Disclosure: I am delighted to serve as an ambassador for the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board by highlighting stories surrounding Arkansas’s largest row crop – soybeans! #ARSoyStory #themiraclebean #ARSoySupper
Well hello there!
Have you ever dined in a restaurant and thought, “Mmmm, I could/should make this at home?” Of course, who hasn’t? And while it is fun trying to recreate a dish, it never is quite the same. Sometimes the homemade re-creation is better than the original and sometimes, welllllll let’s just say that is often the reason why so many of us keep going back to our favorite restaurants!
It has been a long time since I’ve visited the Jonesboro/Memphis area, even though it is only five hours away. I plan on heading over there soon to visit some dear friends and there is one restaurant that will be on our must-stop list. It’s called J Town’s Grill, have you been there? It’s a local favorite and, get this, it’s owned by Jeffrey Higgins, an Arkansas soybean farmer. Talk about a seriously personal farm-to-table experience!
J Town’s Grill is the featured restaurant for this month’s Kitchen | Fields Table Tour. Their featured dish is a Greek-marinated chicken with a chipotle feta spread mixed with Kalamata olives, marinated artichokes, tomato, and drizzled with Tzatziki sauce and served on toasted Lavash bread. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
If you’re in the Jonesboro, Arkansas part of the state… stop in and order this dish! If you’re like the rest of us and not quite close enough to stop in, recreate it yourself. Thankfully, their description includes all the ingredients so grab a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and add olive oil, crumbled feta cheese, sliced tomatoes, Kalamata olives and marinated artichokes. Add salt and some chipotle seasoning. How much? Add a pinch and taste. Not enough? Add some more. Keep tasting until it’s just right. That is the best way to learn how to cook. Taste, taste, taste. Add chicken breasts and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours and grill. You’re good to go.
Wait… how do soybeans fit into this story?
The chickens consume soy in their feed! That’s the connection! Not all of the soybeans grown in Arkansas make it to our plates in the familiar form of tofu or edamame. Most of the soybeans are an important ingredient in the feed that feeds our proteins, such as beef, turkey and chicken.
But because I like to play with food, I made you a Tzatziki sauce that is made with soy yogurt instead of plain whole yogurt. It tastes delicious and it’s something your non-dairy friends will be thankful you made for them. Because we’re nice like that.
Print this recipe and make it today. Or, pin it for later. And if you’re in the Jonesboro area, by all means stop by J Town’s Grill and have a delicious Kitchen | Fields Tour experience.
Happy Thursday!
Eat well, my friends. Eat well.
Lyndi
NON-DAIRY TZATZIKI SAUCE
Yields approximately 2 cups
Ingredients
½ cup English cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1 garlic, minced
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/8thteaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup soy yogurt, whole
Instructions
- Scoop soy yogurt into colander with fine holes and place the colander in a larger bowl. Let yogurt drain for 10 minutes to thicken. Discard water in bowl.
- While yogurt is draining, add all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate.
- Once yogurt is drained, add yogurt and stir.
- Serve and enjoy!
