Mel's Greek Tacos

So I tried these Greek Tacos with the flat bread that Sara put up a little while ago.  I loved the bread.  Loved, loved, loved the tzatziki and the tomato/cucumber salsa.  The meat was ok, however, I think this is me, not the recipe because (1) the boys I fed my leftovers to had no complaints and seconds and (2) I have made another of Mel's Greek things and a Greek recipe from a different website and same problem.  But I thought I would put this up anyways because I think the rest of you would really enjoy it.

From: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2013/09/big-fat-greek-tacos.html

INGREDIENTS

Cucumber Tomato Salsa:
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 firm large tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• Salt and black pepper to taste
Feta Mint Tzatziki:
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• Salt and black pepper to taste
Lamb or Turkey:
• 2 pounds ground lamb or turkey (I used turkey)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (I don't really like oregano, so I did 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp marjoram and 1 tsp of basil)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
For the pitas:
• 6-8 non-pocket pita or soft wrap breads (I used our favorite soft wrap bread)

DIRECTIONS

1. At least one hour or as early as one day before you are serving, prepare the salsa and tzatziki. For the cucumber salsa, toss the olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to 24 hours to marry the flavors.
2. For the tzatziki, peel the cucumber and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded cucumber in a clean kitchen towel and wring out the excess water until the cucumber is very dry. In a medium bowl, stir together the strained cucumber, yogurt, feta, garlic and mint. Again, season with salt and pepper to taste. The tzatziki can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. Give it a good stir before serving.
3. For the meat, heat a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the ground lamb or turkey with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic, breaking up the meat into small pieces and cooking until the meat is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
4. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the oregano and tomato paste and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the broth and let the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Warm the pita breads in a cast iron skillet or in the microwave until soft and heated through. Serve the tacos by spooning meat into the center of a pita bread and topping with cucumber salsa and tzatziki.

Curry Nachos with Mango Salsa- Nachos week day 2

These were different and fun. Mmmm mango salsa. I thought the cucumber dip wasn't quite as necessary, although it was nice to have to cool down the nachos because the meat has alot of curry powder. Like alot. This one also calls for alot of ingredients.

Otherwise fun and different.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/07/curried-nachos-with-mango-salsa.html

• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and grated
• 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided (3-4 limes)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 white onion, diced, divided
• 1/4 lightly packed cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 8 ounces lean ground turkey or lamb
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1-3 teaspoons Sriracha or hot sauce, optional
• 1 (7-ounce) bag baked tortilla chips
• 6 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 ounces low-fat feta cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. For the cucumber yogurt dip, using a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of cheesecloth, squeeze out and discard the excess liquid from the cucumber. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, 2 tablespoons lime juice and mint. Season with salt and black pepper, then cover and refrigerate until needed (this step can be done up to 24 hours in advance).
2. For the mango salsa, in a large bowl, combine mango, bell pepper, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Season with additional salt and black pepper and set aside or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a large, nonstick skillet on medium heat and add the ground turkey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and remaining chopped onion. Saute, stirring to break up the meat into bite-sized pieces, until the ground turkey is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Drain excess grease, if needed. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir in Sriracha or hot sauce, if desired, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and additional salt and black pepper.
4. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Arrange chips in a single layer on baking sheet and top with mozzarella, followed by the curried meat mixture and feta cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and chips are hot and crisp, about 12-14 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid from the mango salsa and sprinkle over the top of the nachos. Serve immediately with the cucumber yogurt dip on the side for dipping.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

These were really great and so so fast to make. Seriously the longest part was cutting up the veggies, and if I had a big food processor like mom's I would have done it all in there and been done in like 5 seconds. But anyway a fun mix of flavors with the lemon and soy sauce, it like all Chinese food, isn't super filling so I would recommend serving it with something else. But very fresh tasting and you feel healthy making it. This is originally from Best Bites but I followed Mel's because she omitted the cabbage. I didn't make dipping sauce because I didn't have rice wine vinegar, but I'll include both OBB's and Mel's.

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (or chicken) I just used whatever the package size was at the store :)
1 cup minced mushrooms (I used white button mushrooms)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, minced
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and then juiced.
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 head iceberg lettuce

DIRECTIONS:
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot add minced garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute just until fragrant and then add in the ground chicken, minced mushrooms, and salt. Cook until turkey or chicken is cooked through.

Add in the water chestnuts and green onions. Cook for a few minutes until cabbage starts to wilt. Add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, juice and zest from the lemon, and hot sauce. When everything is cooked through, remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

To serve, carefully separate the whole leaves from the lettuce. Wash the lettuce leaves and wrap them in paper towels and put them in the refrigerator so they are cold and crisp when serving. Spoon chicken filling onto the lettuce leaf and then roll it up and serve with dipping sauce below- or any other favorite Asian dipping sauce.

Lettuce Wrap Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

For the sauce, combine all ingredients and serve with lettuce wraps.

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.