Greek Bulgur Salad

Self Magazine was kind enough to send me some "heart healthy" Greek recipes, and this one looks both heart healthy AND South Beach friendly.

Greek Bulgur-Chicken Salad
Serves 4
12 oz chicken breast tenders
1 1/2 cups bulgur
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 cups peeled and chopped cucumber
1 cup diced tomato
5 tablespoons crumbled feta
10 kalamata olives, pitted
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Poach chicken in 2 cups boiling water in a medium pot over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, dice and set aside. Bring bulgur, 1/2 cup water, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until bulgur absorbs liquid, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl and combine with remaining 4 tbsp lemon juice and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Add chicken and remaining ingredients; toss well to combine. Cover and chill before serving.

Olives

I think this recipe from Martha Stewart will be a nice addition to pickling (and way easier).

Makes about 2 cups

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for filling jars
• 6 whole dried red chiles
• 2 sprigs rosemary, plus more for jars, rinsed and dried
• 2 cups Cerignola olives
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

1. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chiles and 2 sprigs rosemary; heat until fragrant. Toss with olives and vinegar. Let cool. Transfer to jars. Add a few fresh sprigs rosemary. Fill jars with remaining oil. Refrigerate immediately for at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks.

Deep Fried Olives

The deep fried testicles portion of the Zombie-que (sorry Dad).
Because there is a chance my father may read this (sorry Dad) - I will forgo any salty ball jokes (sorry Dad), except to say that deep fried olives are indeed incredibly salty. Be ready.
Perhaps experimentation is in order; I'm sure there must be varieties that aren't as salty as others (ugh, those awful awful ones Q got from the Olive Pit are coming to mind - black and capable of sucking every drop of moisture from my mouth. Those things were awful.).
I just grabbed a jar of green olives with pimentos from TJs and used a toothpick to poke most of the pimentos out. Why you may ask? Well, to make room for the mozzarella cheese of course!
And that's pretty much it.

Drain the PITTED olives of your choice
Stuff with whatever you'd like - I used mozz (you can even keep the pimentos if you choose)
Toss in a flour mixture (I added garlic and chili powder), knock off any excess
Dunk in a mixture of beaten egg and dash of milk
Then dredge in an equal parts mix of bread crumbs and the best crispifying invention ever: Cornflake crumbs (or Panko)

Put a cup of veg/canola oil in a heavy pot and heat up. Q taught me a good trick for knowing when it's ready. Toss a little piece of bread in, and if it browns up fairly quickly, it's hot enough.

Fry those bad boys until they're nice and golden brown all over, then drain on paper towels. Serve to your friends with plenty of water and other, non salty food.