Cobb Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. blue cheese, crumbled (I don't like blue cheese so I use feta)
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon
salt and pepper to taste
1 turkey tenderloin, lightly coated with oil, seasoned with salt and pepper (you could also use chicken breast)
4 strips sliced bacon
1 loaf focaccia, halved horizontally
2 T. olive oil
2 cups arugula, or spinach
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Directions:
Preheat grill.
Whisk 1/3 c. oil, blue cheese, vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper in a small bowl for the vinaigrette.
Grill tenderloin over high heat, turning occasionally, until it registers 180. About 10 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes, then carve across the grain into 1/4" thick slices.
Meanwhile cook bacon until crisp in a skillet.
Brush cut sides of focaccia with 2 T. oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, cut side down, over low heat until toasted.
Brush focaccia with vinaigrette; toss arugula with 3 T. vinaigrette to coat.
Layer avocado, tomatoes, turkey, eggs, bacon, and arugula on bottom half of focaccia. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, top with remaining focaccia, and cut into 6 wedges.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I like this sandwich. I like that there are so many variations that you can make. I sometimes exchange the turkey for chicken, the focaccia for french bread, the arugula for spinach, and the blue cheese for feta. The one thing that remains the same is the vinaigrette.

Tilapia and Quinoa With Feta and Cucumbers

Ingredients:
1 c. Quinoa
2 1/2 t. olive oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless tilapia fillets
3/4 t. paprika
1 c. cucumber, diced small
1/3 c. fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 t. lemon juice

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 c. water and 1 t. salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes.
In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 1/2 t. olive oil. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping half way through.
Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 t. oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 30 minutes.

Verdict:
I love finding new things to try. I also love when they are good for you. Win/win. The fish had a good flavor for not having a lot of things on it. I also liked the quinoa. I will eat just about anything that contains dill and feta, to be honest. Blake liked both. The kids wouldn't touch the quinoa, they just picked out the feta.

Chicken, Lemon and Dill With Orzo

Ingredients:
4 c. chicken broth
1 T. butter
1 1/4 t. coarse salt
1/4 t. ground pepper
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1 inch slices
1 lb. orzo
2 c. feta, crumbled
1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
2 t. grated lemon zest, plus 1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. parmesan, grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 c. water, butter, salt and pepper to a boil.
Combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice in a 3 quart baking dish.
Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes.
Sprinkle parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 50 minutes.

Verdict:
Yum. They say this is Greek, I don't know, I just know it is good. I didn't use the lemon zest. Blake is not a huge fan of lemon flavor so I just used the lemon juice and added a little extra for good measure. It was tasty and fast. Even though there is a lot of feta I don't think it is too much. It makes it creamy but if you are really leery about it you could decrease it. Blake doesn't share my love of feta but he thought it was good the way it was.

Tomato and Shrimp Pasta with Feta

Ingredients:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. dried oregano
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1/3 c. kalamata olives, chopped
12 oz. penne pasta
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
8 oz. feta

Directions:
Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 T oil. Add onion and garlic.
Cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and oregano and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and olives. Cook, breaking up tomatoes wit a spoon, until sauce thickens, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Add 2 T. oil to pot and heat. Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce; stir to combine. Serve pasta topped with feta.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 25 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake always asks if we can just have plain spaghetti and it always seems to tickle Gavin's fancy whenever we have noodles. I figured this would appease both with out have just plain spaghetti. The sauce was decent. You could make this with out the kalamata olives if you wanted, you would just want to add salt to substitute. Instead of frying the shrimp in a pan I placed them in a dish and covered them with feta and then broiled them until the feta was browned in spots and the shrimp were cooked through. I liked it like that.

Penne and Roasted Vegetables

For the vegetables:
Toss in 2 T. olive oil; Roast:
2 c. zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 c. eggplant, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
1 c. red bell pepper, seeded, cut into chunks
1 c. red onion, cut into chunks
1 c. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 T. garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:
Whisk together:
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced fresh oregano

For the pasta:
6 oz. dry penne
1 oz. feta, crumbled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheets with foil.
Toss vegetables with oil and garlic. Transfer vegetables to baking sheets and roast 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.
Whisk together ingredients for the vinaigrette.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with vegetables, vinaigrette, and feta. Serve.

Makes 6 servings. Total time 1 hour.

Verdict:
I think I have previously waxed strong on my love for feta. We eat this dish when ever I want something light and fairly inexpensive. I trade around what vegetables I use based on what I feel like and what is cheap. This is a good meat less meal.

Pasta Salad With Feta and Arugula

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. gemelli pasta, cooked and drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 c. crumbled feta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon
1 bunch arugula, torn
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
Cook pasta in salted water until done. Drain and rinse pasta in cold water.
Toss pasta with beans and feta.
Make dressing in a bowl, whisking together oil, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve by tossing salad mixture with dressing, arugula, and onion.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 20 minutes.

Verdict:
It was cool and fairly light. My noodles were a little undercooked for my liking and the beans that I had seemed to be a little hard too. I think I would have liked it more if those two things didn't play a part. I probably won't make it again. I spent a little more on the Arugula than I would like to. I think that that played a part too.