Cava Mediterranean Inspired Recipe:

I love trying new restaurants and being from Virginia there are always new places to try. While I was home my sisters took me to this Mediterranean restaurant called “Cava Mezze Grill” and I fell in love. I haven’t eaten a lot of Mediterranean food so I didn’t know what to expect but it was fresh and bold and delicious. 

It is kind of like Chipotle where you go down the line and pick what you want in your meal. You can pick from pitas, a bowl or a salad. Then you pick your dips and spreads, proteins and toppings. 

When I decided on a bowl with tzatziki and  hummus as my dips/spreads, chicken as my protein, and a tomato and cucumber salad, feta cheese, and quinoa as my toppings. 

Since these restaurants are only in Virginia, DC and Maryland I decided to satisfy my craving by trying to recreate the dish. Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice (or one package)

Tzatziki sauce: (recipe from The Food network)

1 cup Greek whole milk yogurt

1 English cucumber, seeded, finely grated and drained

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Hummus 

2 Chicken Breasts:

1 lemon

oregano 

2 small tomatoes

1/2 a cucumber

feta cheese

1 box of quinoa 

First, make the tzatziki sauce:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

Next, to make it easier to assemble your dish at the end chop up the tomato and cucumber and put in a small bowl and place as much feta as you want in a different small bowl.

Salt the chicken and grill it on the grill. When it’s done squeeze half of a lemon on it and season with the oregano.

Start cooking the basmati rice and quinoa. (follow the directions on the packages)

When everything is cooked you can start assembling your meal. Start with the basmati rice and then add the desired amount of everything else. Mix it all together and dig in.

This dish is so fresh and the bold flavors all mix really well together. The cold tzatziki sauce plays nicely with the hot chicken breast. This dish is nice because you can add as little or as much of what you want and you can really make it your own. 

Cava Mezza Grill is an amazing restaurant. Next time you are in Virginia, DC or Maryland make sure to stop by and taste the amazing flavors of the Mediterranean.