Healthy & Delicious: The Mad Greek

This week Healthy & Delicious visits The Mad Greek located in Cleveland Heights, OH.  In addition to Greek fare, The Mad Greek offers both modern and traditional Indian cuisine.

I started with a glass of Casa Lapostolle, Sauvignon Blanc, from Chile.  In my opinion, Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with most fish and chicken dishes.  Given the extensive dinner menu, “F” did a fine job surprising me with a “Healthy & Delicious” dish: the roasted kasseri chicken stuffed with kasseri cheese [kuh-SEHR-ee], baby spinach, tomatoes, served with grilled asparagus and Greek potatoes.

Depending on the amount of oil used, roasting can be a healthier method of cooking compared to frying or sautéing.  Other healthy methods for cooking lean cuts of meats such as chicken and fish include baking (my favorite), steaming, broiling, or grilling.  In fact, Pam cooking sprays have become staples in my pantry for the times when I need a non-stick, “Healthy & Delicious” solution to cooking. 

While dark meat chicken contains more zinc and B vitamins than white meat chicken, I prefer eating leaner (less calories & fat) cuts of meat such as chicken or turkey breast (skinless), so I was happy to see that I was served a skinless white meat chicken breast.

I will not bore you with why I am not a huge fan of cheese (I discussed that last week),   I will tell you that kasseri cheese, which is made from either sheep or goat milk, is delicious.  Its sharp and salty flavor combined with the chicken, tomatoes, and spinach was really tasty.  In addition to the vegetables stuffed in the chicken, I also had a side of grilled asparagus and Greek potatoes.  Any time a restaurant fills half my plate with vegetables, without the extra charge, I am a happy camper.

While I liked that my meal was quite balanced (protein, dairy, and vegetables), I was most alarmed by the enormous portion.  No worries though, I ate half that evening and took the rest home and had it for lunch the following day. 

Instead of reheating and eating the same dish, I cut the chicken into pieces, combined the leftover asparagus and potatoes with hummus, and ate it as an open-faced sandwich on whole wheat bread, very “Healthy & Delicious”!

Note: If you want to eat healthier when you go out to eat, don’t be shy, ask the waiter to prepare your food that meets your “Healthy & Delicious” requirements.