Crust-less Broccoli Fennel Quiche

Makes 8 servings 

2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups sliced red onion
1 cup fennel cleaned, washed and sliced
12 oz frozen broccoli defrosted
2 tbsp fennel leaves chopped
1 cup low moisture part skim milk mozzarella cheese shredded
¾ cup Pecorino Romano shredded
1 ¾ cup egg beaters (approx. 1 carton)
1 cup skim milk

Saute the onion and fennel in the olive oil. Add the broccoli. Set aside to cool. Mix together the egg beaters, shredded mozzarella, romano cheese and milk. Add to the broccoli/fennel mixture. Butter a 9x2 inch pie plate. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour the mixture into the pie plate and bake for 1 hour or till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 7.09 oz (201g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 227
Calories from Fat 112
Total Fat 12.4g
Saturated Fat 6.0g
Cholesterol 31mg
Sodium 469mg
Total Carbohydrates 9.6g
Dietary Fiber 2.1g
Sugars 3.8g
Protein 19.9g

Greek Chicken Lemon Rice Soup

This is the traditional way of making Greek Chicken Lemon Rice Soup.  I’ve seen recipes that will add cornstarch or a can of cream of chicken soup to make it thick, but this is the original recipe, more natural and very authentic.  You can omit the chicken altogether and have the plain version of Lemon Rice Soup, by using chicken stock.  I often make this soup with a whole chicken and I don’t add the chicken stock at all.  The whole chicken adds more flavor to the soup.  On this version, I added the chicken stock since chicken breasts don’t have much flavor.  You can also use chicken legs and thighs instead of breasts for more flavor.   

Greek Chicken Lemon Rice soup                

10 servings (approximately 2 cups = 16 oz each serving)

1.25 lbs chicken breast (2 large chicken breasts)

2 quarts water (about 8 cups)

4 cups chicken stock

6 cups additional water

1 cup rice (not parboiled rice but regular long grain rice)

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or the juice of two (2) lemons)

Wash the chicken breast and place them in a pot with the water.  Let it cook for ½ hour to 45 minutes.  Make sure it doesn’t boil over.  Skim the froth that collects on the surface of the water till it’s clear. 

When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot.  Add the chicken stock to the pot, the rice, the additional water, and the salt.  Let the rice cook completely to the point where each grain is almost split in half.  This will release extra starches thus making the soup thick. 

In the meantime, cut the chicken breast into pieces and add to the soup.  Let it heat through and remove the soup from the heat.   

Egg and Lemon Sauce:

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.  Set the egg yolks aside.  Squeeze the juice of two lemons.  Set that aside.  In a bowl whisk the egg whites till frothy.  Add the egg yolks while you continue beating.  Add the lemon juice while still beating.  Slowly ladle some of the soup into the egg/lemon mixture while continue beating.  Add more of the soup to bring the egg/lemon mixture to the soup temperature.  (The soup should not be too hot or the eggs will curdle).  Then slowly pour the egg/lemon mixture into the pot.  Stir and serve.  The soup will be thick and creamy.  Enjoy!

Note 1: The soup freezes well without the egg/lemon sauce.  You can freeze it, and when you are ready to use it, heat it through and then add the egg/lemon sauce.

Note 2:  When heating up the soup, heat it in medium-low heat.  Otherwise, the egg/lemon mixture will curdle the soup. 

Note 3:  If you are using a whole chicken, when the chicken is cooked pour the stock into a fat separator container.  The container will separate the chicken fat from the actual chicken stock.  Then pour the chicken stock without the fat into a pot and continue making the soup. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving (476.4 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 192

Calories from Fat 32

Total Fat 3.6g

Saturated Fat 1.0g

Cholesterol 81mg

Sodium 369mg

Total Carbohydrates 16.3g

Dietary Fiber 0.3g

Sugars 0.7g

Protein 22.0g

 If you try this recipe and like it please comment below.  If you like what you see on this blog, feel free to follow it.   If you have any questions post them in the comments box.  

Mexican Bean salad with a Greek twist

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday. 

