A Spoonful of Sunshine

Chicken Souvlaki & Veggie Kebobs September 6, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Theresa @ aspoonfulofsunshine @ 9:12 pm
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I’m in a state of denial that Summer is coming to an end and Fall is right around the corner.  Starbucks can tempt me with their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Salted Carmel Mochas but I am not willing to surrender quite yet.  So I am going to embrace these last few weeks of long sunny days and warm nights with some grilling!

Chicken Souvlaki

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup greek yogurt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Lemon, juice & zest

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp Oregano

Salt + Pepper

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the chicken in a mixing bowl or a large Ziplock bag.
  2. Mix everything together so there is a uniform consistency.
  3. Add chicken and coat throughly.
  4. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.
  5. Grill for 8-12 minutes, flipping halfway.

Veggie Kabobs

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

2 zucchini

1 purple onion

10 mushrooms

Olive Oil

Salt + Pepper

10 Wood Skewers

Directions

  1. Soak your skewers in a shallow dish filled with water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Chop Veggies into your desired sizes, but remember to keep them all about the same size to ensure equal grilling time.
  3. Assemble skewers however you please.
  4. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt + pepper over all the skewers.
  5. Grill for 10 minutes flipping halfway.

I also threw some pita bread on the grill just until it got a little crispy.  We made a stuff-your-own Pita topping bar including:

  • lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • cucumbers
  • greek yogurt
  • hummus
  • feta cheese

And then we feasted!

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Newbs: Native Foods & Foodie PenPal Reveal June 30, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Theresa @ aspoonfulofsunshine @ 10:33 pm
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Okay first things first, I FINALLY went to Native Foods Cafe!!!! This place has been on my bucket list for SO long and today I finally schmoozed my sisters into going with me :) I love the principles that Chef Tanya founded the restaurant on and was definitely impressed just by looking at the menu. They have so many options!!! How do I even choose one?!?

I was craving a little greek food so I eventually decided to go with the Greek Gyro Bowl.

It was massive!! The seasoned seitan was so thinly sliced it seriously tasted like gyro meat. And I lalaloved the lemony hummus that topped the veggies and quinoa.

Since It was my first time there, I was able to sign up for their rewards program and got a free drink hollla!

I chose the Watermelon Fresca but it was WAYYY to sweet for this girl so I sipped on my sister lavender lemonade which was definitely the better choice.

My big sister, Eileen, got the Twister Wrap with grilled Native Chicken.

She seemed to like it since it was demolished! And I tasted a piece of her Native chicken which tasted almost exactly like actual chicken.

The little sis, Catherine, got the Roasted Chile Taco Trio.

with a side of Sweet Potato Fries

And she liked it! Success.  I tried some of the mango salsa and guac which was super tasty and I would definitely consider ordering that in the future.

Overall it was a great sister bonding day!

Moving on to the Foodie PenPal Reveal!

This was my first Foodie PenPal experience, and I have to say, I love it!!! It was so much fun shopping for fun and exciting foods for my penpal and almost forget that I got a bag full of goodies too! So my foodie penpal was a reader names Robin.  She was actually going to be visiting my school with her daughter and offered to bring her package then so we could meet! I feel so grateful for actually being able to meet my foodie penpal, she was the sweetest!

Robin was awesome and she had a bag full of goodies for me, even some delicious snickerdoodle cookies that were demolished promptly (it was finals week, no judgements)

The bag was massive and filled with SO MANY seasonings/kitchen essentials/trinkets that my college kitchen definitely was lacking.

She even gave me some homemade Tomato Sauce and Jam that I have been enjoying on my daily breakfast of toast.

Robin sent me this easy recipe to make Mexican Rice too!

Mexican Rice                              

2 T. butter

1 cup diced onion

1 cup rice

1 ½ T tomato bouillon

2 cups water

Melt butter, saute onion and rice until starting to brown.  Add tomato bouillon and water, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or until rice is done.

There was so much in the bag that I haven’t got a chance to try it all yet, but so far I love putting the cranberry mustard on shredded brussels.

THANKS ROBIN!!! I am so glad that we were able to actually meet up and your Bag O’ Goodies will leave me experimenting in the kitchen for months!  Also a big thanks to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean  for organizing this!

If any other bloggers or readers are interested in joining in on the Foodie Penpal fun I totally encourage it.  I think it is such a fun concept and was so pleased with my experience! so head over to Lindsay’s page and sign up before the 5th!


 

A Duo of Dips May 29, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Theresa @ aspoonfulofsunshine @ 4:42 pm
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It’s no secret that I love condiments.  Eggs without ketchup/hot sauce are a second place finish, pretzels without peanut butter are dry, and a sandwich without some kind of spread is simply not going to happen.

Since is pretty much summer here in Southern California, I am enjoying the hot sunny days before the dreaded “June Gloom” rolls in.  Summer makes me crave big salads, raw veggies, and of course some thing to dip those veggies in.

Up first, tzatziki.  This has been one of my favorite dips for a couple of years.  It has lots of great ingredients and thanks to the protein-filled greek yogurt, it keeps you full.  I also love this dip because it is perfect to bring to parties seeing as it is a preferable alternative to those less-than-stellar store-bought dips.  This dips is great to eat with veggies, spread on a pita sandwich, or even as a salad dressing.

Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 medium cucumber, coarsely grated

2 tbsp fresh chopped dill

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of freshly chopped garlic

1/2 lemon, just the juice

salt + pepper

Directions

Combine everything and give a good mixing.  Let sit in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld.

Hummus.  You can never have too much of it.  I love making my own hummus, but often opt for buying them in the store out of sheer convenience.  Sabra’s Spinach Artichoke Hummus is probably my all-time favorite and when I’m home during the summer my family loves to demolish those Costco-sized 2-lb tubs in a few days.

This version is wayyyy tastier and super cheap.  You can eat it with pita chips, veggies, or my personal favorite: by the spoonful.

Spinach & Artichoke Hummus

Ingredients

1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 artichoke hearts( I used canned)

1/2 cup fresh spinach, packed

2 cloves of freshly chopped garlic

1 tbsp tahini

1/2 lemon, just the juice

olive oil

salt + pepper

a bit of liquid to thin things out (you can use leftover liquid from the artichoke hearts, chickpeas, or just water)

Directions

1.  Add chickpeas, artichoke hearts, spinach, tahini, and lemon juice to the food processor and let process for a few minutes until everything is uniform.

2.  Add salt + pepper to taste

3.  While food processor is running, drizzle olive oil and your choice of liquid until it is smooth and creamy.

Either of these dips are great to enjoy as….

simply a dip

a side dish

an appetizer for….

…this Memorial Day feast

or combine them as a salad dressing AND spread the hummus on toast topped with an egg.  DOUBLE WIN

 

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