Mediterranean Recipes

 We've really been enjoying some Mediterranean Recipes lately. In fact, I wrote one on a card twice! haha.

GREEK CHICKEN MEATBALLS

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)

1/4 C breadcrumbs (opt)

1/4 C parmesan

1/4 C chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

1 egg

1 t oregano

Salt and pepper

Combine above ingredients into balls. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes

And, if you want to add Tzatziki sauce, here's a good recipe. We just don't usually eat much of it.

1 C Greek  yogurt

1/2 grated cucumber

1 clove garlic

1 T olive oil

1 t lemon juice

Salt to taste

GREEK CHICKEN BOWLS from All Nutritious.com: serve with basmati rice, salad, and tzatziki sauce (Serves 4)

2 lb cubed chicken

1/4 C olive oil

1/3 C Greek yogurt

1 lemon, juiced

1 T red wine vinegar

8 cloves garlic

1 T oregano

Salt and Pepper

Marinate chicken in other ingredients, 20 min to 12 hours. Cook in a skillet 7-9 minutes.

Serve with SALAD:

2 Cucumbers, chopped

1 lb. cherry tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 lemon, squeezed

2 T olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves

1/2 t oregano

TZATZIKI SAUCE

1/2 C Greek yogurt

1/2 English cucumber, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 T fresh dill

1 t lemon juice

1 t chopped mint

Salt & pepper

PITA BREAD (so good!) - makes 10

3 1/4 C flour

1 1/2 C warm water

1 T yeast

1 t salt

1 T olive oil

Combine yeast and water. Add other ingredients to make dough. Divide into ten balls, rise one hour, let rest. Roll flat. Bake in a skillet like a pancake.

JENNIFER ANISTON SALAD - Serves 6

We've tried several versions of this salad, but this one is my favorite. It's fun to make it as a salad in a jar (makes 6 of them). Just put the heavier ingredients and liquids on the bottom.

1 C uncooked quinoa, cooked with 2 C water*

1 C chopped cucumber

1/2 C chopped parsley

1/2 C mint

1/3 C chopped red onion

1/2 C pistachios

1 can chickpeas

Feta

Dressing**: Combine 2 juiced lemons with 1/4 C olive oil, salt, pepper

Fresh dill, chicken, avocado, dijon mustard (optional)

*Toasted Quinoa Option: Take 1 C cooked quinoa combined with 1 T olive oil and 1/2 t salt and bake at 375 for 20 min stirring half way (Kale Junkie).

**Tahini Balsamic Dressing option - 1/2 C olive oil with 1/4 C tahini, 3 T Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 C lemon juice, 2 T maple syrup, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper

GREEK SHEET PAN CHICKEN - Serves 6 (Downshiftology) So much flavor!

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
• 1 medium zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper chopped into 1-inch pieces
• ½ large red onion thinly sliced into wedges
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• ½ cup kalamata olives pitted
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Make the marinade. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, thyme, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.***
• Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and pour ⅔ of the marinade on top, then use your hands to toss the chicken in the marinade and make sure it's well coated. Marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Prep the vegetables. While the chicken is marinating, spread the zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and tomatoes onto the baking sheet and drizzle the remaining marinade on top. Toss together to coat the vegetables.
• Bake. Add the chicken thighs the baking sheet, nestling them around the veggies, and bake for 30 minutes.
• Add the final touches. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the olives and feta and then place it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
• Sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

***I just spread these on top of the chicken and let it sit in the fridge during the day until I baked it in the oven.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

 This is a combination of a recipe I got from Annie in 2021 and the recipe Mom uses (Lion House?). We served it at Sarah's farewell lunch in 2025. Jane chopped for me for an hour and a half! The original recipe says it serves 8, Annie felt it served 10, but we served 47 people (adults and kids) with a triple batch, then I gave a bunch away because I had made 6x! So maybe a 4x batch for 50 people as long as there's other food to choose from?

2 lg chicken breasts cooked & chilled (4C)

3/4 - 1 C chopped celery

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 C red grapes, halved

3 green onions, chopped

1 C mayo

1 T lemon

1 t mustard

1 t parsley

1/2 t dill

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t garlic powder

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/2 C cashews (amount from Mom's recipe)

3/4 C crushed pineapple (added from Mom's recipe)

Chill 2-4 hours, serve with lettuce & croissants

Optional (removed from Annie's recipe)

1/2 C sour cream (I would have put the sour cream in, but wouldn't have had enough for this recipe and the veggie dip)

2 t sugar

Basic recipe would be (from Mom, probably what she made for Eli's farewell):

Chicken, celery, grapes, mayo, salt, pepper, pineapple, but all the spices make it really yummy

Cranberry Jello

 Mom likes this one for Christmas (or Thanksgiving)!