I made this dish the other day to go along with the chicken fajitas. Beans are a popular dish in Greece but not the black beans or the corn. There are bean salads made with cannellini beans. I ended up incorporating some Greek ingredients into this dish. Instead of cilantro or lime juice, I used parsley and lemon juice. I also added the cannellini beans to the mix. We ended up with a wonderful bean salad that gave us both a bit of Mexican flair with a Greek twist. Enjoy!

Mexican Bean Salad with a Greek twist

Eight (8 servings) approximately 7 oz each

1 can – 15oz black beans
1 can -15.5oz cannellini beans
1 can – 15 ¼oz corn
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ c fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped shallots
½ cup grape tomatoes cut in half or quartered – depending how big they are
¼ tsp cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the beans and the corn under cold water. Place them in a bowl. Mix together the beans, the corn, the olive oil, the lemon juice, the grape tomatoes, the parsley, the shallots, salt and pepper and the cumin. Refrigerate till ready to serve or leave at room temperature.  

Nutrition Facts  Serving Size 
1 serving (186.4 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 447
Calories from Fat 49
Total Fat 5.4g
Saturated Fat 0.9g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 26mg
Total Carbohydrates 77.9g
Dietary Fiber 23.4g
Sugars 4.5g
Protein 26.4g

Melomakarona – Greek walnut cinnamon honey cookies

I remember my grandmother making these when I was young. I distinctly remember the occasion when she came over showing my mother how to flatten the cookies in your palm, add the filling and then shape them into ovals. I was very young around 5-6 years old. From then on my mother used to make these honey morsels every Christmas. When I started my own family, I too began the tradition of making these cookies.  

Melomakarona or Greek walnut-cinnamon-honey cookies are very traditional cookies during the Christmas holidays. They are also healthy since there is no butter in the recipe. You can substitute the vegetable oil with olive oil. I always used vegetable oil when I made these cookies. Now I make sure that the vegetable oil I use is free of soy, so I use canola oil. I am hesitant in using olive oil for desert type cooking, since olive oil can be a bit overwhelming. Even though the olive oil in the United States comes from some European countries, I find it a bit stronger than the Greek olive oil that’s produced in Greece.  

You can substitute 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 cup melted butter. But even with the vegetable oil these cookies are delicious. Enjoy!

Melomakarona – Greek walnut cinnamon honey cookies                       

Makes 56 cookies (approximately 1.3oz each)

Filling and topping
15 tbsp ground or finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar

Cookie batter
2 cups vegetable oil (like canola oil)
1 cup sugar
½ cup orange juice
½ cup brandy or cognac
1 tbsp orange zest (peel of 1 orange) 
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
6 cups flours
2 tbsp extra flour for kneading

Syrup
2 cups honey
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick

Finely chop the walnuts. Add the ground cloves, cinnamon and sugar. Mix well and set aside.  

Beat together the vegetable oil with the sugar, orange juice, brandy, cinnamon and orange zest. Shift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients. Blend. Knead with your hands and add flour, as needed (about 2 tbsps). Take portion of the dough about 2” ball and roll it between your hands. Flatten it in the hollow of your palm and add about ¼ tsp of the filling. Pinch the dough together to seal it and shape it into an oval shape. Place the cookies in a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350° oven for 25 minutes until coppery brown.  

Make the syrup
Bring honey and water to a boil – about 5 minutes. Skim off any foam. Lower the heat and drop the cookies one at a time in the honey. Do not overcrowd. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place them in a platter. Continue simmering the cookies in honey until done. Sprinkle with the rest walnut-cinnamon mixture. Drizzle the cookies with any syrup that might be left over. 

Nutrition Facts 
Serving Size 1 serving (38.3 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 138
Calories from Fat 81
Total Fat 9.0g
Saturated Fat 1.6g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 45mg
Total Carbohydrates 14.5g
Dietary Fiber 0.3g
Sugars 14.0g
Protein 0.6g

Right out of the oven



Dipped and drizzled with the honey syrup and the nuts. 

Merry Christmas! Enjoy!



Chocolate Rum Balls/Truffles

I’ve been making these chocolate rum balls for many years. Another Canadian recipe that I had to convert from the metric system to the American system. After many trials and tribulations and before the internet, I was able to convert this recipe to the American standard system of measurements. So for many years now I use the recipe measurements below.
 
