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Tuesday, 22 May 2018 07:00
Mediterranean Spinach And White Bean Salad With Feta Cheese
This fresh and healthy spinach salad is a perfect addition to your summer meals! With Greek white beans and feta cheese, Olive Tomato's salad is guaranteed to fill you up. And your kids will love it, too!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups boiled white beans (or ¾ cup dry beans)
- 1 bay leaf and 1 whole onion (if boiling your own beans)
- 8 cups washed spinach (7 ½ ounces or 200 grams)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- 6-7 sundried tomatoes rinsed and roughly chopped
- 2-3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
For the dressing
- 4 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt/pepper as needed
To view this recipe in full, please visit: Olive Tomato
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Greek Food & Diet
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Tuesday, 12 June 2018 07:23
Unique Wines Of Greece To Try
Greek wines are attracting attention, both locally and internationally. From grapes that are succulent, light, and juicy, to acidic grapes grown in Santorini's volcanic soil, here are some of the best wines from Greece to try at the moment!
Atlantis Santorini, Greece 2017
Atlantis is sourced from the volcanic soils of the island of Santorini; Thymiopoulos Atma Assyrtiko, Imathia 2017 comes from the north west, in Greek Macedonia. Both have that electric flash of acidity and tang that works so well with fish grilled or baked with lemon and herbs.
Thymiopoulos Terra Olympus Rapsani, Greece 2015
A modern star of Greek winemaking, Apostolos Thymiopoulos, is behind many of the best bottles. As well as the assyrtiko, look out for the fuller, more mouthfilling white grape malagouzia in both the delightfully exotically fruited, floral and herb-laced Thymiopoulos Malagouzia, Imathia 2017 and Atma White Malagouzia and Xinomavro.
For a more conventional take on Greece’s signature red variety from Thymiopoulos, try the Thymiopoulos Jeunes Vignes de Xinomavro, Naoussa 2016, which is made in a succulent, light, juicy, vividly red-fruited style for thirst-quenching sipping with charcuterie. Or try the Terra Olympus, which is richer, darker, more structured but with the same thrilling acidity: one for herb-roasted lamb.
To read this article in full, please visit: The Guardian
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Greek Food & Diet
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Tuesday, 03 July 2018 09:12
Bacteria Strain Could Help Make Feta Cheese A 'Functional Food'
According to a research team at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DEMETER in Athens, Greek feta cheese could turn probiotic. This would help meet the demand for food to be 'functional' and healthy.
The researchers began with the bacterial strain Lactobacillus planetarum T571 to produce probiotic feta. The results were of a high quality cheese, with characteristics very similar to traditional feta.
The scientists stated to the Dairy Reporter, "In today's global food industry, the probiotic market is encountering an unprecedented growth to conform with the consumer demand for new products with health benefits. Considering the global demand, L. planetarum strain is a promising adjunct candidate to develop functional feta."
To read this article in full, please visit: The Dairy Reporter
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Greek Food & Diet
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Monday, 11 November 2019 07:00
Kolokithopita - Greek Pumpkin Pie With Feta Cheese
Combining some of our fall favorites, pumpkin and feta cheese, this savory pie will be a hit with all your family and friends. This healthy recipe is from Olive Tomato is rich in vitamin A, potassium, and carotenoids. We hope you enjoy!
Serves: 4-6
Difficulty: Easy
Cooks in: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds (1- 1/2 kg) pumpkin
- 2 medium onions
- 8-9 ounces (200-250 grams) crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or 2 tablespoons dry mint
- Salt/pepper
- 1 egg
- A pinch of cumin
- 12 phyllo sheets
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Monday, 05 November 2018 07:00
Dolmades-Stuffed Vine Leaves
Dolmades, or stuffed vine leaves, is one of the most famous traditional Greek dishes; it is light, meat-free, and really tasty! Dolmades make an excellent starter for a family dinner, but they are so delicious they can also be served alone as a main dish.
