg or fried eggs where the yolk seeps out **slight body quiver at the thought of this**; however, I am fine with scrambled eggs. So, I thought I would give this a try. They actually turned out delicious and the other eight people I served them to really liked them as well. I made some extras, so I'm planning on seeing what they taste like warmed up - if they reheat well, could be a great breakfast to-go or a mid-morning snack at work. Will update.

Mexican Frittata

Ingredients: 

• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 to 1 cup mozzarella and cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup lean turkey bacon or ground turkey

**didn't have time to chop any veggies, but next time will definitely will include chopped onions and peppers. Could also include cooked potato hash browns for a different twist as well. If you like the taste of cilantro, a hint of that would also add flavour.

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Cook turkey meat in pan on stove top until fully cooked
• In separate bowl, beat eggs well and then add milk, cheeses, salsa, cooked turkey, and any other cooked veggies
• Pour mixture into non-stick muffin pans, about 3/4 full
• Bake for 20 minutes or until set

ICHIBAN SALAD

Ichiban Salad

Ingredients:

• ~3 cups of cabbage or pre-packaged coleslaw salad (without dressing added)
• 1 package ichiban noodles, chicken flavoured
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 packet of ichiban spice

Directions:

• Crush ichiban noodles to small pieces
• Add cabbage to the ichiban noodles to make a salad
• In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, sugar, and spice packet from ichiban noodles
• Pour over salad ~ 5-10 minutes prior to serving

SPINACH SALAD

Spinach Salad

Ingredients for Salad:

• Fresh Spinach
• Strawberries, chopped
• Dried cranberries
• Sliced almonds
• Sesame seeds (optional)

note: you really could add anything to this salad. I've tried it with mandarins or raspberries in place of the strawberries, pecans or walnuts in place of almonds. The below dressing is fairly neutral in taste so really pairs well with anything.

Ingredients for Dressing: 

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

• Mix the above salad ingredients in a bowl, amounts to your preference
• In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients together to make salad dressing
• Pour dressing over salad immediately before serving