Za’atar Chicken and Grilled Vegetables

Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mixture of toasted sesame seeds, sumac and thyme.  Sumac is the dried fruit from a bush and is used in Middle Eastern dishes and as a condiment.  It has a deep red color and a sour lemon taste and is delicious in this mix.  You marinate the chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, za’atar, and lemon juice and grill them.  I sliced some zucchini, red peppers and onions and tossed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled them.  I forgot to add cherry tomatoes at the end of grilling which add a lot (this getting old thing and losing my memory is frustrating!).  To garnish the whole dish, I made a vinaigrette with the za’atar spice mix, balsamic vinegar, honey and olive oil.  Make some couscous and use that as the base of the dish and place the vegetables over the couscous and the chicken on the vegetables and drizzle the vinaigrette over the chicken and sprinkle feta cheese over the top.  If you are having a dinner party, you can grill the vegetables ahead of time and while the chicken is grilling, broil the vegetables to reheat them.  It’s a wonderful summer meal.  Click here for the recipe….