Grilled Chicken and Bulgarian Salad

Some friends of ours invited us over for dinner last weekend. They are from Bulgaria and there was a lot of food talk at the dinner table. I picked their brains about some traditional Bulgarian food. That same night we ate a traditional Bulgarian salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, scallions, feta, olive oil, and salt. We liked it so much that we have had this salad twice since then. It is simple and delicious.

If you haven't made your own meat marinade, I suggest you start. You can control what goes into the marinade and the flavors are savory and fresh. I may not buy a bottled marinade again. Because of this warm weather, we have been using the grill frequently. Using the grill makes it easy to eat healthy. Marinade your favorite meat (veggies too), grill, and serve it with a fresh salad. More marinade recipes to come!

Chicken Marinade

3 T. fresh finely chopped dill
1/4 c. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 shallot chopped
juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts

In a large bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Add chicken, cover, and put in the refrigerator. Marinate anywhere from 2 to 8 hours.


Preheat the grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the grill rack with olive oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Grill the chicken 4-5 minutes each side on medium heat or until the internal temperature reaches 165.















Salad

3 vine ripen tomatoes chopped
1/2 cucumber peeled and quartered
1 scallions
1/2 c. green pitted olives
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Olive Oil
Salt

Combine these ingredients in a medium sized serving bowl. I would add more scallions, but Ben is not convinced. Also, buy feta cheese that is fresh and still reserved in the liquid. The flavor is loads better and the cheese is moist. Be liberal with the salt and olive oil. This is a great salad to add more of what you do like and omit what you don't. Ben eats olives, and I eat onions. We compromised by having a little bit of both, but still picked out what we didn't eat.

Thank you Veny and Lozan for a delicious meal!