Spicy Chicken Shawarma

I fell in love with Chicken Shawerma the minute I tasted it for the first time about 3 years ago.  I was in the market for a pedometer and decided to venture into the market next door called Salam Market which is located in Manchester, Missouri.  I saw that they served a few authentic Arabic dishes and I decided to indulge.  The Halal chicken was prepared in herbs, spices and covered in tahini while placed eloquently inside pita bread (my mouth is watering already).  I had to find out how to make this dish on my own, so I found a good, tasty-looking recipe and slightly adulterated it.  Luckily, I did not have to combine the tahini and spices myself; the kind folks at Salam Market sell their incredible sauce with all the goodies already incorporated into the tahini.  Having their sauce was a little time-saver that I greatly appreciated.  I also bought the freshly made pita bread they have available daily, but I had to throw it out since I waited too long to use it; it got too hard:-(  Instead, I served the Shawerma with jasmine rice. I added the recipe steps for when using pita bread.  Afghan bread would also be delicious with this.

I've noticed a few variations in the spelling of the dish; I don't know the difference.  The recipe I utilized spelled it Shawarma.

So, on to the recipe!  I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

Originally published in Cooking Light's April 2010 issue

Yield:  4 servings (serving size:  2 stuffed pita halves)
Prep Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper - I used 2 tablespoons because we love it spicy!
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 5 tablespoons plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided - I tested with Oikos and put in a half cup.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini - I used the sauce from Salam Market.
• 4 (6-inch) pitas, halved - I omitted this step and served with rice.
• ½ cup chopped cucumber - omitted
• ½ cup chopped plum tomato - omitted
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• Also added 1/3 cup of chili powder to the yogurt sauce.

Preparation

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 garlic cloves.  Add chicken; toss to coast.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring quickly.  

While the chicken cooks, combine remaining ¼ cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well.  Spread 1½ teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita, divide chicken evenly among pita halves.  Fill each pita half with 1 tablespoon cucumber, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1½ teaspoons onion.

There aren't any leftovers tonight!

  

Marshmallow Pastries w/Nutella

I received this recipe from my awesome cousin-in-law Lauren.  She mentioned it on Facebook and since there were marshmallows in it, I had to have it.

I made it over Thanksgiving and they were amazing; however, I thought of something that would make them even more fabulous:  Nutella!  Who doesn't love Nutella?  Probably people with nut allergies...anyway, I decided to test this recipe tonight.  And I was right because it gave it that extra somethin' somethin'.  Here's the recipe and a picture.  Please disregard my poor presentation skills:-(  I shouldn't be so quick to discount myself though since beauty is supposed to be in the eye of the beholder.  I'm sure someone with really low standards will think it's a work of art.  I'm thinking they would "chop" me on "Chopped" for my poor plating skills, but I digress.  Here's the recipe...I'll shut up now.

Marshmallow Pastries w/Nutella

Ingredients

• 1 can of crescent rolls (or more depending on how many you want to make) - I tested with Pillsbury Reduced-fat Crescent Rolls
• Large marshmallows
• Butter (as much as you want.  You'll be dunking the marshmallows in it)
• Cinnamon 
• Sugar
• Nutella
• Powdered sugar, if desired

Equipment

• 1 large baking sheet
• Parchment paper (to line baking sheet) - I used Reynolds Wrap's Non-Stick Pan Lining Paper.  It's the best.  The paper or the wrap will prevent the pastries from sticking to the baking sheet.  It sucks when it does.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Open can of crescent rolls; separate.  
4. Melt butter in a bowl.  Mix cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl.
5. Dunk that delicious marshmallow in first the melted butter, then dredge the marshmallow in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  
6. Place the marshmallow inside the crescent roll and add a dallop of  Nutella on top of the marshmallow, then roll it up.  Try to keep the marshmallow and nutella inside (I try my best to do this, but it still ends up being a little messy.  However, even if it oozes out, you get this yummy marshmallow-y/caramelized sugar/Nutella-laced goodness and you can't go wrong with that.  I think this is what Guy Fieri would call legit or The Hammer would call "too legit to quit").
7. Bake until golden brown.  Let cool.  Add a dallop of Nutella on top of each pastry and sprinkle some powdered sugar on it if you feel so inclined.  

Thanks for the recipe little cousin.  You rock!  

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyère

With all of my time off, I have been having fun discovering new recipes as well as adding my own je ne sais quoi to them.  Tonight I prepared a Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyère which was amazingly delicious.  I found the recipe on Cooking Light magazine's website which was published in the November 2008 issue.  I will put my alterations in red.  

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyère

       Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower, trimmed & cut into florets (approximately 2 lbs.) - I used frozen cauliflower florets
• Cooking spray - I used butter flavor
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided - I used sea salt
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/3 cup panko 
• ½ cup (2 oz.) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives - I omitted this step because my chives went bad
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced - I used 2
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk - I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of fat-free half & half
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• My addition:  2 shallots, finely chopped

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place cauliflower in a 2-quart broiler-safe baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; coat cauliflower with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt; toss.  Bake at  400°F for 30 minutes or until almost tender.  Cool 5 minutes.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat.  Stir in panko.  Stir in ¼ cup of cheese and chives.  
5. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently.  Add garlic, sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk; bring to a boil.  Cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; stirring in remaining ¼ cup cheese, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, parsley, and pepper.  Pour milk mixture over cauliflower mixture; toss.  Top evenly with cheese mixture.  Broil 3 minutes or until golden brown and thoroughly heated.  

I love, love, love the sauce and I will use it on seafood, poultry or beef in the future.  

Happy eating!