Greek Veggie Wraps

Aside from quinoa, these greek veggie wraps are the single best food find I've had in a very long time. They make perfect lunches. They make for scrumptious, easy, light dinner fare. We've basically made these every week or two for the past two months.

Shame on me for not sharing them with you sooner.

But hopefully many of you have already seen these over at Annie's Eats, and maybe you've already "discovered" them, too. Mine aren't nearly as pretty as Annie's, but wraps are pretty darn hard to photograph. They taste good, you'll just have to trust me on that. And try them for yourself.

Now, I'm not big on hummus, but I have to say, it makes a great condiment on these wraps. And healthy, too. Add that to couscous, baby spinach, tomatoes, shredded carrots, feta (if you so choose) and balsamic vinegar (or dressing--we've been using balsamic vinaigrette because it's convenient)... you've got yourself a hell of a wrap.

I'll quit there because it's actually been a couple of weeks since we've made these, so my mouth is watering.

Greek Veggie Wraps
(Source: Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 10-inch wraps or tortillas
- Cooked couscous
- Baby spinach leaves
- Diced fresh tomatoes (or halved grape tomatoes)
- Julienned or shredded carrots
- Chopped banana peppers
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Balsamic vinegar dressing (store-bought, or make your own)

Directions:
1. Lay a wrap out on a work surface and spread with a thin layer of hummus. Top with a handful or two of couscous. Add a small mound of baby spinach leaves, a handful of diced tomatoes and a handful of carrots.

2. Roll up your wrap, burrito style. Cut in half and serve, or store in airtight container for 4-6 hours (until lunchtime, yum!).

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Caramelized Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I love adding sliced apples to turkey sandwiches. A couple slices of good wheat bread with turkey, honey mustard, cheddar, lettuce, and sliced apple? That just may be my perfect sandwich.

So when I saw this recipe for caramelized apple grilled cheese sandwiches on Beantown Baker, I knew we would have to try them, too. One night this week, we were looking for an easy dinner, so we whipped up these sandwiches with salads.

And well, they're everything you'd expect them to be. In other words, they're delightful. However, they're like... dessert. They tasted a bit too much like pie to be dinner, in my opinion. Even lunch might be pushing it. But if you're in the mood for a sweet snack, these are your solution.

We used cheddar cheese, because that's what we had, but Jen used gouda with great results, too.

Caramelized Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
(Source: Beantown Baker)

Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 dash of cinnamon
- 1 apple (peeled, cored and sliced)
- 2 thick slices of good cheese (cheddar or gouda work well)
- 2 slices of good bread
- 1 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan.

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon and cook until bubbly.

3. Add the apples and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.

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Chicken & Rice Wraps

Here's another super easy, delicious, and (pretty) healthy meal to add to the rotation. And it helps give me my weekly fix of Mexican flavors. Yum.

These wraps are "designed" to be a freezer meal, so they're perfect for making in advance and popping into the freezer. When wrapped individually, these make for great lunches to bring to work, or for a quick weeknight meal.

Because of the amount of salsa used, at first I thought they were going to taste like salsa--with other ingredients mixed in. I'll admit that would still be tasty, but not exactly what I'd call a stellar meal. However, when the spices are all mixed in, these have a surprising amount of flavor... and a bit of a spicy kick, too!

Chicken and Rice Wraps
(Source: Proceed With Caution, adapted from WC Freezer Friendly Recipes)

Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups salsa
- 1 recipe taco seasoning (recipe follows) -- or use 1 packet store-bought seasoning
- 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
- tortillas

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. If freezing, scoop into tortillas and fold into a burrito shape. Wrap with foil and freeze in a freezer bag. To re-heat, unwrap from foil and microwave until heated through (about two minutes), flipping over halfway through. If eating immediately, microwave chicken mixture until heated through. Scoop into tortillas and fold into burrito shape. Cut in half and serve.

Taco Seasoning
(Source: Allrecipes, as seen on Proceed With Caution)

- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Sesame Ginger Chicken Pitas

On the first day of our honeymoon in Hawaii, we went to lunch at a little place called Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Normally, I won't touch chicken salad with a 10-foot pole because I absolutely loathe mayo. But I noticed a "Polynesian Chicken Salad Sandwich" on the menu that was made with a ginger sauce instead of mayo, and decided to give it a try. Michael got it, too, and we were both really impressed by it. Honestly, it was maybe my favorite meal of the entire honeymoon, and we had a lot of nice ones!

Ever since then, I've been wanting to come up with a copycat recipe. The problem has always been the dressing. Someone on The Nest suggested trying a ginger salad dressing, and so today, I decided to give it a go. I switched it up and instead of putting the chicken mixture on a wheat roll like the restaurant, I bought some whole wheat pitas.

Quite honestly, at the end of the day, this wasn't a success for me. I picked up a bottle of Sesame Ginger dressing, fearing that I might not like it (I was pretty sure I had tasted something similar before), and as it turned out, I hated it. It was definitely nothing like the ginger sauce/dressing used on the sandwiches at Cheeseburger in Paradise. When I looked back at the menu online, the description mentions that the sandwich also includes mango chutney. I don't remember that at all, but who knows... maybe that is what my sauce was missing. I did see a mango ginger dressing at the store, so maybe we will try that next time.

Anyway, I'm still sharing this recipe because my husband really liked it. And for all of you out there who like sesame ginger dressing--this will be right up your alley. For the people who don't like it, like me? Well, you can still make these and personalize them to your tastes by using a dressing you do like. I ended up tossing my chicken mixture with some honey dijon vinaigrette dressing and it was good.

The search continues for the perfect dressing...

Sesame Ginger Chicken Pitas
(Inspired by the Polynesian Chicken Salad Sandwich at Cheeseburger in Paradise)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into really small chunks or strips
- 1 small/medium red pepper, diced
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup green onions, diced
- 1 small can water chesnuts, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped cashews
- sesame ginger dressing

Directions:
1. In large skillet, brown chicken over medium-high heat.

2. Add red pepper, green onions, water chesnuts and cashews. Cook until peppers become soft and the whole mixture is warmed through.

3. Add dressing (use your own judgement on the amount) and toss to coat.

4. Spoon mixture into pitas.

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