Ranch dressing with Greek yogurt

You didn’t think that I was going to buy store bought ranch dressing, did you?

Lately, I’ve been craving a nice crisp romaine salad. It might be that the weather is getting warmer, the leaves on the trees are slowly budding; or it might be that I hear the birds chirping in the morning. Or is it because we changed the time, and it feels that spring is near? It could be any of these things, but I was craving a salad. I am not usually someone who can eat salads all the time. My diet does not consist of a salad. If I want to lose weight, salad is not the meal that I would go for. If I made a salad, it is usually loaded with feta cheese, kalamata olives, boiled beets, or roasted red peppers. And of course loaded with salad dressing. So I found it surprising enough that I craved a salad. Since I watch what I buy, and I don’t like all the preservatives that the store bought salad dressing have, I decided to experiment with ranch dressing. Therefore, I searched on the internet to find a recipe for ranch dressing. Most of them had sour cream and buttermilk. I use skim milk in all my recipes that require milk, even the creamy sauces. I finally found a ranch-dressing recipe on the foodnetwork.com that Ellie Krieger made. But alas, she used onion powder, and buttermilk, and garlic salt and real mayo. I had to make my own version. I skipped the garlic powder for real shredded garlic, the real mayo, for mayonnaise made with canola oil, the buttermilk for skim milk and her chopped chives for the green part of the scallions. And here it is my version of Ranch dressing. It tastes like the real one without all the preservatives or the calories. Enjoy!!!

Ranch dressing with Greek Yogurt 

Makes 1 ½ cups – about 10 servings of 2 tablespoons each serving

½ cup non fat plain Greek yogurt (like Oikos or Fage)

½ cup skim milk

4 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp garlic shredded with the cheese grater or pressed through a garlic press

¼ cup the green part of green onions, chopped very fine

¼ tsp dry dill

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve over romaine salad. It is also great for dipping fresh vegetables. If you would like thicker consistency for dipping, reduce the amount of milk to ¼ cup.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1serving(34.6g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 31
Calories from Fat 16
Total Fat 1.8g
Saturated Fat 0.3g
TransFat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 77mg
Total Carbohydrates 1.9g
Dietary Fiber 0.1g
Sugars 1.2g
Protein 1.7g

Greek Style Veggie Pizza

Even though pizza is considered the ultimate Italian dish, it actually originated in ancient Greece.  Ancient Greeks used to cover flat breads with herbs, oil and cheese.  Later on, during Byzantine time, they called it “pita” meaning pie.  And the Romans topped their pizza dough with honey, bay leaves and cheese.  Everyone will argue of where the pizza came from.  Greeks can argue that it is their own invention.  Italians can argue that it originated in their country. In fact, the pizza that we eat today has originated in Italy.  Naples to be precise.  Which leads us to believe that it originated from Greeks, since the city of Naples (Neapolis in Greek) was founded by the Greeks.

During the early 1900’s pizza was introduced to Americans.  Even though pizza was originally Greek, it took a few centuries for Greeks to eat the Italian version of pizza.  When I first had pizza in Greece, many, many years ago, I was not too impressed.  I actually thought that I’d never have pizza again.  But when I tried the American style pizza I was hooked. 

As with everything else, that has progressed, so has the pizza and its toppings.  Traditional pizzas have the basic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, but that’s not quite the norm any more.  We can have stuffed crust pizza, deep-dish pizza, thin crust, round and square shape, toppings like pineapple and anchovies, or Cajun chicken and pork sausage.  As with everything else in my Greek Fusion cuisine, I had to incorporate something Greek, Italian and American to my pizza.  I give you a Thin Crust Vegetarian Pizza, with roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and of course mozzarella and feta cheese.  It turned out delicious and quite easy to do. 

Enjoy!

Pizza dough from scratch

This will make two (2) 14 inch pizzas

1 packet dry active yeast

1 ¼ cups warm water

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

2 tbsp olive oil

In 1 ¼ cups warm water dissolve the dry yeast. Add the sugar. Stir till well blended and let it stand for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, sift the flour and the salt together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. With an electric mixer that has a dough hook begin blending the yeast/water mixture into the flour mixture. Add the olive oil. Continue beating until the dough is firm and has absorbed all the liquid. You will know that the dough is ready when it pulls away from the bowl.

On a slightly floured surface, begin kneading the dough for about 10-15 minutes, till the dough is smooth, elastic and springy when trying to pull. Put it in a floured bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. This will make two (2) 14 inch pizza’s. (You can freeze 1/2 the dough before letting it rise. It will last for about 1 month in the freezer).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving(34.8g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 87
Calories from Fat 12
Total Fat 1.3g
Saturated Fat 0.2g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 98mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.0g
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 0.1g
Protein 2.2g

Toppings for Greek style vegetarian pizza from scratch - these ingredients are for one (1) 14" pizza 

12 servings – this will make one (1) 14-inch pizza

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp oregano

1 cup shredded mozzarella

4 roma tomatoes sliced (about 1 cup)

¼ cup red onion thinly sliced

1 small can (4 oz) mushrooms

1 cup artichoke hearts quartered (packed in oil or frozen)

1 cup spinach, washed and roughly chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a 15 inch pizza stone. You can use any 14-15 inch round pizza pan.

Preparing the ingredients:

Wash, pat dry and roughly chop the spinach. Set aside. Shred the mozzarella; set aside. Slice the roma tomatoes and set aside. Thinly slice the red onion. If you are using frozen artichoke hearts, make sure they are defrosted and warmed up by heating them in a little bit of water in the microwave. Crumble the feta cheese and set aside.

