Mediterranean Mindset: Falafel with Tzatziki and Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

After gorging ourselves on Mexican carnitas all week last week, we decided to lighten up the food a  bit and eat some Mediterranean fare. Mediterranean food always tastes good and is typically on the healthier side, at least moreso than large quantities of Mexican food! So this week, we whipped up another batch of Mediterranean White Bean Salad to go along with some falafel and a fresh Greek salad. We managed to eat this for dinner three nights, with some left over for lunch on Friday. We broke up the week with a Coconut Shrimp coupon from EarthFare, though we really didn't need to because this would have fed us for four full nights if we had wanted it too. I'm proud of myself because I was even brave enough to cook some falafel on Thursday night while Will was still at work and it turned out pretty well!

Cooking Notes for Greek Salad: Like with our other recipes, we skipped out on the olives.

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken (adapted from Simply in Season; serves 6-8)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1 lb-ish of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 cups lettuce or mixed salad greens
1 cup sliced cucumbers
1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 slices red onion, separated into rings
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 pitted Kalamata olives (halved, optional)

Combine chicken broth, red wine vinegar, oregano, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside all but 2 tbsp of the dressing. Preheat grill or broiler.

Brush chicken with 2 tbsp of dressing. Place on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook for 5 minutes on a side or until chicken is done. Cut into slices 1/4 inch thick.

Combine greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion in a large bowl and toss with reserved salad dressing. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top with chicken. Sprinkle feta (and olives) over salad and serve!

Cooking Notes for Falafel: These are not the exact directions from the box, but they are what Will followed based on the box and the Budget Bytes: Falafel recipe.

Boxed Falafel (from back of Telma Falafel box; serves 4)
1 package of falafel mix
1/3 cup water
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup chickpeas
Small bunch of parsley
Flour, to thicken
1 1/2-2 cups canola oil

Combine falafel mix and water in a food processor, gently pulsing. Add red onion, chickpeas, and parsley and continue to pulse. Begin to add flour to help thicken while still pulsing (approximately 1 cup flour). Refrigerate.

Heat oil in in a small pot, until wavy. Test a small piece of falafel mix to make sure it will float to the top. When oil is ready, roll falafel into balls no bigger than a golfball. Place in oil to brown, then flip once bottom is brown. Remove and drain, then serve with tzatziki sauce!


Tzatziki Sauce (adapted from Budget Bytes)
12 oz plain Greek yogurt
1/2 medium cucumber
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp salt

Peel and remove the seeds from half a cucumber. Using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber into the yogurt. Add the dill, salt and garlic, stirring well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.