Half Assed Kitchen

Greek chicken and cucumber pita sandwiches

This is a recipe we acquired several years ago when we subscribed to The Six O'Clock Scramble. It makes a simple and cool summer dinner. The tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint and yogurt synthesize into a creamy, delicate Greekish fusion. For vegetarians, 1 can of garbanzo beans can replace the chicken.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked

1 cup plain yogurt (use Greek yogurt if you can)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons fresh mint or oregano, chopped

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 cup cucumber, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tomato diced

4 pita pockets

In a medium-sized bowl, mix chicken, yogurt, garlic, mint, honey, cucumber, salt and pepper. Warm pita pockets and fill with chicken mixture. Top with tomatoes.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.
 

Easy hot and sour soup

You may think it's odd that we're posting a recipe for soup in the middle of June. But we have two good reasons. First of all, we live in Seattle where the temperatures are stubbornly hovering in the 50s and 60s. Secondly, we're sick. Forget chicken noodle soup. If you have a respiratory bug, hot and sour is where it's at.

There are all kinds of fancy ways to make hot and sour soup. The three most important ingredients, though, are your chicken broth, your sour (rice vinegar) and your hot (chili oil, chili paste, red pepper flakes, or some combination of the three). If you have this trio, you can pretty much toss in whatever else you have on hand and you'll have a tasty, healthy soup that you will begin to crave on a regular basis.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed, edging toward 3/4 assed depending on how much chopping you take on

Here's what you need and how you do it

6 cups chicken broth

1/4 to 1/2 cup rice vinegar, depending on taste (we use closer to 1/2 cup)

Generous pinch of red pepper flakes or a couple Tablespoons of chili oil

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced (buy pre-sliced if you can)

3-4 green onions, sliced (can also use leeks)

Optional additions:

Bean sprouts

Fresh ginger, about 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced (good)

Fresh cilantro

Bamboo shoots

Tofu (firm), cubed

Mix chicken broth through green onions in a pot (If desired, add ginger, bamboo shoots, and tofu now.) and cook for at least a half hour to blend flavors. Garnish with bean sprouts and cilantro.

Play with hot and sour combination to get the right taste for you.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Barley salad with chicken and roasted corn

 

Now that we're FINALLY enjoying a few hours of sun here in Seattle, it feels like high time to break out the wading pool, make iced tea, and concoct simple and delicious salads for dinner. Enter this Martha Stewart gem (which we modified slightly). We love the chewy barley, shredded chicken and roasted corn and tomatoes on the bed of fresh spinach or arugula. Topped with olive oil and lime juice, it makes a fantastic summer supper. It's just substantial enough to make a meal, but we know we're eating light. Yay, light!

Rating: 1/2 assed (especially if you use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)

Here's what you need and how you do it

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup barley

2 bunches scallions, sliced

2 cups frozen corn kernels

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup fresh, flat parsley leaves (optional, but yummy)

1 Tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 bag baby spinach or arugula

Cook barley according to package directions. Let cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place scallions, corn and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender and turning the tiniest bit brown (15 to 20 minutes), stirring halfway through.

In a large bowl, combine barley, roasted vegetables, chicken, parsley, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and 1 Tablespoon lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. In medium bowl, toss spinach with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Serve barley mixture over spinach on individual plates.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Refrigerator pickles

  
 

Who says Facebook is nothing but a time suck? We got this little gem of a recipe from our FB friend Sassy Molassy, who comes from sweet tea country, and really knows her pickling. Pickling, to be honest, has always scared us--what, with the jars and the lids and the bath canner. But dill makes us swoon. So when we saw Sassy's recipe for Refrigerator Pickles, we had to try it.

It took us all of ten minutes to prepare and stash in the fridge. Two days later, we took them out and bit into our first zippy, homemade pickle. We feel accomplished! Ready to take on the world now that we know how to brine these babies.

You can do it too!

Rating: 1/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

3 to 4 large cucumbers, washed and sliced lengthwise, but not peeled

1 cup (or so) fresh dill

3 cups water

1 cup white vinegar

1/8 cup salt

In a large plastic (or preferably glass container), layer cucumbers and dill.

In a saucepan, heat water, vinegar and salt to bowling. Stir to make sure salt is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and dill. Let sit until it reaches room temperature, then cover and place in the fridge. Will store up to two weeks.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.