Roll out the dough to a round shape. No need to use any flour. The dough will be elastic and will stretch to the round shape. If you are using a pizza stone, make sure that it’s already preheated in the oven. If you are using a pizza pan, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use it for a pizza. Some might have a coating on it, and there is no need to brush the pan with oil. If not you might need to, so that the pizza won’t stick to it while baking.

Assemble the pizza:

Brush the pizza dough with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the oregano. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Spread the roma tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, spinach and the crumbled feta on top.

The pizza assembled before it goes in the oven 

 Return to oven and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about half ( ½ ) hour or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool before cutting it. 

  The pizza hot out of the oven

Nutrition Facts 

Serving Size 1serving(62.5 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 41          

Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 2.3g
Cholesterol 11mg
Sodium 141mg
Total Carbohydrates 3.8g
Dietary Fiber 1.4g
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 4.5g

Note: The Nutrition facts are separate for the dough and separate for the toppings.  

Enjoy!!!!

Italian cut Green Beans in tomato sauce

Don't be confused by the name "Italian cut." This type of bean is very common in Greece. You will most likely find these in Greece, rather than the string green beans. 

Since Lent has begun for both the Catholic and the Orthodox Church, it is common for believers to give up certain foods this time of the year. Greek Orthodox though have a more strict Lent practice than Catholics. Catholics can have fish on Friday where Greek Orthodox on the other hand, has a stricter fast. During Lent, fish, meat, poultry, and even dairy are not permitted (unless someone has specific diet needs and is instructed by his/her doctor. In that situation the priest forgives or rather allows the individual to eat what his diet needs are).

Every year, while I was growing up, I watched my mother follow a very ascetic fast for 40 days prior to our Greek Orthodox Easter. She tried to make dishes that were rich in flavor but without the meat. The green beans in tomato sauce are very rich in flavor. The use of flat leaf parsley gives it a savory and aromatic taste without the bitterness the curly leaf parsley has. The flat leaf is very common in Greece, whereas the curly leaf is not quite popular there.

You can find flat leaf parsley in any supermarket or fresh produce market. It is usually called Italian flat leaf parsley. This dish is great if you want to abstain from meat one day a week; for those who want to give up meat products for Lent, and for strict vegetarians. Serve it along with some fresh crusty Italian bread and you have yourself a healthy meal.

Italian cut green beans in tomato sauce             

Six (6) servings

½ cup olive oil

½ cup diced onion (1 medium sized onion)

2 tsp chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)

2 12oz bags frozen Italian cut green beans

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can water

½ cup chopped parsley

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

In a Dutch oven sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil till transparent.  Add the frozen green beans along with the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Add the one can of water.  Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir all the ingredients together.  Let it come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for 45 minutes to one (1) hour until the beans are tender.  Serve warm. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                         12.007oz(340.4g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories                                                            224

Calories from Fat                                  166                  % Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                               18.4g                           28%

Saturated Fat                                       2.6g                             13%

Cholesterol                                           0mg                             0%

Sodium                                                 580mg                         24%

Total Carbohydrates                             14.7g                           5%

Dietary Fiber                                         5.5g                             22%

Sugars                                                 6.6g

Protein                                                 3.6g

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables

On a cold, snowy day, I decided to make something that will keep us all warm.  This chili is a combination of a Greek bean soup (that is very popular in Greece, that recipe at another post) and the Mexican chili.  Greeks make their own version (shall I call it chili?) of a bean soup but they use pork pieces or just plain beans.  Since we all love chili in our family, this dish combines Greek spices, like ground cumin and ground coriander, which are also popular in Mexican cooking, along with vegetables and a better-for-your-heart version, by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.  Top it with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and you have another variation of chili.  More like Greek style chili. 

Enjoy!!!!

Greek Style Chili with ground turkey and vegetables 

Ten (10) servings of 15oz each. 

1/3 cup olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a Dutch oven pot)

¾ cup diced onion

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

1 ¾ cups diced celery

1 ½ cups diced carrots

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1 14oz water

2 tsps paprika

3 tsps chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp coriander

1 15.5oz can of kidney beans

1 15.5oz can of red beans

1 15.5 oz can of cannellini or great northern beans

 Vegetable preparation

Prepare the vegetables by washing, cleaning and dicing the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.   Pour the olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Turn the stove on.  Saute the onions and garlic till translucent (don’t let the garlic burn).  Add the ground turkey and let it brown stirring constantly (see the picture below).  

Then add the carrots, celery, the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, and water.  Let it come to a boil stirring occasionally so that it won’t burn.  Lower the heat and simmer for ½ hour to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the veggies are soft. 

Open up the cans of beans and rinse under cold water to remove any sodium.  Add to the ground turkey/veggie pot and stir.  Heat it through, stirring constantly so that it won’t burn.  Once it comes to a full boil, turn the stove off and remove from heat. 

Serve with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, mozzarella cheese (mozzarella cheese is healthier than cheddar cheese), and some nice crusty fresh italian bread.

The nutrition facts below do not include the calories for yogurt or mozzarella. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size                                         15.62oz (442.8g)

Amount Per Serving

                        Calories                                    536

Calories from Fat                                  232

% Daily Value^*

Total Fat                                               25.8g                           40%

Saturated Fat                                       5.8g                             29%

Trans Fat                                              0.0g

Cholesterol                                           139mg                         46%

Sodium                                                 936mg                         39%

Total Carbohydrates                             28.4g                           9%

Dietary Fiber                                         9.7g                             39%

Sugars                                                 6.3g

Protein                                                 46.4g