Tasty Tuesday: Tons of flavor without the calories

Chef Mike Hooks shared the Olive Garden secret to unlocking flavor with a Mediterranean feel

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COLUMBIA SC (WOLO)–Does living up to your New Year’s resolution, and cutting back on a few calories mean you have to eat cardboard?  Not to Chef Mike Hooks from Olive Garden on Two Notch Road in Columbia.  Chef Hooks joined Tyler Ryan for a Tasty Tuesday full of flavor, not calories, sharing the how-to for Mediterranean chicken.  According to Hooks, many Mediterranean dishes are on the healthy side, because of their use of fresh vegetables, citrus, garlic and other spices.

Chef Hook’s version includes grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil pesto, and a lemon garlic sauce.  The chef also offers some great tips if you want to try to prepare this treat at home.  “Use an oven safe frying pan,” says Hooks, “put the mozzarella on the chicken, and put it in the oven for a few minutes.”  Hooks explains that this will melt the cheese, and give it a nice golden brown color.

If you have a favorite restaurant you would like to see featured on Good Morning Columbia’s Tasty Tuesday, email TRyan@ABCCOlumbia.com.