Recipes here at last!

Andrew has encouraged me to post some of our new recipes on here. We have had lots of new things these past two weeks since I have been planning things out. I won't put them all on there, since that would be long, but I will put our favorites. Enjoy!!

GYROS

1 lb Gound beef
2 slices semi dried (day old) bread
2 Cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 Tbls Fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Greek Seasoning
1/4 tsp Ground cumin
1 Egg, beaten

TZATZIKI SAUCE(Yogurt cucumber sauce)
2 Small Cucumbers, Peeled, Seeded & Diced
1 1/4 cup Yogurt
2 Tbls Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls Fresh dill, chopped
White pepper
Salt

TZATZIKI SAUCE 1) Combine yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. 2) Blend yogurt mixture with a whip until smooth. 3) Dry cucumbers by patting with paper towels.4) Add Cucumbers and dill to yogurt mixture.5) Salt and pepper to taste.
GYROS 1) Mix lamb and beef in a glass bowl. 2) Crumb bread into meat mixture.3) Add Spices and mix well. 4) Stir egg into meat mixture.5) Form mixture into 2 large patties and place on a medium hot grill for 5 minutes per side or until the Gyros is cooked through. Serve sliced gyros on warm pita bread with fresh sliced tomatoes, onions and Tzatziki sauce (Yogurt cucumber sauce)

*We really enjoyed these. The Tzatziki sauce is especially good!!

Grilled Ginger Fish
½ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, grated
¼ cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 fish fillets
In a large plastic bag, mix everything except fish. Add fish to mix and refridgerate for 4 to 8 hours before serving. Turn often. Heat grill to medium temperature. Grill fish until donw, but not dry, basting with marinade frequently. Fish will flake easily with a fork when cooked.

*I don't particularly like fish but this was especially good and fairly quick and easy to make if you prepare ahead of time. I ate every bite of my fish. This will be a keeper for us!!

Cheesy Bean Casserole
1 cup chopped onion
2 (15 oz) cans chile-hot kidney beans, drained
2 (14 ½ oz) cans no-salt added whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, saute until tender. Stir in beans and next 3 ingredients. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring well. Spoon mixture into 4 individual baking dishes or 1 (8-inch) square baking dish, sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 40 for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cornbread:
1 (7.5) package yellow corn muffin mix according to package directions using ½ cup water. Pour batter into an 8-inch ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, and bake at 400 degrees for 16 minutes or until golden. Cut into wedges.

*This was just as good as leftovers. It was also very easy and quick to make.

Black Bean Quesadillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 – 15 oz can black bean, rinced and drained (I may prepare my own not from can)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ package frozen corn
12 flour tortillas (Whole wheat)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, add half the oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn. Cook until heated through. Place a tortilla on a plate or flat surface, sprinkle some Cheddar cheese over the tortilla. Spoon some of the bean and vegetable mixture over the cheese. Top with another torilla.

Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet and heat and flip until both sides are browned.

*I made these at lunch once and didn't have the red peppers. They were still delicious. I made the leftovers later in the day for a few of Andrew's friends who were over playing a game. I left the bean mixture out of the tortillas and just fried up the tortillas when they wanted some. They were still very good. Aren't I a good wife??! :)

Greek Chicken Pitas
Cooking Spray
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning
½ cup hummus
4 pita bread rounds
1 cup romaine lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 small cucumber, cut into strips
¼ cup crumbled basil and tomatoe flavored feta cheese

Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, place over medium high heat until hot. Sprinkle chicken with Greek seasoning, add to skillet. Cook chicken 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

While chicken cooks, spread hummus evenly over pita rounds. Arrange, chicken, lettuce, and remaining ingredients evenly on one half of each pita round. Fold pitas over filling, secure with wooden picks.

*These were easy as well. Pretty much all you have to cook is the chicken. I made these on the night that I have voice lessons at 6:30 and I still had plenty of time to prepare for my lesson.

Enjoy! I will post again when we have more favorites!!