Recipe #299: Turkish Chicken Boats

Well, I have been trying plenty of new recipes but haven't had the motivation to blog about them on this lovely spring break! Probably because this recipe I am about to share is a little involved and I haven't felt like writing down all the directions... It was really delicious though! Just don't make it when you are home alone with a active toddler... trust me on that one! :)

This is another recipe from the amazing Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

You need:
1 lb (grapefruit size) of pizza dough
1 cup plain yogurt (I used greek)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice and chopped peel of 1/2 lemon
2-3 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 green peppers, cut into squares
1 onion, cut into big chunks
1 lemon for grilling
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup turkish yogurt and cucumber dip

• combine yogurt, red pepper flakes cayenne, paprika, olive oil, vinegar, paste, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and lemon in a tupperware.
• add in chicken, stir until chicken is well coated and allow to sit for at least 8 hours
• skewer mixtures of chicken, onion and peppers onto sticks. grill until chicken is cooked through
• preheat oven to 500 for 30 minutes with baking stone in place
• take some of the chicken and veggies off of kebabs and cut into bite size pieces
• take portion of dough and separate into 4 pieces
• roll out each portion of dough into a thin oval. 
• stuff it with the chicken and veggies down the middle then fold up sides and ends into the middle. (it should not cover chicken completely)
• I made two at one time to put on the stone (with the other 2 sections I actually just made regular pitas)
• Slide boats into oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• let them cool slightly then serve with lemon wedges, feta and cucumber dip (it helps your mouth cool down after the heat of each bite :) )

Recipe #298: Mediterranean Beef Wraps

A recipe I found in a Real Simple magazine, you can also find it here. This meal would be really fast, but I made  the pita bread and hummus so it took a little longer!

You need:
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 tsp oregano
kosher salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
pita bread
hummus
mint leaves
lemon

• Make 12 small patties with the ground beef
• season with oregano, salt and pepper
• cook in a fry pan until done (about 5-10 minutes)
• spread hummus on the pita bread
• put two patties on each pita and drizzle some olive oil and torn mint leaves.
• Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Recipe #297: Pita Bread

Another easy recipe from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

that we have already used in a couple of recipes!

You need:

about a grape fruit size portion of pizza dough

a little olive oil

• preheat oven to 500 with baking stone in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes
• just before you are ready to bake divide the dough into four small balls
• dust one ball with some flour and roll into a small circle
• slide pita on to stone and bake for about 5-7 minutes. i can fit about 2 on my stone so I roll one out, put it in the oven then do the other one really quickly.
• it should be puffy and lightly browned. 
• I followed their greek style the first time and brushed the dough with a little olive oil and then punched it down because I wanted to use it to wrap, not really stick stuff in it.
• let them cool wrapped in a cotton towel, on a cooling rack 

Great with Mediterranean Beef Wraps or Turkish Stuffed Pita Boats