Traditionally, dolmades are prepared with rice, herbs, and onions but some regional variations call for toasted pine nuts, red currants, and raisins. Stuffing the vine leaves my look a bit tricky at first, but after your first few rolls you'll realize how easy it really is!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cups sweet white onions, chopped very fine
- 4 cups long-grain riced, uncooked
- 6 cups fresh herbs – measured before chopping, chopped fine ( I use equal parts dill/mint/parsley)
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Grape leaves – 1 large 16 ounce jar (approx 60-80 leaves,rinsed well) or hand picked and boiled
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/3 c olive oil
- Juice from one lemon
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Greek Food & Diet
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Monday, 21 January 2019 07:00
Fried Feta With Sesame Seeds And Honey
A mouthwatering veggie dish, that will amaze you. An extraordinary combination of juicy, salty fried feta covered with crispy, golden-brown sesame seeds with sweet honey sauce! Quick and easy to prepare, this dish will definitely become your favorite appetizer!
Fried feta with honey is a delicious meze that has it’s origins in Cretan cuisine, where one can find lots of recipes that combine salty cheese with sweet, or sour-sweet honey sauces.
Ingredients
- 250g feta cheese (9 ounces)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper
- 70-80g of flour, enough to coat the feta (3 ounces)
- 160g sesame seeds
- Olive oil for frying
- 4 tbsps of honey
Photo Credit: My Greek Dish
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Greek Food & Diet
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Thursday, 03 December 2020 07:00
Interesting Facts About Greek Olive Oil
Greek olive oil is famous all over the world for its quality, rounded flavor, and unique health benefits. Many Greek olive oils have won awards at highly acclaimed international olive oil competitions.
Olive oil is an essential ingredient in Greek cuisine and an integral part of the Mediterranean diet – which is considered the healthiest in the world!
Olive oil is an essential ingredient in Greek cuisine and an integral part of the Mediterranean diet – which is considered the healthiest in the world!
A few interesting facts about olive oil, to help you fully appreciate Greece's 'liquid gold.'
1. Greece is the 3rd largest olive oil producer in the world and the biggest exporter of extra virgin olive oil. Greek extra virgin olive oil is even exported to other oil producing countries such as Italy and Spain.
3. Each Greek person consumes an average of 26 liters of olive oil a year!
4. A mature olive tree will produce 15- 20 kilos of olives each year. It takes about 5 kilos of olives to make a liter of oil; therefore, an olive tree yields 3-4 liters of oil each year.
5. Extra virgin olive oil has a delicious, clean flavor and is produced from the first pressing of the olives without any use of solvents, and in specific temperatures that will not degrade the oil.
6. The fresher the olive oil is, the better it tastes. After about a year, it's best to use the oil for cooking, while keeping the fresher oil for dressing salads and other cold uses.
7. Olive oil has a high content of monounsaturated fats; studies have shown that replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, can lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
8. It is a proven fact that olive oil helps reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL).
9. Olive oil is very high in oleic acid, which helps reduce blood pressure and contains several antioxidants such as vitamin E, carotenoids, and oleuropein.
This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab
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Greek Food & Diet
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Wednesday, 28 July 2021 07:00
3 Delicious Summer Smoothies
Serves: 1
Difficulty: Easy
Cooks in: 5 min
Ingredients
Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie
• 200 ml of coconut milk
• 1 tsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1tsp grated chocolate
Melon & Cucumber Smoothie with Mint
• 150 g strained yogurt
• 2 slices melon, chopped
• 1 small cucumber, chopped
• 20 ml maple syrup
• 3 fresh mint leaves and some extra leaves for garnishing
Mixed Berry & Pineapple Smoothie
• 200 ml of milk
• 90 g berries (frozen) and some extra berries for garnishing
• 100 g pineapple, chopped
• 1 tbs berry marmalade
Cooking Instructions
Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie
In a blender combine the coconut milk, the peanut butter, the banana, and the honey and blend until smooth. Serve in a glass and garnish with grated chocolate.
Melon & Cucumber Smoothie with Mint
In a blender add the cucumber, the melon, a few leaves of mint, the yogurt and the maple syrup and blend until smooth. Serve in a glass and garnish with mint leaves.
