Killer Mediterranean Salad with Hummus, Tabouleh, and Grilled Chicken

Hi Folks!  This meal is a winner!  My husband loves it, and I do too.  It is one of those meals that just feels so natural and, therfore, good going down!  Don’t let it’s simplicity fool you; this meal packs a HUGE zippy flavor punch!

Now, I actually botched this video,  deleting the first two thirds of the filming, so I had to go back and redo the day after, hence the change in clothes, etc.  In refilming, I forgot to redo the directions for marinating the grilled chicken, but I’ll include that info, as well as the other recipes below this video:

Grilled Chicken Marinade:  Well, there is no magic here.  Any time you want to add a little somethinn’ somethin’ to your meats this is the way to go.  Salt and pepper both sides of the meat (and in this case, I added some paprika too).  Place the meat in a plastic bag or dish.  To the meat add olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and fresh minced garlic.  Smoosh everything around the meat evenly.  I don’t know the exact amounts.  Just use your common sense.  You only need enough ‘stuff’ to cover the meat, so maybe 2-4T oil per piece of meat, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon per piece of meat.  Experiment…it’s pretty hard to mess up; I promise.

Grill meat, let rest, and slice at an angle against the grain.  My husband does the grilling.  I am no expert, but this guy is.

Hummus

1.5 C Cooked Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas

1.5 T Tahini (If you aren’t allergic to sesame)

3-5 T Lemon juice

2 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 t salt

1/4 C+ Olive Oil

Dump and combine in food processor or blender.  Slowly add in extra olive oil if need be until desired consistency is reached.  Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.  Eat warm or chilled.  I prefer chilled.  FYI, this is a great snack for allergy folks to have around.  Try dipping carrot or celery sticks into the hummus!

This recipe was adapted from this Hummus recipe I found on About.com.

Erica’s Sans Tomato Tabouleh

I wish I could eat tomatoes, but I can’t.  If you can, throw 1-2 chopped tomatoes in there!

1 c quinoa

2 c water

3 medium Green onions cut into little circles

1/4 C chopped shallot

3/4  C chopped cucumber (skin on or off…your call)

1 C chopped parsley

1 C chopped fresh mint (You have to have this; it makes the recipe!)

1/2 C lemon juice

1/3 C olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1t sea salt

pepper

1. Put the quinoa in a wire strainer and thoroughly rinse with hot water to remove any bitter flavor.
2. Cook the quinoa according to the package, or dump the quinoa and water in a rice cooker, to make it super easy.
3. Let cool completely.
4. Stir the  onions, cucumber, parsley, and mint into the quinoa.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, garlic and salt.
6. Pour over the quinoa and toss well.
7. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

This recipe was adapted from this Tabouleh recipe I found on Food.com.

The Salad

Lay a bed of greens on a plate, and add a few of your favorite veggies, like julienned carrots, and cabbage.  On the perimeter of the plate, scoop out a serving of hummus.  On the opposite site of the plate, scoop out a serving of tabouleh.  Place meat on top of salad like a pinwheel coming from the middle.  Garnish with orange or lemon slices, that can be squeezed on salad, and serve with extra olive oil.  For mopping up the hummus and tabouleh, I like to use these GF tortillas in lieu of pita.

May 5, 2011. Tags: allergies, allergy, allergy-free, “food allergy, “health diet, “special diet, ” “food allergies, ” “gluten free, ” “video log, ” vlog, celiac, chicken, corn, cow’s milk, dairy, diet, discussion, easy, eating, egg, entertain, FlipShare, garbanzo, gluten intolerance, grill, health, health diets, healthy, homemade, hummus, intolerances, kitchen, Mediterranean, nuts, oats, Olive Oil, pasta, peanut, salad, sensitivities, sensitivity, tabouleh, talk, tomato, vegetables. Uncategorized. Leave a comment.