These chocolate rum balls are quite unique. The rum gives them that extra punch. Even though it’s a ¼ cup you can taste it in them. It’s not enough though to get you drunk. So enjoy them…with the rum.   

Chocolate Rum Balls/Truffles

Makes 34-50 rum balls (approximately 1” in diameter; 0.7 oz each)

4 squares unsweetened chocolate -- 4 oz (like Baker’s cooking chocolate)
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
1 ½ cups ground almonds
1 ½ cups icing sugar
¼ cup rum*
1 tsp instant coffee

Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Let it cool. In the meantime, blend together the cream cheese, the ground almonds, the icing sugar, the rum and the instant coffee. Add the melted chocolate and mix. Refrigerate for a couple hours so that you will be able to form the mixture into a ball.

Once cooled take a melon scooper, dip it in water and scoop a bit of the mixture. Shape it into 1” balls and set them aside. You can dip them in your favorite coatings like icing sugar, ground almonds, chopped walnuts, cocoa, green sugar, chocolate sprinkles. 

*Note: You can omit the rum altogether if you would like, and add 2 tsp. of vanilla

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 0.653 oz (18.5g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 76

Calories from Fat 45
Total Fat 5.0g
Saturated Fat 2.0g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 7mg
Sodium 19mg
Total Carbohydrates 6.5g
Dietary Fiber 0.7g
Sugars 5.1g
Protein 1.5g

Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

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Kourabiedes or Greek Almond Cookies in Icing sugar

During the Christmas holidays in Greece, my mother used to make these traditional Greek cookies called Kourabiedes drenched in icing sugar. I used to love these cookies growing up. The only problem was that you had to have a plate to eat them otherwise the icing sugar will be all over your clothes or on the floor. I used to sneak in the dining room where my mother kept the kourabiedes on a glass tray to just sample one, but I had to make sure that I didn’t drop any of the icing sugar on the floor or I’d be in trouble. Kourabiedes are very customary cookies to make during Christmas in Greece. Over the years I began making these icing sugar drenched delights for my own family traditions.  Enjoy!

Kourabiedes Greek Almond Cookies in Icing sugar      

Makes 64 cookies (approximately 1oz each)

1 lbs unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup icing sugar
1 cup ground almonds, toasted
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 - 4 cups flours (keep the 1/4  -1/2 cups separate)
4 cups icing sugar or as much or less as it takes



In a nonstick frying pan toast the ground almonds with ¼ tsp. of the icing sugar. Toast it for about 5 minutes but do not let it brown. Remove from heat and let it cool.

With an electric mixer beat the butter till soft. Add the icing sugar while continue beating. Add the egg yolks, the vanilla, the baking powder, the whiskey and the cooled ground almonds, while beating continuously. Gradually add the flour and beat well. Turn the mixer off. With your hands knead the dough lightly. Pour a little bit of the 1/4 cup flour on your hands so the dough won’t stick to your hands. Keep kneading the dough by adding the 1/4 cup flour over your hands, till done. Add more flour as needed. When the dough pulls away from the bowl stop kneading.   The dough will be sticky.  If it's too sticky, place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes so it will be easy to form the cookies.

Take about a spoonful of the dough and roll it between your hands into 1'' ball. Shape them into 1/2 moons or ovals or rounds. Place them in an ungreased cookie sheet and bake them in a preheated 350° oven for 18-20 minutes. The cookies shouldn't brown. They should be almost white on top. When the edges become lightly browned take them out of the oven. 

While still warm, place them in a bowl that’s filled with the icing sugar. Coat them well with the icing sugar and place them in a platter. Shift the remaining icing sugar on top. You will have extra icing sugar left over. You can use it as you serve the cookies to freshen them up.  You can drench them in icing sugar or dip them in melted chocolate. Either tastes equally good. The Greek way is with icing sugar.

Nutrition Facts 
Serving Size 0.878 oz (24.9g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 119
Calories from Fat 60
Total Fat 6.7g
 Saturated Fat 3.8g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 22mg
Sodium 41mg
Total Carbohydrates 13.7g
Dietary Fiber 0.4g
Sugars 8.4g
Protein 1.1g

Right out of the oven

 

Drenched in icing sugar

  

Or half dipped in chocolate!



Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

Cherry Cheesecake with Almond thin cookies for crust

I’ve been making this cheesecake for the past 35 years. It’s a Canadian recipe that I used to use. Both my daughters love this cheesecake. It’s light, easy to make and needs no baking. The original recipe asks for graham crackers crust. I found out though that graham crackers have soybean oil and since I am trying to stay away from any foods that contain soy, I experimented with a different crust. I found these almond thins at the European section of our local market. They are called Anna’s almond thins and they are Swedish.

 They contain no soy or any hydrogenated products (I used only one box).  This is a great desert to take to pot luck dinners or holiday parties. Enjoy!

 Cherry Cheesecake with Almond thin cookies for crust

Makes 35 pieces (approximately 2.4 oz each)

Crust:
1.5 cups crushed almond thin cookies
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp sugar

Filling:
1 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature
1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Realemon Lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 – 21 oz can cherry pie filling

Preparation: 
For the crust, crush the cookies by placing them in a ziplog bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. In a 12x7.5 pyrex pan pour the crushed cookies, add the melted butter and the sugar. Mix well and pat it at the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate.

For the filling: in a bowl put the cream cheese and beat with an electric beater. Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk while beating. Add the lemon juice and the vanilla and continue beating till light and fluffy. Take the crust out of the refrigerator and pour the filling in. Smooth the top and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. It chills quite fast, but overnight will chill it quite firmly.  

When chilled pour the cherry pie filling on top and serve. You can cut it into individual pieces and then top with the cherry pie filling. 

Note 1: The above ingredients will also accommodate a 9” pie plate
Note 2: You can substitute the almond thins with graham cracker crust or nila wafers crushed. They are both equally good.  
Note 3: For topping, you can substitute blueberry or strawberry pie filling. They both taste good.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (66.6 g)
Amount Per Serving 
Calories 233
Calories from Fat 82
Total Fat 9.1g
Saturated Fat 5.4g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 30mg
Sodium 218mg
Total Carbohydrates 33.6g
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 19.5g
Protein 4.5g

If you try this recipe and like it, please comment below.  If you like what you see on this blog, please feel free to follow it. Thank you.



Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Peas in tomato sauce

Peas in tomato sauce with dill or with fennel is another common, vegetarian Greek dish. It’s mostly a summer dish, since the peas are available fresh in their pods. I remember when I was young, my mother showed me how to peel the pods remove the peas and then peel the skin off the pods so that they will cook along with the peas. It was a dish, even though I disliked vegetables, one that I loved. The fresh tomato sauce and the fresh dill made it even tastier. The fresh bread, that we used to pick up from the bakery, along with a slice of feta and a fresh tomato salad completed the summer meal.  

On other occasions, my mother cooked the peas with beef tenderloin. It was more of a Sunday meal, one she used to serve over hot rice.  

Here is my version of peas in tomato sauce with pork tenderloin instead of beef. I also experimented with fennel instead of dill. I’ve tried it both ways and both ways is equally tasteful. If you don’t like the taste of fennel you can omit it altogether and add fresh dill to the dish. The dill (or fennel) is what actually gives the dish that savory flavor.


Makes 14 servings (approximately 8 oz each serving)

2.5 lbs pork tenderloin cut into 2” chunk pieces
½ cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
15 oz can tomato sauce (1 can)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (1 can)
2 cans water
1.5 cups sliced fennel (1 large fennel bulb)
2 12 oz bags of frozen peas
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped fennel leaves
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Wash and pat dry the pork tenderloin. Cut into 2” chunk pieces. Set aside. Peel, wash and chop the onion. Set aside. Peel and chop the garlic. Set aside. In a dutch oven, over high heat add the olive oil, the onions and garlic. Saute till transparent. Add the pork pieces. Saute a little longer. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce along with 2 cans of water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 1 hour. Don’t add salt, since salt will toughen the meat and will need to cook longer.

