Tomato Basil Chickpea Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

During this time at home, I have gotten really good at using up things from my pantry. In this week’s adventures, I realized I literally only had chickpeas, a pint of cherry tomatoes, lemons, and pantry staples / spice rack items (and my newly planted fresh herbs). After Googling for some ideas, I found some similar recipes to this one, which I tweaked to make my own. It turned out SO GOOD! This would be the perfect summer barbecue side or appetizer served with small pita triangles.

Ingredients

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into quarters

1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder (add more to taste if you’d like)

4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving to let the flavors set in.
  2. Serve as a side salad or with pita bread!

Trader Joe’s Hack: 5-Minute Gyros

Ingredients

Trader Joe’s fully cook gyro slices

Trader Joe’s cauliflower tabbouleh

Trader Joe’s tzatziki sauce

Pita bread

Hummus of choice ( I just used what I had, but TJ’s has a bunch of great options!)

Directions

  1. Heat the gyro slices and the pitas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  2. Spread the hummus on the heated pita.
  3. Place the gyro slices on the pita.
  4. Spoon some cauliflower tabbouleh over the top.
  5. Top with tzatziki sauce.
  6. Serve! So simple and delicious.
Spread the hummus of choice
Place the heated gyro slices on the pita
Spoon on the tabbouleh
Top with tzatziki

Weight Watchers Freestyle SP: 10 points per pita with fixings. This recipe makes 4 servings total (I ended up using more meat than the serving size, oops!). Points were calculated using the Recipe Builder on the WW app.

Print a copy for your recipe binder!

**See packages for nutritional information and calorie counts.**

Chicken Souvlaki in a Pita

One of my favorite go-to takeout spots is a local Greek restaurant. The flavors and the freshness usually make for a guilt-free dinner as well! The dish I tend to try at every Greek restaurant is the chicken souvlaki. I love getting it in a pita topped with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and tzatziki sauce. Tonight, I made my own take on that, and let’s just say…my local takeout spot won’t be seeing much of me anymore!

Ingredients

For the chicken and marinade:

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp oregano OR Greek seasoning (either works!)

For the toppings:

1 yellow onion, cut into strips

2 cups tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

salt

pepper

4 pitas

chopped romaine lettuce

Tzatziki sauce (I bought Cedar’s brand)

Directions

  1. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano/Greek seasoning to make the marinade. Add in the cubed chicken breasts and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
  2. As the chicken is marinating, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Slice the onions.
  4. Skewer the cubed chicken onto metal skewers. Heat your grill pan over medium-high heat.
  5. Place marinated chicken on heated grill pan. Allow it to cook thoroughly for a few minutes per side. Use tongs to turn skewers. Be sure to cook fully through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
  6. Once chicken is cooked, remove skewers to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes.
  7. While chicken is resting, add onions to the grill pan and grill them for a few minutes (about 3 to get a little browning on the onions). Remove them with tongs.
  8. To assemble the pitas, place a layer of romaine lettuce, chicken, tomato/cucumber salad, onions, and tzatziki sauce. Wrap it up and enjoy!
Get those beautiful grill marks on the chicken!

Weight Watchers Freestyle SP: 11 points per pita with filling. Points were calculated using the Recipe Builder on the WW app.

Print a copy of this recipe for your recipe binder!

Note: Nutrition information may not be exact. Ingredients were estimated and entered using verywellfit.com’s Nutrition Calculator.