Mixed Berry & Pineapple Smoothie
In a blender combine the milk, the pineapple, and the marmalade and blend until smooth. Serve in a glass and garnish with berries.
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Sunday, 02 February 2020 07:00
Fanouropita – A Cake For Finding Lost Things
Have you ever lost something and would try almost anything to get it back? Well, maybe try making a Fanouropita! This spicy cake is traditionally baked in Greece to honor St. Fanourios, the patron saint of revelation, between the 26th and 27th of August. Many Greeks, however, also regularly bake a Fanouropita in the hopes that the saint of revelation will help them find their lost belongings. In fact, the cake’s name also reveals its supposed object-finding powers: it was named after St. Fanourios, whose name originates from the Greek word “fanerono,” which means “I reveal.” So, Fanouropita quite literally means, “a pita that reveals.”
Even if you don’t believe in the Fanouropita’s power, or have an app to help you find lost items, the cake is still worth making! This quick, easy-to-make, and versatile cake is perfect for the Lenten season, and can easily be made vegan—all you have to do is replace the honey with sugar and add tahini.
Just a word of caution, though. While the main ingredients for the cake are walnuts, a dried fruit of your preference (we suggest raisins here), cinnamon, oil, sugar, and flour, it is said that all the ingredients must add up to an odd number (e.g. 7, 9, 11, 13, and so on). The recipe at the bottom has 11 ingredients without the icing sugar. If you chose to include the icing sugar, which we suggest you do, consider adding a second type of dried fruit to make the number of ingredients odd again.
Hopefully, this cake will help you find what you are searching for... And if it doesn’t—at least you got a tasty treat out of the experience!
Yield: 1 cake (25cm)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cooks in: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 450g of flower
- 260g of sugar
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 1 cup and 2 tbsp of orange juice
- 100g of walnuts
- 90g of raisins
- 4g of powdered cinnamon
- 1 tsp of powdered cloves
- 20g of baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
To find out important tips on how to prepare a Fanouropita, please visit: Kopiaste
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Greek Food & Diet
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Wednesday, 26 February 2025 07:00
Greek Semolina Halva
Halva is a semolina pudding, sweetened with syrup and studded with nuts. Halva is an easy to make, delicious, lenten dessert that is widely served on Kathara Deftera and during the fasting period before Easter. Make sure you brown the semolina enough to get a lovely cinnamon brown colour and a delicious nutty flavor.
Serves: 8-10
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cooks in: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups sunflower oil
- 1 cup coarse semolina
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 3 cups granulated brown sugar
- 4 cups water
- Zest of 3 oranges
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g almond slivers
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180° C set to fan.
2. Toast the almond slivers in a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper for 5-8 minutes.
3. In a non-stick pot saute the vegetable oil with the fine semolina and coarse semolina, over medium-low heat.
4. Stir the mixture continuously for about 4-5 minutes, until the semolina becomes golden brown. Do not rush this process since semolina burns easily. Sauteeing the semolina gives it a rich and nutty flavor.
5. When ready, add the sugar, water, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves.
6. Stir for another 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. You will know it is ready when it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the almonds and continue to stir.
8. Transfer the mixture into a 22 cm bundt cake pan, hit the cake pan on a hard surface to make sure the mixture settles and your halva is nice and compact.
9. Turn it over after 5 minutes.
Find this and other great recipes on: akispetretzikis.com
2. Toast the almond slivers in a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper for 5-8 minutes.
3. In a non-stick pot saute the vegetable oil with the fine semolina and coarse semolina, over medium-low heat.
4. Stir the mixture continuously for about 4-5 minutes, until the semolina becomes golden brown. Do not rush this process since semolina burns easily. Sauteeing the semolina gives it a rich and nutty flavor.
5. When ready, add the sugar, water, orange zest, cinnamon, and cloves.
6. Stir for another 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. You will know it is ready when it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the almonds and continue to stir.
8. Transfer the mixture into a 22 cm bundt cake pan, hit the cake pan on a hard surface to make sure the mixture settles and your halva is nice and compact.
9. Turn it over after 5 minutes.
Find this and other great recipes on: akispetretzikis.com
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Greek Food & Diet
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