A.C.
We like to experiment with Indian food, and we love Palak Paneer:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rosys-Palak-Paneer/Detail.aspx
You might need to go to an Indian grocery to get some of the ingredients.
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My DH's all-time fav is this recipe:
Chicken Gyros (pronounced Year-Ohs)
1 lb cubed lamb, beef or chicken (we use chicken by preference)
- 1 lb is enough for 4-5 gyros if you don't go heavy on the meat
1 red onion sliced thin
2-3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Shredded lettuce (we use torn, fresh spinach instead)
Whole wheat pitas or flatbreads
2 cups labna (greek yogurt) for optional sauce (directions below) Or greek salad dressing if you don't want to use the yogurt sauce
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil (I usually use 3 T instead, for a little less fat)
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
Ground pepper
(I usually double the marinade ingredients & set aside some in a separate container so I have fresh marinade to cook the chicken in).
Directions:
Mix all marinade ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade. Add the chicken to the rest of the marinade and marinate overnight or longer. Take reserved 1/4 cup of marinade and mix with the onions and marinate overnight or longer, as desired.
Optional yogurt sauce:
To make thick, greek style yogurt if you can't buy it locally: Buy a large tub of plain, low-fat yogurt. To that container, mix in well 1 tsp salt. Place a piece of cheesecloth or flour-sack toweling, or several layers of paper towels into a strainer and place the strainer in a bowl. Pour yogurt mixture into cheesecloth and lightly twist the top or cover with saran wrap. Let stand in fridge overnight. The next day, place the labna in a separate small bowl and add yogurt sauce ingredients and leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to meld.
You can skip the whole making of labna steps if you want, and just mix the plain yogurt & other sauce ingredients, but imo, it's worth the extra effort. Labna is addicting. You can use it in place of cream cheese and mix in all sorts of flavorings for dips & such. It's great on bagels & toast, and you can make cheese cake with it.
Yogurt sauce:
To the labna or plain yogurt, add:
1 clove garlic minced
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
The night you're having it for dinner, just cook the chicken until no longer pink (I usually add the unused marinade for even more flavor, making sure to bring it to a boil for 1 min). Serve on warm pitas with the onion, tomato, and spinach.
