Recipe - Street Cart Hot Dog Stuffed Pitas

Happy 4th of July!!  If you're grilling out today, here's an interesting twist on the loaded hot-dog concept. Pitas make these less messy to eat, and you can use whole wheat if for more fiber - I like the taste of the whole wheat ones better anyway. Stuff your pitas full of goodness, and chow down - street-cart style!

Street Cart Hot Dog Stuffed Pitas
Ingredients:

1/2 lb hot dogs, cubed
1/2 lb sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (2 oz) jar stuffed green olives, chopped
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 tsp mustard
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 pita rounds
Heavy duty aluminum foil

Instructions:

• Cut hot dogs lengthwise into fourths, then slice into small pieces and put in a bowl.
• To the bowl, add the cheese, olives, onions, chili sauce, mustard, eggs, and mayonnaise, and mix together until well combined.
• Cut pita rounds in half, open and fill them almost full (use up the filling.)
• Take heavy duty foil and tightly wrap each pita packet separately.
• Refrigerate until ready to grill.
• Set grill to hot, and place foil-wrapped pita pockets on grill, cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once.
• Remove pitas from foil and continue grilling until crisp, about 10 minutes more.  Flip if you can, but be careful to keep filling inside.
• Serve with cold dipping sauces if desired.

Recipe - Healthy Asian Chicken Salad

Here is a delicious and healthy chicken salad recipe, full of protein, fiber, and antioxidant-rich veggies. The tangy Asian-style dressing is a healthy change from the typical creamy dressings, and will delight your taste buds with lemon, honey, and a touch of peanut butter. Makes a great lunch or light supper.

Chicken Salad (Photo credit: DaveOnFlickr)Healthy Asian Chicken Salad
(Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as a side.)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 can (14oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14oz) corn, rinsed and drained
½ cup cucumber, diced
1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

Dressing:
3 tbsp peanut butter (creamy)
¼ cup fresh parsley
1/3 extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Place chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cucumber and chopped lettuce into a large salad bowl and combine.

Add all dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken salad mixture, and toss. Serve with warm pita bread if desired.