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?

Links!

Good day, everyone!

No need to remind me that it's been almost a month since my last post.  I know.

Work has me very busy (I'm full-time with a schedule ALL over the place) and I honestly haven't much time to cook, let alone blog it.

I promise I'll get better at managing my time.

Here's a link post for you all, though.

Things I'm loving lately:

BREAKFAST:

I make a mish-mash of these two recipes: http://mouthwateringfoods.blogspot.com/2013/03/chocolate-steel-cut-oats.html and http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/04/chocolate-banana-baked-oatmeal-359.html.  I'm obsessed with overnight oats.  So simple (throw everything in your slow-cooker and leave it!) and delicious, with so many options!  It makes morning meals really quick and tasty.  The browned bits on the edges are sometimes the best thing ever.

Protein pancakes are awesome!  Some recipes are paleo, some are low-carb, but all are delicious!

DINNERS:

Brisket!  Brisket is so easy to find here!  We made this BBQ brisket recipe with my parents one night.  *drools* So good.  We used a local place's barbecue sauces and it was divine.

This vegan kabocha-lentil curry is fantastic and flavorful, though I recommend doubling the spices (and definitely add the tomatoes.

I would have these sweet potato burgers daily if I could!  I used coconut flour instead of quinoa and added flax and another egg.  They weren't as solid as the photos seem but oh my gosh were they tasty!

DESSERT:

The last two weeks have been filled with one dessert requested twice by my husband:  Lemon meringue pie. We've used Alton Brown's recipe and it's soooo good!  For gluten-free people, I suggest this pie crust recipe.  It's still not 100% foolprood, but it tastes great.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Moussaka is essentially the Greek lasagna--there are thousands of recipes for it, and everyone says theirs is the right one.  I learned recently that the "traditional" topping may not be a bechamel sauce, but a yogurt mixture, which sounded great to me!  So I decided to try it out!  I actually prefer the flavor to the bechamel, and it feels a bit more, I don't know, nutritious.

I love moussaka, and my mom requested it this week, but I wasn't feeling a heavy meat-filled meal.  So, we did a vegetarian version with lentils, which came out delightfully!  Even better the next day!

Ingredients:

500 grams eggplant, thinly sliced (about one LARGE eggplant, or two small ones/2 lb.)
250 grams zucchini, thinly sliced (about two medium/1 lb. zucchini)
250 grams Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced (about 2 medium/1 lb. potatoes)
2-3 T. olive oil

Filling:
1 cup cooked lentils
2 carrots, diced
2 stalk of celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 T. cider vinegar
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. gluten-free soy sauce
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. fennel seeds
14 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

About 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Topping:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
Pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon
1 t. fresh thyme leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Toss your eggplant and zucchini slices in a large bowl with some salt.  Allow to sit and sweat out their water for at least 30 minutes.  Rinse and pat dry on a few layers of paper towels.

Toss eggplant, potatoes, and zucchini in olive oil until lightly coated.  Preheat your broiler and place a rack on the highest slot.  Spread the vegetables over a few foil-lined cookie sheets, in single layers, and broil for 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned on top and tender.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Now preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large, lidded skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat.  Saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until cooked through and lightly browned.  Add in your spices and allow them to "bloom" (i.e. until you can REALLY smell them), about 2 minutes.  Toss in the lentils, vinegar, sauces, and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and partially cover the pan.  Cook until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick and pasty (30 min. to an hour).  Taste and correct seasonings to your liking.

Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 inch glass/ceramic baking pan.

Arrange 1/3 of your vegetables in the bottom of the pan in the order of:  eggplant, potatoes, zucchini.  Spread half of the lentil filling mixture over this, and top with half of the feta.  Repeat.  Then, for the last layer, reverse the vegetable order (zucchini, potatoes, eggplant) and you are done assembling!    Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.

While that's baking, in a food processor, combine the topping ingredients until smooth.  Once the first bake is finished, remove the moussaka from the oven and remove the foil.  Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.  Spread the yogurt mixture over the top of the dish and place back in the oven, uncovered.  Bake for 30 minutes more, until the top is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling.

Enjoy alone, or with a lovely Greek salad!

Hi everyone!

So, yeah.  Got a job.

It's at an organic market!  Yay!  I'm around (great) food all day!

