Greek Chicken Wraps

College cooking must be simple and quick. And, there is no better ingredient than store-bought roasted chicken to lighten your load. Especially on the weekends I don't want to spend all of my free time in the kitchen, but I also do not want to spend money eating out for cheap food. 

Fast food will run you easily $7-12 / meal with drink and sides for which you could buy a rotisserie chicken to provide several meals. All you need is a few additional ingredients to turn roasted chicken into awesomeness.

Today's recipe features doing exactly that! Other recipes utilizing store-bought roasted chicken include Simple Chicken Enchiladas, Avgolemono Soup. Chicken Tortilla Soup, and soon to be posted Buffalo Chicken Dip--just in time for March Madness and the Final Four!

Adapted from Cooking Light's 350 Calories Magazine.

Greek Chicken Wraps With Giardinara Hummus

Equipment:
Prep Board Area
Sharp Knife

Ingredients:
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 Tbls kalamata olives, halved or chopped
1 small cucumber, quartered and chopped
1/2 Red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1 Tbls fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 1/2 Tbls fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls mayonnaise
1 Tbls olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Hummus (use your favorite, but if you like 'heat', try hummus with giardinara peppers)
6 whole-wheat flour tortillas

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Pull the meat off of the rotisserie chicken
3. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and Greek Cavanaugh's Seasoning if you have it
4. Prep tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta, and red onions.
5. Combine meat, veggies, and feta in a mixing bowl.

6. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice, and mayo into mixing bowl. Season to taste. Stir well.

7. Begin your wrap with 1-2 Tbls of hummus.

8. Add your chicken-veggie mix on top of the hummus.

9. Wrap it up like a burrito.

Fiery Black Bean Burritos

In light of my recent post on reducing food costs, I thought it might be useful to provide concrete steps in doing so.  Aside from learning a few cooking skills to avoid the costs of pre-packaged, processed foods, another sure-fire way to reduce your grocery bill is to eliminate meat one or two days a week--or go completely vegetarian to really cut costs!

Fiery Black Bean burritos are simple and rich in flavor and complexity without a whole lot of thinking or doing!  Additionally, it provides huge amounts of protein, low fat and sugar content, and has a lot of fiber.  You can certainly buy the beans raw and save even further, but using canned black beans is definitely a feasible alternative, and a huge time-saver.  Cost:  $1-1.89 / can.

Equipment:
3-quart sauce pan
Knife, for chopping
Measuring spoons
Stove top with functioning burners

Ingredients:
2 cans (15oz) black beans
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeños, diced and seeded unless you like a lot of heat
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 - 1 lime, juiced
1 tsp of honey
1-2 tsp of hot sauce, depending on how hot you want it

Fixin's:
Flour, corn or wheat tortillas
Cheddar cheese or Cojita cheese
Tomatoes
SourCream
Avocado
Salsa
Corn
Green Onions
Sauteed bell peppers and onions, ie like Chipotle's fajita mix

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Empty the beans into your saucepan and set heat to "LOW-MED".

3. Prep, chop, dice, and mince all of your other ingredients.

4. Add to the beans:
---garlic
---jalapeños
---salt
---pepper

5. Add red wine vinegar and lime juice, starting with 1/2 of lime.

6. Add your honey

7. Add the hot sauce.

8. Stir and combine all ingredients and let simmer on LOW, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

9. Prepare all the fixin's and set the table!

10. Begin your assembly line--you'll forget all about the meat!

11.  Wrap it up and take a bite...hmmmm! Satisfying!

Popeye Breakfast Burrito

Just featured the traditional breakfast burrito for the returning college students, but thought it might be overwhelming to have the veggie option in the same blog: Spinach- Mushroom Breakfast Wrap.

This one requires a little more prep time, but it's not difficult if you've practiced some of the freshman level skills:  sauteeing mushrooms, onions, and spinach; and, scrambling eggs.  

If need be, re-read 'How Do I Make Those Mushrooms' blog for freshman level cooking skills.

Tip:

If you have extra breakfast wraps, put them in the freezer--great for mornings on the go--place in toaster oven on 250 degrees x 12-15 minutes.

Equipment:

Nonstick skillet

Chopping knife
Spatula

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1-2 tsp milk

3 teaspoons butter, divided

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Bag of fresh spinach

8 oz - 10 oz box of mushrooms, sliced

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

10-12" burrito tortillas

(Use smaller for freezing and larger burrito sizes for on-the-go)

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Prep all ingredients before assembling!  You can use one skillet for everything or two.  You decide.

3. Sauté diced onions in 1 tsp of butter until translucent.

4. Add spinach and garlic.

5. Once it has reduced, set aside the mixture.
6. Saute sliced mushrooms in 1-2 tsp of butter until golden brown.  Add Salt & Pepper.  Set aside.

7. Whisk eggs and milk.
8. Prepare your scrambled eggs over MEDIUM heat using a spatula to mix gently. Remove from heat.

9. Heat your tortillas and have the parmesean cheese grated.
10. Begin your assembly line layering eggs, spinach-onion mix, mushrooms onto the tortilla.

11. Finish with your grated parmesean cheese, or use your favorite crumbled feta.

12. Begin rolling up your tortilla or forming burritos.

13. Once rolled they store easily in a tupperware or freezer bag.  Or start eating.

Starter Quesadilla

Sometimes it's ok to let others do the cooking, especially with things like roasting chickens.  And this recipe is one of those go-to meals with few ingredients (unless you are feeling adventurous), but all the flavor, warmth and satisfaction:  Simple Chicken-Cheese Quesadillas.

All you need is a skillet that fits the tortillas you bought, olive oil, shredded chicken, and cheese. And your favorite salsa--homemade or storebought--I personally have just gotten hooked on Mango-Peach-Jalapeno Salsa.  A recipe for a later date.

 If you want to make it into something more, knock yourself out--add minced jalapeños, corn, black beans, shrimp, green onions, or anything else you love.  Have fun!

Equipment:

1. Skillet, 8" or 10" or 12"

2. Stovetop

3. Shallow plate with thin layer of olive oil.
4. Spatula to flip

Ingredients:

1. Tortillas, as many as you want to make

2. Olive Oil

3. Shredded Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, cotija, or whatever's in the fridge)

4. Roasted Chicken, pulled apart and shredded

Instructions:

1. Place a tortilla on the oiled plate.  (This is important to get that nice smooth golden brown sear.)

2. Prepare the ingredients of your quesadillas shown.

3. When you are ready to cook the tortilla, have your skillet ready at 'Medium Heat' and transfer the tortilla to the skillet.

4. Once the cheese begins to melt, gently fold the cheese side over onto the chicken side.

5. Continue cooking until both sides are golden brown.

6. Dip in your favorite salsa, sour cream, or have it plain.

Have a Wonderful Week!