2 small boxes/1 large box red Jello made with 1/4 C less water

1 C canned cranberry sauce, mashed up (or make up 1/2 bag fresh cranberry sauce using the directions on the bag)

1/2 pint/1 cup cream, whipped

1 can crushed pineapple

1 C pecans or walnuts

Mix up the Jello, let it get cold and syrupy. Whip the cream. Mix the cream with the Jello (with a blender?). Fold pineapple and cranberry sauce together. Fold everything together with the nuts.

Aunt Kay's French Bread

 Dad's Aunt K (Kay) lived on "K" Street in Salt Lake. Sometimes, dad would bring home Aunt K's French bread after he visited her on his way home from work. In my head I remember Potato Bread, but in talking to cousin Melanie, she believes it was just French Bread and had the recipe!

Almond Bars - 2 kinds

The first Almond Bars I had were from Krystelle Beyer when we were neighbors in the Bountiful Third Ward. They are a Dutch recipe called Jan Hagels:

1 C butter

1 C sugar

1 separated egg

1 t almond extract

2 C flour

1/2 C blanched, sliced almonds

1 T sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

Beat butter and sugar till fluffy, add yolk and almond; blend thoroughly; add flour, mix; turn dough on greased cookie sheet and spread to edges (flat). Beat egg white, spread on top. Sprinkle with almonds and cinnamon sugar. Bake 350 for 15 minutes. Cut diagonal lines and vertical lines to make a parallelogram shape (the part I don't remember is if you do this before or after you bake them!) I made a note that the crispier they are, the better! And, make sure the middle is thin, too!)

This next recipe was one of cousin Marsha's. We ate these at both Michael's and Sven's funerals, sadly just weeks apart.

Almond Bars

3 C flour

3 C sugar

1.5 C butter (3 sticks)

6 eggs

2 T - 1 oz. almond extract

Slivered or sliced almonds for top

Combine all ingredients and spread in greased jelly roll pan. Sprinkle top with almonds. Bake at 325 for 30-35 until golden.

I got the recipe from Melanie who had done the baking for the funerals; she added: Cream softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs 2 at a time, combining until incorporated. Add extract. Add flour and mix until just combined. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Put sliced or slivered almonds on top and bake. The pan size is a half sheet size baking pan. These store and freeze really well, so they can be made ahead.

Pumpkin Squares

 Evan loves this recipe that his Mom used to make.

Crust:

1 package lemon or yellow cake mix (keep 1 C of mix out)

1/2 C softened butter

1 egg

Mix the above together, press in to a greased 9 x 13

Filling:

2 C pumpkin

3/4 C brown sugar

3/4 C evaporated milk

1 t vanilla

1 t salt

2 eggs

Mix the above together and pour over crust.

Topping:

1 C cake mix

1/4 sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/4 C softened butter

Cut together and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes so a knife comes out clean. Cool. Top with cool whip or whipped cream.

Broccoli Soup

 I missed this broccoli soup when I was at Rick's College that Mom would make, so I suppose she sent me the recipe, and I learned to make it! I've modified the instructions a little so you can use the vegetable water in the soup!

1 stick (8 T or 1/2 C) butter

2 C water

2 C milk

4 t chicken Better Than Bouillon (or bouillon cubes)

1/4 C chopped onion

1.5 lbs broccoli (or 2 10 oz packages frozen, chopped broccoli)

1 C grated cheddar

In one saucepan boil 1.5 lbs fresh broccoli, cooked and chopped (or 2 10 oz. packages of frozen broccoli) in 2 C water with 4 tsp chicken Better Thank Bouillon and 1/4 C chopped onion.

To make white sauce, in another saucepan make a quart of white sauce by melting 8 T butter (until bubbly) over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Add 8 T (1/2 C) flour. Stir constantly until bubbly and thick. Add 2 C milk, heat until bubbly and thick.

When both the white sauce is thickened and the vegetable mixture is cooked, pour the vegetable mixture into the white sauce and stir until combined. 

Stir in a cup of grated cheddar. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Delicious in bread bowls.