Tzatziki Dogs

Tzatziki Dogs - Hot diggity dog, we are going greek! Made with homemade gluten-free pita bread, fresh cucumber tomato salad, and a dairy-free friendly tzatziki sauce.

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Applegate. All opinions are my own. 

What better way to embrace the first week of summer than by cranking up the grill!? Amiright!?Hopefully these tzatziki dogs will inspire you to do the same! Made with homemade gluten free pita bread, fresh cucumber tomato salad, and a dairy free friendly tzatziki sauce. And who can forget tha MEATS. Applegate hot dogs have: 

X: chemical nitrates or nitrites

X: artificial ingredients or preservatives

X: GMO ingredients

√: FTR approved food products! 

So if you want to stock up on 100% natural summer grilling favorites like their hotdogs, sausages, and hamburgers, check them out here and receive a free coupon! 

Once your fridge/freezer is stocked with all the goods, jump down for the recipe to make these super delicious Tzatziki Dogs! 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Tzatziki Dogs - Hot diggity dog, we are going greek! Made with homemade gluten-free pita bread, fresh cucumber tomato salad, and a dairy-free friendly tzatziki sauce.

Ingredients 

Cucumber Tomato Salad

• ½ english cucumber (sliced)

• 2 tomatoes (diced)

• 1-2 garlic clove (minced)

• ¼ red onion (thinly sliced)

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

• Salt + pepper 

Tzatziki Sauce

• ½ large english cucumber (grated)

• ½ cup dairy-free plain yogurt

• 1-3 garlic cloves (pressed)

• 1-2 Tbsp fresh or dried dill

• Zest and juice of half lemon

• Salt + Pepper 

Gluten-free Pita Bread

• 1 cup GF 1:1 baking flour

• ⅔ cup dairy-free plain yogurt

• 2 Tbsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• grass-fed butter 

Hot Dogs

• 6-pack Applegate organic grass-fed hotdogs 

• Feta, goat cheese or dairy-free feta

• Mixed greens

• Fresh parsley 

Directions

1. To make the tzatziki sauce: 

   1. Tzatziki sauce needs time to develop flavor so start making the sauce first. Grate half english cucumber and add the grated cucumber to a mesh strainer over a bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt and mix to combine. Use your hands to squeeze the salted cucumber in the mesh strainer; trying to get out as much liquid as possible. 

   2. Transfer the cucumber into a small bowl and add yogurt, garlic, dill, zest and juice of lemon and seasonings. Stir it all together and taste if you need to season more. 

   3. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving if you have time. 

2. To make the pita bread: 

   1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use the back of a spoon to stir and mash the yogurt into the flour; until clumps of dough forms. Transfer dough and leftover flour from the bowl onto a flat surface and knead with your hands until a smooth ball forms. Divide the dough into 6 balls (best to weigh each ball for accurate size). Roll each ball out on a floured surface. **A tortilla press is perfect for this if you have it! 

   2. In a medium pan or cast iron skillet, add a pad of butter or preferred oil on medium-high heat. Place the pita bread in the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining pita breads. 

   3. Feel free to sprinkle fresh parsley and garlic over the bread as it’s cooling! 

3. To make the cucumber tomato salad: 

   1. Simply combine all ingredients into a medium bowl and adjust seasonings based on preference (i.e. salt, pepper, vinegar) 

4. To make the hot dogs: 

   1. Grill or cook in a skillet based on package instructions. 

5. Assembly time! To a warm pita bread, layer with mixed greens, a dollop of tzatziki sauce, grilled hot dog, cucumber tomato salad, and garnish with fresh parsley, cheese crumbles, and yogurt drizzle. Enjoy! 

Notes 

• Products used for this recipe: Applegate hot dogs, lactose free plain yogurt, tortilla press, 

• Tips for making the dough: the dough may seem too dry, but I promise you, once you start kneading, the dough will start to form. BUT: if it’s too dry; knead a Tbsp of yogurt or too wet; knead a Tbsp of flour at a time. Also remember that the more time you fiddle with the dough, the harder it gets to work with because the baking powder and yogurt start to activate.

Chicken Shawarma Bowl

Chicken Shawarma Bowls - Bursting with flavor, fresh and full of color!The fascination for chicken shawarma started fairly recently. I put sole blame on this cute Mediterranean restaurant, Cafe Arazu, located a little too close to my work, lol.

This type of chicken shawarma is very different than what I’m typically used to but is still amazing in its own way. The classic way of cooking shawarma is to mount large marinated chicken chunks onto a large rotating skewer. The chicken then slowly roasts against a gas burning grill. The restaurant that I typically go to for lunch does it differently by marinating the chicken in a wonderful blend of cumin and turmeric. They finish it off by grilling the chicken.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, grilling is the exact route I’m going as well! While it would be nice to have a rotating meat skewer with a gas burning grill at my house, it’s not ideal or practical!

Now you can prepare just the chicken shawarma and add them to wraps or just as appetizers with a nice aioli sauce, but what I have found to be my favorite is to put everything in a bowl. Bowls are an easy way to load up on veggies while adding a grain and protein to keep you full and nourished.

The ingredients that I added to my bowl can be interchanged depending on your preference so have fun with it! I paired a quick and easy tomato salad to go along with the chicken. You can find the ingredients for the salad below. I also added some roasted sweet potatoes which I seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic, and oregano.

Being an advocate of meal prepping, this recipe has been in my lunch meal prep for three weeks straight! (Okay, mainly for recipe testing but hey, I cannot complain!) And I could go on and on about this recipe but the biggest thing I love about it are the flavors! Every part is bursting with flavor that you can’t help but want more!

