BROWNIES

I have to make these. Just. Go. Look. At. Them.

Now, if only I was fond enough of my co-workers to bring them Kahlua infused brownies. Then I would have someone to share with, and could justify making them.

Well, maybe if I clear some room in the freezer...

Hmm....

Yes, I will eat the last of the frozen veggies necessary to sustain us through winter. Then there will be room for brownies. :-)

Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

Hi all, I found this blog I really enjoy: Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

So far I have made 4 recipes from this site: Potato soup, Rustic Red Lentil soup, Pilaf with Eggplant, and Asparagus and Mushrooms in Olive Oil.

I liked them all, but I have to say my favorite was the pilaf. Definitely check that one out! I will be making it again for sure, so you can expect a pic in the future, although Binnur has one on her site. I also was a big fan of the potato soup, I found it very subtle but delicious. My BF didn't like it at all, saying it didn't taste like anything! I guess his palate has gotten a little used to my heavy hand with spices.

Green Salad

Maybe it's because I'm sick of "winter" foods, but recently, what you see here has made up 50-100% of our dinners for the past two weeks. Those winter dishes--often meaty, always filling and warm--are comforting and welcome at the first hint of cold air. However, when spring rolls around I start dreaming of crisp veggies, a bountiful variety of produce, grilled food, and yogurt and fresh cheeses like feta and mozzarella.

The particular green salad shown here consists of a bed of mixed greens and arugula, topped with sliced red onion, julienned carrot, tomatoes, cucumber slices, avocado chunks and of course, salt and fresh-ground pepper. I use a simple balsamic vinaigrette, just balsamic vinegar whisked with a little bit of olive oil.

I love that such salads are fast, flavorful and healthy--you easily get 2-3 vegetable servings at one sitting!

Kotletiy (Picture)

Tonight's dinner: Kotleti.

You can see from the oil-soaked paper towel they are a bit of an indulgence. We don't have them all that often, but I like it when we do. With these we just had some chopped cucumber and tomato. We used a little spicy mustard with them as well.

You can find the recipe here.

Greek-Style Lemony Chicken and Potatoes

Tonight's dinner: tender chicken leg quarters marinated in a Greek-inspired mix of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and herbs. This was roasted on top of potatoes and onions drizzled in olive oil. As you can see from the photo, it's way too much food for just the two of us, but I made enough for leftovers. I'm planning on topping a green salad with some of this roasted chicken for a nice lunch tomorrow; that is, unless my boyfriend beats me to it and eats it for breakfast!

We just got back from 2 weeks in the States, and I feel so heavy. We ate so much greasy food, especially during the last half of the trip, when we were at a conference. Being at my parent's home (the first week) we could eat reasonably, but during that conference it was difficult. So basically we consumed a large number of french fries and heavy sandwiches.

After that, we've both been craving lighter and more wholesome food. I've been eating almost nothing but green salad for the past few days, just because it's so good after all that grease! But today it was time for something substantial again, yet still nutritious and not too heavy. We had just bought some chicken leg quarters yesterday, so I decided to make this. Greek or Greek-inspired dishes are always so tasty, in my opinion!

Ingredients:
3 chicken leg quarters (or more if you like)
1 T olive oil

Marinade:
1 big clove of garlic for each quarter + 1 extra
1/4 c yogurt (plain)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
About 1-2 T dried oregano (to taste, can use fresh of course)
1 sprig mint, chopped
Generous sprinkling coarsely ground black pepper
Salt
1 t olive oil

4 medium potatoes
1 large white onion
1 T olive oil
Salt

Method:
Can be done ahead of time: Crush and chop the garlic, and mix all ingredients for marinade in a shallow bowl. Make sure the chicken is clean and dry; salt it a bit. Place the chicken in the dish, coating well with marinade. Separate the skin from the meat to spoon some marinade inside each piece. Let the chicken sit in the remaining marinade, turning occasionally. I marinated for an hour, but you could even do it overnight. Just make sure you refrigerate the chicken.


Chicken in marinade; potatoes and onions in the pan, ready to cook.

When you're ready to cook: Wash (peel if desired) and cube the potatoes. Cut the onion into sort of thick chips or semi-rings. Place potatoes and onions in a roasting pan. Mix well with some salt and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, laying the pieces on top of the potatoes, skin side down. You can spoon any remaining marinade over the chicken. Place in a 190 degree C (375 degree F) oven for about 30 minutes. After about 30 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and turn the chicken pieces over. The skin side should be facing up now. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil over the skin of the chicken. Bake for about 40 minutes more, or until chicken is done and skin is crisp and golden brown.

Notes and Serving Suggestion: It was a really nice, mild tasting meal. Filling but not greasy, the sort of thing you feel good after eating. I really like lemon flavor on the potatoes, so next time I may squeeze a little extra lemon juice over them. We ate this with a simple Greek salad. The sauce from the chicken was very tasty soaked up with bread.