Greek-Inspired Feast

Well, hi, friends!  It's been too long!

I'm back for a surprise appearance!

So, at my parents' house, we have a garden.  It's been very warm and rainy here in MD, and therefore the garden has just exploded with growth!  That, coupled with working at an organic market and two Costco memberships in the house, means we sometimes have an over-abundance of produce that needs to be cooked.

I cannot emphasize enough, though, the growth in the garden.  Oregano, basil, thyme, mint, cilantro, parsley, dill, kale, chard, squash, peppers, tomatoes, green beans...it's ridiculous.  Oh, and there's a cucumber plant in there somewhere, but I'm afraid the squash is gonna choke it out.

I had to cut out at least half of our thyme and oregano that were taking over the garden.

Who needs coat hooks?  Those are for herb drying!

Some of the massive amounts of Swiss chard that are springing forth.

So, the following is what I'm preparing right now in order to get rid of some of what we have laying around!

Keftedes-Inspired Burgers
1 pound 20/80 ground beef
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
3 T. finely chopped mint
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 egg
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Salt & pepper

Preheat your grill to medium-high or high heat.

Mix together ingredients in a small bowl.  Allow to sit for at least one hour in the fridge.

Form into four equal-sized patties and grill over high heat for about 5 minutes on each side  (for a well-done burger).

Marinated Portabella Mushroom Caps
3 large portabella caps, washed and dried
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
2 T. finely chopped fresh oregano

Toss ingredients into a ziploc bag and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.  Shake it around every now and then to redistribute.

Grill over high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until charred and tender.

Mediterranean Sauteed Greens and Beans

2 T. olive oil
1-2 bunches of Swiss chard, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 15-oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
A handful of cherry tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Toss in chopped chard stems and cherry tomatoes.  Allow to cook until the tomatoes are tender and squishy.

Toss in your chopped chard.  It will look like a lot, but trust me, it cooks down.

Once the greens have cooked down, add the white wine, beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic cloves.  Allow to simmer, cooking off the liquid.

Before serving, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook a bit more.  Taste and serve!

Greek-Style Zucchini
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds zucchini/summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch think pieces (if large, quarter them, if medium, half them)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, sliced
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, juice of a whole lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano

Heat your olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in your sliced onion and cook until tender.

Add in the garlic and zucchini.  Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, until the zucchini begins to soften.

Now add in 2/3 of your oregano and the lemon zest and juice.  Stir to combine.

If you are impatient like me for the zucchini to cook through, you can place a lid over the top so the squash cooks faster.  Make sure it's not too liquidy by leaving a gap.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve, sprinkling with the remaining oregano.

Serve everything with a healthy sprinkling of feta cheese!

Who ever said low carb and gluten free had to be boring?

Recent Recipes

Seeing as I have packed the camera away, I unfortunately haven't been taking any photos of my foodstuffs lately.  But, I shall list for you the recipes I have made (plus any changes I made) in this post!

Also, in case you didn't know, I discovered a new source of cross-contamination this week:  plastic storage containers!  Apparently they can absorb gluten!  *themoreyouknow*

I felt like I was going insane all week, getting glutened daily but not using/eating anything with gluten-containing ingredients.  And it wasn't BAD reactions, just mild discomfort and bloat (and over the week, I began getting depressed and anxious).  I was starting to think they were psychosomatic.  Nope.  Not crazy.  It's my (admittedly very old) Gladware.  *sigh* Oh well, at least we're moving and I have an excuse to get more?

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So, on with the

RECIPE LINKS

This is my favorite thing of the week.  Andalusian Gypsy Stew.  Also known as "Olla Gitana", but this recipe, instead of being vegetarian (like all the other recipes I looked up), this one is a bit heartier with the addition of sausage and pork.  The only changes I made were to omit the bread crumbs (for obvious reasons) and the pork bones (simply because I didn't have them).  It.  Is.  Incredible.  Very hearty, very healthy, very flavorful.  Go.  Make it now.  I'll wait.  **Low Carb, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian/Vegan Option**

