Greek food is so flavorful and fresh tasting. And many of the dishes are surprisingly simple to make. Using store bought tzatziki here is a time saver, but if you want to make it from scratch, it’s pretty easy. It’s just a mixture of plain Greek yogurt, garlic and cucumber pieces. You can skip the tzatziki if you don’t like it, then just substitute some hummus to add in more moisture.
Greek Chicken Pitas
4 servings
310 calories per serving
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 t Greek seasoning (mix of oregano, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika)
1/2 c tzatkizi
4 8 inch pita breads
2 c romaine lettuce, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into strips
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
Pam
Spray a large skillet with Pam. Heat on medium high and add chicken. Sprinkle with the seasoning and cook 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned and done throughout.
Slice pitas so you will be able to fill the pocket. Add chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and tzatziki. I often slice the chicken up first so it gets more distributed throughout the sandwich.
Chicken salad served on a lettuce leaf and with pita wedges instead of on sandwich bread just makes it a whole different beast. And all the fresh flavors in this particular recipe renewed my love of chicken salad.
Luncheon Chicken Salad
4 servings
382 calories per serving
2 c diced cooked chicken breast
1 1/4 c chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 c matchstick carrots
1/2 c sliced radishes
1/3 c chopped green onions
1/4 c light mayo
2 T chopped cilantro
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 romaine lettuce leaves
4 6 inch whole wheat pitas, cut into 4 pieces each
Mix chicken, cucs, carrots, radishes and green onions. Whisk together mayo, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Then mix that into the chicken and veggies. Place a lettuce leaf on each plate and top with 1 c chicken mixture. Serve with pita wedges.
1 t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
½ t oregano flakes
½ t basil flakes
½ t parsley flakes
2 t paprika
4 6-inch pita breads cut in half like a sandwich
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine seasonings and set aside. Cut each pita half into 6 wedges and spray both sides with Pam and sprinkle seasoning mix on the pitas and bake 12 minutes or until golden. Turn once halfway through cooking and cool before serving.
Want a great quick lunch or a perfect appetizer? Try one that you are seeing at all the lunch cafes – a goat cheese pita pizza. This one adds and mushroom and tomatoes for an out of this world flavor.
Pita Rounds with Mushrooms and Cheese
4 servings
283 calories per serving
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 t oil
4 6-inch pita breads (I love the Sahara Pitas)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. portobello mushrooms
2 medium tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
1/3 c goat cheese
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the garlic and oil and then brush over the pitas. Add tomato slices and mushrooms then sprinkle with the cheese then with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle with basil when done cooking.
Serve up your tuna in a pita and it just become a whole different animal ! This is one of my favorite ways to eat tuna – with lotsa celery bits. But if you don’t like celery, substitute chopped up pickles or onions. The addition of the lemon pepper seasoing gives this extra special flavor !
Tuna Pitas
1 serving
373 calories per serving
6 oz. light tuna packed in water, drained
2 T light mayo
3 T chopped celery
½ t onion powder
¼ t salt
¾ t lemon pepper seasoning
1 Sahara Pita bread (or any other brand that comes in at 170 calories or less)
Mix tuna, mayo, celery, salt, onion powder and lemon pepper. Spoon into pitas and serve.
Check out the online cookbook, Keep the Beat ™ (available in pdf format) for some great ideas for healthful food that kids will eat and they will enjoy preparing with you. Kids learn by example – show them how good healthy food can be !!!
This is a great combination of an empanada and a pita – the recipe is fun to make and is a great healthy alternative to traditionally fried empanadas. You can easily change this up and use leftover pork or turkey instead. And you can even make it a bit more authentic by adding some sofrito to the mix. This was a great meal !
Empanapita
4 servings
373 calories per serving
2 6½-inch whole wheat pitas
1 c Tangy Salsa (see recipe below – or you can sub a store bought salsa)
For filling:
2 c canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed
2 c frozen broccoli, corn, and pepper vegetable mix, thawed
2 c grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !)
½ c shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ c sofrito tomato cooking base (in the Goya section of your market) – optional
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T scallions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
For Tangy Salsa (22 calories per serving):
½ c jarred roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
½ c no-salt-added diced tomatoes (or substitute 1 medium tomato, chopped)
1 small lime, peeled and cut into small chunks
¼ t ground black pepper
¼ t ground cumin
1 T fresh cilantro, rinsed and chopped
Tangy Salsa
Preheat oven to 400 ºF. Combine beans, vegetables, chicken, cheese, sofrito and seasonings. Mix well.
Cut pitas in half, and open the pockets. Divide filling evenly between the four and place on a nonstick baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes until the filling is hot, cheese melts, and chicken is reheated. You can make these a bit ahead of time and heat when ready – this makes it a great recipe for when you are having guests.
For salsa, combine all ingredients and toss well (it is best if you make this ahead and let sit an hour or 20 so let the flavors mingle). Serve each empanapita with ¼ cup of Tangy Salsa.
Don’t skimp on the salsa – it really makes the meal ! I added ¼ c lime juice, 1 T sliced scallions, salt and pepper and omitted the roasted red peppers. The lime pieces add such a nice fresh flavor !!
Bruschetta is simply a dish that has some short of chopped tomatoes served on top of some type of bread product. There are a million variations – this one is Greek and oh so good ! Cut into wedges, these make a great appetizer. Served whole, they make an awesome lunch ! 1 whole pita is only 180 calories so there’s still room for some soup or salad on the side 🙂
Greek Bruschetta
6 servings
60 calories per serving
2 7 inch whole wheat pitas
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette
1 T chopped basil
1 large plum tomato, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c fat free plain hummus
1 T shredded parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pitas on a cookie sheet and bake 6 minutes or until a bit crisp. Mix vinaigrette, basil, tomato and garlic. Spread the hummus evenly on the 2 pitas and then spoon over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake 5-6 minutes or until hot. Cut each pita into 6 wedges.
The hummus spread inside the pita before inserting the other ingredients makes every bite full of flavor. And when you eat something with lots of flavor, you are apt to feel more satisfied !
Greek Chicken Pitas
4 servings
280 calories per serving
2 c chopped romaine lettuce
1 c chopped roasted chicken breast
2/3 c diced English cucumber
½ c red bell pepper, chopped very small
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 T lemon juice
2 T oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
6 T roasted red bell pepper hummus (in the refrigerator section at the food market)
2 6 inch whole wheat pitas slit at the top so you can fill it
Combine lettuce, chicken, cucumber and feta. Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Spread hummus inside pitas and then add the chicken mix.
Lotsa different toppings can go on here to change it up. Anything that goes on a real pizza tastes good here. Extra veggies really don’t push up the calorie count much…mushrooms, peppers, onions, broccoli, etc.
Mushroom and Pepper Pizza
4 servings
235 calories per serving
4 6-inch whole wheat pitas (Arnold’s Sahara are a good low cal choice)
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t oregano flakes
1 c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
½ green bell pepper in thin slices
½ c mushroom slices
1/2 T olive oil mixed with 1 t water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush oil on the pitas. Spread with sauce and sprinkle with oregano, pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle cheese over the tops. Add mushrooms and peppers. Cook for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
I like it extra spicy, so I also add some red pepper flakes right on top of the sauce.