Not pictured: asparagus (for the meal prep picture)

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

Bursting with flavor, fresh and full of color! Gluten free, dairy free and meal prep option!

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ingredients

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast

• 1 lemon

• 3 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt (more for seasoning chicken)

• 2-4 tbsp EVOO

Sweet potatoes

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (diced)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp oregano

• 2 tbsp EVOO

Tomato salad

• 1 small cucumber

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 red onion

• 1 small bunch of parsley

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp EVOO

• S&P to season

Garnishes

1 small bunch parsley, lemon wedges, feta, goat cheese, tahini, aioli

Other ingredients

Veggies of choice, 2 cups cooked quinoa

instructions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add to a Ziploc bag. Combine the seasonings, oil, and lemon juice to chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight preferably.

2. While your chicken is marinating, prepare the sides by starting with quinoa first. Cook quinoa in a rice cooker or stove top as directed.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To a small bowl, add diced sweet potatoes, seasonings and oil. Toss with tongs until sweet potatoes are fully covered in oil and seasonings. On a parchment lined large sheet pan, place sweet potatoes on a single layer. You should have room to add the asparagus but make sure that the veggies are not too crowded and on a single layer.

4. Cook veggies for 20-25 minutes, flip veggies, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until nice and crispy. (if you are cooking with asparagus and not broccoli, you may need to take the asparagus out after the first flip)

5. Prepare the cherry tomato salad by dicing all veggies and adding to a small bowl. Add the vinegar, maple syrup, chopped parsley, and oil and toss until combined. Add salt and pepper and season to desired taste. I like this with more vinegar so I usually add another tbsp of ACV or a squeeze of a lemon wedge.

6. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat a medium skillet on medium high heat with oil. For a faster cooking time, dice chicken then add to the heated skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side. You should have some marinade left over in the bag, I like to add that to the skillet so the chicken is covered in the sauce (the flavors are amazing!)

7. After the chicken is cooked through, prepare your bowls or meal prep containers by adding the mixed greens first, then cooked quinoa. Add your veggies such sweet potatoes, asparagus, etc. Then, add your tomato salad, chicken, and top with a lemon wedge and parsley.

Mediterranean Grain Bowl + Goat Cheese And Olive Dressing

Classic grain bowl - Mediterranean style! Great recipe for batch cooking. Homemade goat cheese and olive dressing included!

I don't know about you, but I generally have a busy schedule. An everyday schedule looks something like this: wake up at 6:15AM, get ready for work/prepare a smoothie, long commute to work, work all day, chemistry lecture in between, workout, come home, make dinner, study for GRE, work on homework, work on the blog, and go to bed around 11PM. As you can see, there is not much time in my schedule to make a nutritious and filling lunch.

This is where batch cooking (or meal prep) comes into play! Mastering this art has saved me so much time and money. It has helped me to maintain a healthy weight by not eating out as much, especially at work.  I typically batch cook on Sunday's for two hours. Within two hours I will make lunch for four servings, prep for breakfast meals that I want for that week, and chop fruits/vegetables for snacks and dinner sides. If you are just starting on the batch cooking train, grain bowls are the way to go!

Not only are grain bowls easy to put together, they are also aesthetically pleasing. I love seeing all my veggies laid out on top!

You begin by choosing a grain, a form of protein, some greens, and veggies, and finish it off with something extra like a dressing, lime wedges, or avocados. For this recipe, I decided to create a Mediterranean style grain bowl by using couscous, lemon and garlic marinated chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mixed greens. I also created a goat cheese and olive dressing that is simple to make in a mason jar but is even easier if you have a food processor.

Mediterranean cooking has become a popular way of eating as it consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats with lean sources of protein like fish and poultry. This style of cooking is very easy to follow especially when it comes to batch cooking lunches. In this Mediterranean grain bowl recipe, you will need to cook the grain and protein but the rest is all fresh ingredients that are super easy to assemble. What’s even better about grain bowls is that you can add or take away ingredients if you need to! For example, if you want to skip the meat, you can instead toast chickpeas with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and Italian seasoning in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

Let us know how you like to prepare your favorite grain bowl! If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and share!

Classic grain bowl - Mediterranean style! Great recipe for batch cooking. Homemade goat cheese and olive dressing included!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

• 1 cup cooked couscous

• 1/2 cup black olives

• 3 gloves garlic (peeled and minced)

• 1 whole lemon

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 small red onion (sliced)

• 1 whole cucumber (sliced)

• 1 large handful of spinach or mixed greens

Goat Cheese & Olive Dressing

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (more if into vinegar like me!)

• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt

• 1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

• 4 Tbsp avocado oil (or EVOO)

• 2 Tbsp goat cheese (or feta cheese)

• 3 whole olives

• 1 clove garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Marinate chicken with minced garlic, juice, and zest of one lemon and S/P for at least 30 minutes. If you have more time, marinating it overnight will create a super juicy chicken!

2. Grill or cook chicken in a skillet for 5-10 minutes per side until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. While the chicken is cooking, add all dressing ingredients to processor and process until smooth and creamy. If you do not have a processor, finely mince garlic and olives and add to mason jar along with the rest of the ingredients and shake vigorously until desired creamy texture.

4. Assemble!

NOTES

1. This recipe will make four servings. With that in mind, divide up your couscous, chicken, veggies, and dressing in order to create four-grain bowls!