Roasted Red pepper Mediterranean Salad with Crispy Chickpeas Drizzled with Garlic Tahini Sauce

Jude, Brady and I took an adult trip [+ 1 of our children] to Israel last year. And we had the best time.

Jude was 5 years old…which as soon as we arrived, realized that was quite ambitious of us to bring him along. But, for a 5 year old, he held his own! Only had a few minor meltdowns- tried his 5 year old hardest to listen to 3 min of a tour, and ‘drove’ his cars around the Old City or Petra like it was just another roadway.

When we were in Petra, after we had paid a nice Jordanian a pretty penny to drive us up to the Monastary so we could then only Hike down instead of up, Jude saw this little boy who looked to be about his same size. The little boy was a son of a trinket shop owner, selling rocks on the side of the path and playing quietly. Without even missing a beat, Jude and the Jordanian boy were playing with the rocks and speaking their own languages. Oh to be a kid.

Ok so other than trying to keep Jude entertained during our historical tours, we all really enjoyed the fabulous cuisine! In Brady’s words, the Mediterranean cuisine is like the Mexican cuisine of the Middle East as follows:

• fresh
• includes a carb of some kind
• includes a rice of some kind
• has flavorful meats
• Includes delicious cheeses
• has spices
• lots of choices

We must have had 5-8 meals a day.

— Falafal, hommus [pronounced Hoo miss], pita’s, wraps, schwarma’s, zatar, bread, tahini, olives, pickles….yada yada yada

We LOVED it and found every market and ‘best’ schwarma spot in all the places. And if I could remember dang it, I’d let you know!

Ok soooooo we love Mediterranean food. And thus was this salad created!

It’s a family favorite for sure- mostly because it involves the many staples of the mediterranean meal that we all love

YET many things can be substituted as needed.

This meal is one that can feature all the seasonal fall vegetables OR it can be tweaked to whatever ingredients you have in your fridge

But the best part is it comes with this dressing/sauce that I think you will find goes fabulous on just about everything.

INGREDIENTS needed for this meal:

• CHICKEN
• PITA BREAD
• VEGETABLES
  • bell peppers [any variety will do!] I usually go for red because I don’t really have any other RED in this meal and it provides a nice pop of color.
  • sweet potatoes are a good addition because they are easy to roast and well- sweet!
  • onions always work well. After they are roasted they provide a nice subtle crunch
  • cauliflower is another fav. If chopped up in small florets and then roasted–you can’t go wrong
  • tomatoes are also always a good choice!
• HUMMUS
  • I usually just choose my favorite! Which is HOPE brand and the Black Garlic flavor.
  • Or you can make my yummy BEETROOT DIP or BUTTERNUT SQUASH HUMMUS
• TAHINI SAUCE
  • at BUTTERNUT SQUASH FALAFAL WITH TAHINI SAUCE
• CRISPY CHICKPEAS

Ok, also in this post, because LinkedIN has asked me to participate in their INDAY focused on Wellness, I want to include some healthy kitchen habits that I like to believe I have incorporated into my life. They are

#1: GROCERY SHOPPING

#2: FRIDGE/PANTRY STORAGE

#3: MEAL MAKING

First let’s discuss GROCERY SHOPPINGS-

Now I only like to grocery shop once or MAYBE two times per week. Anymore that than is over kill and too much grocery carrying. So before I go, I want to make sure that I am getting everything I need, nothing duplicate that I already have in my fridge, and enough to feed my family for the next few days. So, I look in my fridge to take inventory.

Sometimes, I write down in my phone what I already have so I don’t buy more…or I take a picture! [easier by far becuase then you simply glance at your pic when you have question]