When the meat is almost done, during the last 5 minutes add the sliced fennel, the fennel leaves, the peas, the parsley and salt and pepper. Cover and let it simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve over rice or orzo. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese or romano cheese if desired.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 
1 serving (219.6 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 237
Calories from Fat 93
Total Fat 10.3g
Saturated Fat 2.0g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 59mg
Sodium 392mg
Total Carbohydrates 12.0g
Dietary Fiber 4.2g
Sugars 4.9g
Protein 24.7g

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Pasta with chicken sausage and butternut squash

This is a dish that I made recently with butternut squash.  I picked up the roasted red pepper and spinach chicken sausages from Costco.  But you can use any type of sausage for this dish.  You can also substitute the whole grain pasta with regular pasta.  It's a preference.  You can cut the recipe in half if you don't want to use the full ingredients.  We love pasta and we love it as leftovers too.  This dish also packs well for lunch.  Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings (approx. 8 oz each serving)

4 cups butternut squash diced into 2” cubes
1.5 cups diced red pepper
1 cup diced red onion
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 lbs roasted red pepper and spinach chicken sausage (5 links) Casual Gourmet brand
1 box (13.25 oz) whole grain Barilla rotini pasta
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup chicken broth
¼ tsp paprika
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Clean, peel and seed the butternut squash. (I used about ½ of the butternut squash. It all depends on how big the butternut squash is; and this one was quite large). Dice it into 2” cubes. Put it in a microwavable bowl and cook on high heat for 8-10 minutes till soft. In the meantime, wash and dice the red pepper. Set aside. 
Peel, wash and dice the red onion. Set aside. Peel and chop the garlic. Set aside. Break the chicken sausage into coarse pieces with your hands. Set aside.
In a saucepan add the ¼ cup olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, red pepper and the sausage. Add the ¼ cup of the chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime bring a pot of water to boil and cook the rotini pasta according to package directions.

When the squash is cooked add it to the sausage, red pepper mixture. Add the rest of the chicken broth, the salt, pepper and paprika, and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, add it to the saucepan and toss together. Serve with shredded Romano pecorino cheese. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts 
Serving Size 
1 serving (227.7 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 374
Calories from Fat 113
Total Fat 12.5g
Saturated Fat 2.3g
Cholesterol 34mg
Sodium 543mg
Total Carbohydrates 47.0g
Dietary Fiber 7.9g
Sugars 5.3g
Protein 20.7g

 

 

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Greek Pumpkin Pie - Kolokythopita

Here is a slight variation of the traditional pumpkin pie with a Greek twist. Instead of using pie dough I made it with phyllo dough. Just in time for Thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

Makes 32 pieces – approximately 2.5 oz each

Filling1 can (29 oz) pure puréed pumpkin (about 4 cups)
1.5 cups sugar
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 tbsp semolina
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp nutmeg

Crust
¾ cup melted butter
8 oz of phyllo dough (about 30 sheets)
1 tsp sugar
Water

Beat together the pureed pumpkin, sugar, semolina, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, evaporated milk, till smooth. Set aside.
Melt the butter and keep it warm.
Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Open up the phyllo dough package, and use just the one out of the two separate packages inside. Cover the phyllo dough sheets with a towel. Layer the phytllo dough one by one, by buttering each layer. Like the Spinach Cheese pie (Spanakotyropita) . Use half the package of phyllo dough, about 12 sheets. Pour the filling and fold the edges of the phyllo dough inwards. Layer with the remaining phyllo dough, by buttering each layer. When done, wet your hand and sprinkle the top with water, then with the sugar. Bake at 350° oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.  

When done, remove from the oven and let it cool. When cooled cut it into triangles and sprinkle with some cinnamon and icing sugar. Serve.

Note: the semolina will slightly thicken the pumpkin mixture without it being too runny
Note: by sprinkling the top phyllo sheet with water, will bake it into a crisper crust.

Nutrition Facts  Serving Size 
1 serving (67.0 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 135
Calories from Fat 58
Total Fat 6.5g
Saturated Fat 3.7g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 32mg
Sodium 89mg
Total Carbohydrates 17.9g
Dietary Fiber 1.0g
Sugars 12.2g
Protein 2.3g

Right out of the oven

 

 Enjoy!

 

 

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