Last night, I prepared this for myself: Spinach with Chickpeas and Fried Eggs.  NOW.  The recipe made me think of something else I wanted to try for a while, called shakshouka.  Or menemen.   See a theme?  So what did I do?  I mixed them together!  I started with the onion, and a thinly sliced red and green bell pepper.  Cooked that until tender, and then I tossed in the chickpeas, tomatoes (I used a whole 28-oz/798 mL can), and garlic.  I allowed this to simmer for about 30 minutes (I wanted the bell peppers/onion broken down) and then I added in the broth and spices (I doubled the spice amounts).  I let that cook on almost-high-heat for almost an hour, until the broth had mostly boiled off (and left the delicious taste behind).  About 30 minutes before serving, I tossed in all on the spinach (in batches, because that's a lot of spinach), stirred it in, and fried up my egg in the meantime (not in a ton of oil, just a spritz).  Add a dash of lemon juice or a vinegar of your choice at the end to give it a bit of acid flavor.  Really healthy and filling, great for lunch, dinner, or breakfast.  (The original recipe says this is 4 servings, but to me it looks more like 6?  I don't know how you could eat 1/4 of the recipe without bursting.)  **Slow Carb, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian/Vegan Option without the eggs**

I also made these puppies!  Carrot Cake Protein Bars.  Instead of syrup, I used Splenda, and instead of coconut flour, I used almond meal.  This resulted in a batter-like consistency, rather than a dough, so I just poured it into a baking pan and cut it afterward.  Really delicious!  A great fake-out dessert (or breakfast...porque no los dos?) full of good stuff.  And it really does taste like carrot cake.  **Low Carb, Gluten-Free, High-Protein, Vegetarian, Vegan Option with Egg Replacers**

Lastly, my "real" dessert of the week was Gluten-Free Goddess' Pumpkin Pie Bread.  So good.  So so good.  I added chopped up dark chocolate Toblerone to it (no chocolate chips in the house).  To die for.  **...Yeah, this is just gluten-free, not healthy at all :P.

There you have it!  Enjoy, readers.  Go make these things.

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And a VERY great piece of advice to fellow gluten-intolerant/Celiacs:  If you get glutened, swallowing a shot (a couple of tablespoons) of apple cider/white vinegar (dilute it if you want) will reduce your symptoms.  I didn't believe it until I tried it.  Within 10 minutes, my bloat had almost disappeared, the headfog had dissipated, and the nausea was gone.  Such a relief not feeling sick!  But you're gonna feel really strange for a few minutes, just be warned.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Chard Soup

I had a really bad night.  Today, all I wanted was easy, comforting food that combatted my tiredness and the falling snow outside.

This has a very similar flavor to minestrone--you could easily toss in some pasta, if you like.

Also, I've been trying to work on my food photos.  So there are a few "finished presentation" ones at the end :P.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, or 2 small ones, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, or 2 medium, chopped
2 cans of chickpeas (or any other preferred beans), rinsed and drained
2 28-oz. cans whole or diced tomatoes
1 t. oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable (if you want it to be vegan) broth
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add in the onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and chard stems (if using).  Cook for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and tender.

Add in the chickpeas and tomatoes, bringing to a simmer.  Squash the tomatoes against the side of the pan as they cook, if using whole.  Add in spices/herbs.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the broth and bring to a simmer again.  Allow to cook for 10 more minutes.

Toss in the chard leaves, and cook until tender.  Season to taste.

Serve!

Slow-Cooker Balsamic-Tomato Chicken Stew

Balsamic vinegar is one of my favorite things on the planet.  It's up there with Sriracha.  I'll put it in everything.

Which brings me to this.

Oh my.

Delicious.

Just delicious.

I have nothing more to say.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. anchovy paste OR fish sauce (fish sauce is made from anchovies)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depends on how many you're serving)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 t. marjoram/thyme
2 bay leaves
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups of canned, whole tomatoes (San Marzanos are the best)
1 bunch Swiss Chard, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to tasted

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add your onions and bell peppers and allow to cook until they are beginning to brown.  Add in garlic and stir together, cooking for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat.

Now place everything else except the Swiss chard and the salt and pepper into the slow-cooker.  Set on high for 6 hours.

If you want less liquid, uncover the slow-cooker about halfway through.

30 minutes before serving, add in the Swiss chard and season with salt & pepper.

Serve over rice, pasta, polenta, or, as we did, sunchoke puree!

I can't wait to eat the leftovers.  I think it'd be fantastic as a pasta sauce.