my fridge Staples are

• Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
  • make a quick protein-packed breakfast
  • substitute for sour cream
  • substute for milk
  • throw in a smoothie for a protein punch
• Eggs
  • quick and easy protein
  • a good snack
  • an easy meal if i’m lazy…over easy eggs on toast with avocado. Always a winner at my house
• Butter
  • you just never know when those cookie cravings hit. And at least if its in butter form…you have to think about it and want it HARD enough to make it yourself. A definite detterrant if you are trying to avoid sweets
• Organic Spinach
  • It’s an easy way to get Vit A, C, K [strengthen your bones]
  • We eat it ‘under’ every meal at our house
  • Hides well in smoothies
  • A good filler!
• Unsweetened almond milk-vanilla
  • We are lactose free drinkers at our house so this ‘almond juice’ is a must for us!
• Cheese
  • Its fun to explore a variety of cheeses because they can add such a fun punch to a meal…an unexpected blue cheese kick. Plus, if you have maybe 3 different types in your fridge it makes that next meal that much more fun to plan around!
  • Theo loves cheese and it’s one of his favorite signs.
• 3 x fresh fruit
• 3 x fresh vegetables
• 2 bags of frozen fruits
  • Theo could go through a whole bag of frozen blueberries SOLO. They are a great cold snack to kids! Sweet and nurtirious [antiinflammatory and antioxidants- decreasing your chance of cancer and heart disease]
  • Mangos
    • my kids just love them! And they go great on salads or just eaten alone.
• 1 frozen pizza
  • for the emergency stash
• 2-3 options for protein to use throughout that week.
  • I keep one or two in the fridge and freeze the others so they stay fresh

my Pantry Staples are:

• Nuts
  • Nuts are a great source of protein and are packed with the two good kids of fat that help lower cholesterol
  • Peanuts to always have Peanut Butter on hand. You can find the simplicity of making your own HERE
• Whole Grain Something
  • I like to switch it up from Whole Wheat Sandwich thins, or whole wheat tortillas, or Dave’s Killer Whole Wheat bread. It keeps my family on their toes and bound to always enjoy my meal
• Whole Grain pasta and No Sugar Marinara sauce
  • for a rainy day
• Healthy bars for on the go
• Oatmeal
  • It’s our go to staple for breakfast- very filling and very good fiber

Ok! I’m ready for the store!

When I get there, I always make sure I walk around the perimeter FIRST. Think, what is around the perimeter of a grocery store? It’s the freshest, most nutrient rich foods. So, the theory is, if you walk around the perimeter and fill up your cart with the PERISHABLES, you are less likely to have room [or time] to fill up the rest with processed goods.

I mean, lets be honest, if we didn’t have oreos or firey hot doritos just hanging out on the counter and in the pantry at eye level, then we would be much much more likely to grab a carrot. That’s just how it is. If you don’t have it IN YOUR HOME then you can’t eat it! ha! That’s the motto I live by.

Ok, so now we are out of the store and back home to the pantry…let’s hope you got the majority of the perishables.

The goal is to have your pantry LESS full than your fridge after you empty your bags.

my MEAL MAKING

When organizing a meal, make sure that your plate resembles a rainbow! Not only is that more aesthetically pleasing to your guest…and you….but it ensure that you are getting a variety of nutrients. For example: bread (beige) is full of fiber while beets [red] help to keep your blood pressure in check and provide a good amount of iron, and then your green spinach or kale is full of antioxidants which help to remove the toxins from your body and carrots (orange) are a great source of beta-carotene…vital for eye sight. All the colors of the rainbow are good for one purpose or another. Just don’t let your plate look like the sand….mac and cheese and with garlic bread and carrots. So, the next time you go to a buffet, or plan your next meal….see how many different colors you can get on your plate. And if you do, I promise, even if you don’t know the actual vitamin and health benefit they are providing you….you are being benefitted by having a variety of colors.

the CHICKEN:

What makes this chicken so memorable is the BRINING;

The reason one should brine chicken is because having a lean meat marinate in a SALT bath really makes the meat moist and not tough and dry! And that was my selling point because half the time I cook chicken, it turns out WELL done and dry.

Well, not anymore! Brining should be done for 2 hours but 30 min will also work fine! I mean, the more the time the better but a little is better than nothing!

Gather your ziploc bag, place is in the sink and dump in all your ingredients. Then add the trimmed chicken breasts and let that baby marinate!

Once it is ready, place the brining solution bag in the sink [so in case it tips on you, you won’t have 8 cups of raw chicken water all over you.]

Take out the breasts and rinse them.

Drop them off on a cutting board and with KITCHEN SHEARS, start to cut the chicken into little dice sized pieces.

This is when the spice blend comes in. Since you rinsed off the brining solution, this is where the Spice blend really picks it up into high gear. The spice blend is gently rubbed on the chicken in the saute pan.

Keep stirring the pan until the chicken is white inside! 1.3 pounds took my about 12 min to cook.

Next up:

the VEGGIES

I mean, pretty self explanatory. Chop, spray with olive oil or coconut oil or avocado oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and voila! If you have enough pan room, add all your veggies together and roast them until your heart is content.

The best part is if you have enough….cut them all! You can save them for another day. Another veggie another salad.

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