But this leaves me little time to update as of late, seeing as I'm, well, not really cooking that much right now.  I'll update when I can.  It just may be every now and then.  Continue to follow, though!  Please!  I beg of you!

St. Paddy's Day Feast!!

Annnnd we're back!

I am back in the States, awaiting my husband, bird, and all our stuff to join me!  Things are going swimmingly, and I'm on the search for a job.  I have an interview today, so...fingers crossed!

I don't have a camera at the moment, so I'll just be posting written recipes for now.  I'll update with pictures once I have the big fancy camera back!

It's that time of year again--St. Paddy's Day (yes, it's with D's, not T's)!  Being VERY Irish in my heritage, and always looking for an excuse to enjoy some alcoholic beverages, I love this holiday, even if it is kitschy and very Americanized.  I've been in Ireland on this day--it's no small thing over there, either.

This year's meal is very stereotypical, but I promise next year I'll try to find some varied recipes.  It was my first time making Colcannon, though, and I love it!  A nice spin on your usual mashed taters.

Irish stew, btw, is very open to interpretation.  Add or subtract anywhere you like, so long as it keeps meat, onion/leek, carrot, and potato.

Irish Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
3-5 lbs. of boneless lamb meat (or lamb shanks, if you want bones) -- depending on how much stew you want, how many people, etc.
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, washed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice flour
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 14 oz. cans beef broth
2 bottles of beer of your choice (we had to use New Grist, but you should use a stout--best results!)
3-4 T. tomato paste
1.5 T. Worcestershire sauce
Bouquet Garni -- 4 sprigs rosemary, 6 sprigs thyme, 3 bay leaves
6 carrots, sliced
1 lb. new/fingerling potatoes, quartered
Salt & pepper to taste
1-2 T. sugar/honey/whatever
1/3 cup chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add in the meat and brown on all sides in batches.  Set aside and reserve.

Toss in the leeks and garlic and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until tender.  Add the lamb meat back in, along with any juices, and dust with the flour.  Toss to coat.

Add the beef broth, beer, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and the bouquet garni.  Make sure to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom!  Stir together, bring to a simmer, and turn heat to low.  Cook for 1 hour.

Add in the carrots, potatoes, salt & pepper, and sugar.  Cook for another hour (or all afternoon!) over very low heat, but still simmering.  Allow the liquid to cook down until it resembles a gravy.  (I let mine go all day).  Taste for seasoning about 30 minutes before serving, and remove the bouquet garni.

Serve alone, over potatoes, or with a nice slice of soda bread!

NOTE:  You could EASILY, after cooking up the leeks/garlic and browning the meat, toss all of this in a slow-cooker and just let it go on low for 8-10 hours.

Colcannon

Ingredients:

1 pound 8 oz. starchy potatoes (I used Yukon Golds), quartered (peel if you want; I leave the peel)
1/2 stick/4 T. unsalted butter
6 oz. curly kale (about a whole bunch, once destemmed)
1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
More chopped scallions for garnish

Instructions:

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add in the potatoes and cook until easily pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain and reserve.

In the same pot, boil more salted water.  Add the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bright green and tender.  Drain and place in a food processor with the scallions, and pulse a few times, until nicely diced.

Mash the potatoes with a masher, adding in the butter.  Once at a consistency you like, add in the processed kale/scallions, stirring until well-combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!



I'll post my GF soda bread recipe tomorrow!

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?

***********************************************************************

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.

Pumpkin-Coconut Quinoa Breakfast

Looking for a tasty, flexible, and very healthy breakfast option? You have found it!

This is a really old recipe and I think I have the right measurements for ingredients--just take them with a grain of salt ;).

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and picked over
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (the drinking kind)
1/2 cup Sultana raisins
3 T. brown sugar or maple syrup (adjust to your taste)
1 t. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Toppings, as you like.

Instructions:

Place the coconut milk and pumpkin puree in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and add the quinoa.  Place the lid on top and turn heat to low, and allow to cook about 20 minutes (according to package time, of course), until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through.  You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or puree as it cooks.

Stir in the brown sugar/syrup, vanilla, and raisins once it's done.

Top with your favorite nuts, berries, flax seeds, or other fruits!  Very easy, very filling, and very good for you!