It Looks Greek to Me

Unless I am having guests over for dinner, or am having a party, I don’t normally plan out my meals ahead of time, but I have noticed that lately, there have been a lot more recent meals with a Mediterranean flavor and flair.  Maybe, I am subconsciously preparing for our upcoming trip to Spain, which will be next month.  Yeah, that must be it.  Oh and also because I just happen to love those kinds of food too. Or it could be that the Mediterranean way of eating just seems to go hand in hand with the warmer, summer weather.  Whatever the reason, I just know I love eating this way, and we are doing it more often than usual these days, which is perfectly OK by me.

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The other day, we had our hottest day of the summer so far, and I made some chicken kebabs with a tangy olive, lime and mayonnaise mixture.  I served the kebabs with Greek vegetables and a Brussels sprouts and barley salad, warmed chiabatta with an olive oil and balsamic dipping sauce and a glass or two of a nice, light chenin blanc.  It was a perfect summer meal to enjoy out on our deck in the cool of the evening on a hot summer day.

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All of you know, I love to be creative with leftovers.  Even if I only have a little bit left, I will do my best to find a creative use for them.  I just hate throwing food away if it’s not necessary.  I had just a tiny bit of my olive-lime mixture left from when I made my grilled Brussels sprouts Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Green Olive Sauce  The challenge for these leftovers was that I did not have much left over at all, but I still wanted to use them up in a creative way.  I added more olives, more lime juice, garlic and red pepper flakes and mixed everything together with some mayonnaise, then put it all into the food processor to make it into a sauce.  This was the marinade for my chicken.   When making sauces and marinades, I often interchange mayonnaise and plain yogurt.  It really just depends on what I have on hand at the time.  And if you like something a little zestier, like I do, Miracle Whip works just fine too.

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I cubed the chicken into large chunks then mixed it into the marinade/sauce and let it rest for about 2 hours, before skewering it and grilling it.

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The finished dish, with a little extra sauce (cooked down) as a topper, was a Mediterranean delight.

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Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people.

50 thoughts on “It Looks Greek to Me”

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