Ground Lamb Pitas with Tomato-Mint Salad

It’s all about the spiced lamb and fresh, minty salad in these flavorful, casual dinner sandwiches. Think Greek salad in a pita pocket with aromatic, Mediterranean-tasting meat—rich but not heavy, and very satisfying.

If you’re serving a crowd and prefer to go meatless, try these vegetarian Tabbouleh Party Appetizers.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2/3 cup chopped seedless cucumber
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup torn fresh spearmint leaves
• 2 large pitas with pockets, halved for 4 pockets

Spices for the Lamb

Salad Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the lamb, garlic, and onion and cook, crumbling the meat, 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and cloves and season with salt and pepper. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the lamb is cooked through, 3-4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.

Lamb, Garlic, and Onions

Spices Added 

Cooked Lamb Mixture

1. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and mint in a bowl and toss lightly to combine. Stir the tomato mixture into the cooled lamb mixture. 

Tomato-Mint Salad 

Salad Added to Lamb Mixture

Divide among 4 pita pockets and serve. 

Crispy Chicken Tenders with Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce

Have you ever bought a bag of pita chips only to find half the chips are broken into tiny pieces? Don’t pitch ‘em, make chicken! Hard, crunchy pita chips make a great coating to give chicken tenders a light, yet crispy crust—and there’s no waste involved.

I think crunchy tenders need a creamy sauce to balance the dish, and the one here is about as simple as it gets. Sour cream, Dijon, a little mayo, lemon, and garlic and done.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2-1/2 cups broken pita chips
• 2 eggs
• all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 8 chicken tenders, about 1-1/4 lbs total
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

Broken Pita Chips

Preparation

1. Combine the sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). Divide into individual small bowls before serving.

Sauce Ingredients

Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce

1. Place the pita chip pieces in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a baking dish or large plate.
2. Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl and spread flour in another baking dish or large plate.
3. Roll each chicken tender in the flour and shake off excess. Dip each in egg, letting excess drip off. Roll each tender in the ground pita chips, coating both sides.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet. Lightly salt the chicken tenders (there is plenty of salt in the pita chips) and add to the skillet. Cook, turning a few times, until golden and crispy and just cooked through, 8-9 minutes total.

Ready to Grind

Ground Pita Chips

Tenders Beginning to Cook

Serve the tenders with the creamy Dijon sauce in bowls alongside.

Crispy Chicken Tenders with Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce

Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salads with Honey Vinaigrette

Light, refreshing, summery dinnertime salads are a delicious change from heavy, wintry dishes—even when the snow is still flying. Sweet and tart red grapefruit, mandarin oranges, a little lemon—all this citrusy goodness brightens up smoky pan-grilled salmon and makes a great flavor-balance for the pleasantly sweet vinaigrette.

It’s easy, casual, light, and tasty—and nothing about it says winter.

Tip: To remove both the peel and the pith from the grapefruit, first cut it in half, then use a very sharp knife to carefully cut down the sides just between the pith and flesh. (Try not to cut away too much flesh, but a little is bound to come off.) Once the peel is off, you're ready to cut the fruit into sections and then into bite-sized pieces.

Red grapefruit

Remove the peel and pith

Cut the grapefruit into sections, then pieces

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil, for brushing
• 1 8-oz salmon filet (about 1 inch in thickest part), with skin on 1 side
• 4-5 cups mixed lettuce greens
• 1/2 small red grapefruit, peeled, pith removed, flesh cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges, drained 
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds

Salmon Steak

Salad Toppings

Preparation

1. Combine the honey, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Honey Vinaigrette

1. Heat a grill pan (or cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat and brush with olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and grill skin-side up until the flesh on the bottom is lightly charred, 3-4 minutes.
2. Turn and grill skin-side down until just cooked through but still opaque in the middle, 2-3 minutes longer. Lift the salmon off its skin and place on a cutting board. (Discard skin.) When the salmon has cooled to about room temperature, break it into bite-sized chunks.
3. Place the lettuce greens, grapefruit pieces, mandarin oranges, and red onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 the vinaigrette and toss lightly.

Salmon Beginning to Grill 

After Turning

Lift Salmon off Skin

Break Salmon into Chunks

Ready for Dressing

Divide the salad between 2 plates. Top with salmon and slivered almonds and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 of the vinaigrette. Serve right away.

Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salads with Honey Vinaigrette