Grilled chicken complements Greek salad, rice

For this dinner, fresh tomatoes, green bell pepper and cucumbers create a salad that is topped with a grilled chicken breast. The salad’s crunchy texture contrasts with the juicy chicken.

Helpful Hints:

• The chicken can be made on an outdoor grill, stovetop grill or sautéed in a skillet.
• The vegetables can be coarsely chopped in a food processor. Pulse only a few times to prevent them from becoming too processed.
• Make sure your bottle of dried herb is less than 6 months old.

Grilled Chicken With Greek Tomato Salad

Makes 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped ripe tomatoes

1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped peeled cucumber

8 black pitted olives

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper to taste in a medium-size bowl. Place the chicken in a plastic 1 quart bag and pour half of the oil mixture over the chicken. Seal the bag. Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes. In a second bowl, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber and black olives. Pour the remaining half of the olive oil mixture over the vegetables.

Preheat grill and remove chicken from plastic bag. Grill chicken 5 minutes per side, brushing with the marinade several times. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide the tomato salad between 2 dinner plates. Cut chicken into slices and arrange on top of the salad.

Per serving: 320 calories, 14 g fat, 2.2 g saturated fat, 8 g monounsaturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 40 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugars, 210 mg sodium, 1050 mg potassium, 410 mg phosphorus.

Microwave Brown Rice

Makes 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 package microwaveable brown rice to make 11/2 cups cooked rice

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2 cups and set aside the remaining rice for another dinner. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the chicken.

Per serving: 180 calories, 3.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 2 g monounsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber,