Here, Ekaterina via The Greek Glutton shares her love of Greek food, with a bit of Mexican in the mix.

I am a HUGE fan of feta.  I simply cannot have a meal without it.  Add a touch of spinach into the mix and you will have me eating out of your hand, or plate.  So you can guess how much I salivated after seeing my friend Natalia's recipe for Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas over at her blog The Greek Glutton.   The recipe just had to be shared.

Speaking of healither meal alternatives, I made these Greek Spinach & Feta Quesadillas with Tzatziki Sauce and I have to say, they're a much better choice than regular quesadillas with melted cheese and sour cream and other fatty/not so healthy ingredients.  And even though they might not be quite as mouth-watering and indugent as regular quesadillas, they still feel like a treat!  Almost like having your cake and eating it, although not literally. 

They're easy to make and they make it easy to get vegetables into your diet.  Spinach has many health benefits: for your eyes, bones and actually helps your digestion.  What's more is that cooked spinach actually delivers more than three times the nutrients of raw soinach because your body cannot fully break down and absorb nutrients in raw spinach.  If you live in a cold and dry climate, eating spinach is really good for relieving dry and itchy skin.

As if you didn't need any more pursuading, take a look at how to make them:

Prep time - 15 mins

Cook time - 15 mins

Total: 30 mins

Recipe Type: Lunch

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 2-3 quesadillas

12oz spinach

Olive Oil

1 onion 

Bunch of scallions/green onions

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 to 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and Pepper to taste

Low-carb or regular flour tortillas

Tzatziki sauce

To read more, including directions on how to make, please visit: Ekaterina's Greek Expectations

Island hopping – yes, they are open!

Run by an independent non-profit organization, Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), the Blue Flag Program labels beaches and marinas — and for the first time this year sustainable boating tourism operators — appropriate for swimming based on cleanliness, water quality, organization, safety and services, environmental management, and protection and certifies the best every year ahead of summer.

This year, 3,462 beaches and 660 marinas in 50 countries were inspected. With 430 beaches and nine marinas, Greece clinched third spot during the 1st International “Blue Flags” Awards ceremony held in the Halkidiki peninsula at the Porto Carras Grand Resort. The Halkidiki peninsula was crowned the destination with most flags in Greece as 52 of its beaches were honored.

Greece also recently came in 4th in Europe with the European Environment Agency verifying that 97.2 percent of its beaches are of the highest quality for swimming.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
For an interactive map of all the beaches and to learn more about the Blue Flag, please visit: Blue Flag

Kostarelos Chessemakers and their exceptinal products can be found in seven stores in Attika. The one that makes the difference, because it introduces a different kind of delicatessen in Athens, is the one in Kolonaki with a unique concept. It is a Greek deli where you can find their dairy products and taste unique recipes exclusively made by the well-known chef Chrysanthos Karamolegos.

Kostarelos Cheesemakers first entered the world of cheesemaking in 1937, by the keen hands of Kyriakos Kostarelos. Now, it has been passed on to the third generation, the equally capable brothers Kyriakos and Nikos, who continue their family's legacy.

Keeping the values that were passed on to them, no other than the loyalty to the traditional cheesemaking along with the most modern techniques, they produce a large variety of products that have drawn the attention of those who are serious about cheese.

Some of their creations are the famous feta cheese, the goat cheese, graviera, the desired creamy tsalafouti, ladotiri, and of course their yogurts.

The served dishes include a great variety of sandwiches, salads and a unique plateau of cheese and sausages of strictly Greek origins. There are also excellent sweet proposals based mainly on the dairy products of the creamery.

In the store of course one can find the complete range of their dairy products, like Kostarelos award-winning feta cheese, the famous yoghurts and creams – all made with Greek fresh milk.

To read this article in full, please visit: Living Postcards

'The Favourite', a film directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, led the nominations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards last week, with 12 nods for the costume drama that has already won its leading actress Olivia Colman critical acclaim and several prizes.

 

The comedy sees Colman play Britain’s 18th-century Queen Anne as a frail and insecure royal, easily influenced by her close friend Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, portrayed by Oscar winner Rachel Weisz. When maid Abigail arrives, the relationship is tested as both women fight for the queen’s affection.

 

'The Favourite' will compete for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay - and in the Director category for Yorgos Lanthimos - at the BAFTA awards next month.

Article Source: Reuters

If you happen to be in Volos during Christmas time, you might get the opportunity to witness a beautiful long-standing tradition. On the night of December 26th, people gather along the seaside promenade and propel thousands of wish lanterns into the sky!

The lanterns represent Christmas wishes, and people hope that when they reach the sky, they will be fulfilled.

We hope all your wishes come true!

XpatAthens works with writers, bloggers, cultural platforms, and local media houses in order to give our readers unique, useful, and up-to-date content.

We are always looking to meet and connect with new content contributors. If you believe that your content would be a positive addition to XpatAthens, click here to learn more about working with us!

Masaresi.com was founded by Maya Cornelissens-Andreadi, who shares her experience about how “to integrate in Greece and feel like a local”. Masaresi = μας αρέσει = we like it! Discover the “real Greece," while delving into all the aspects of Greek life – from modern lifestyle and culture to history, literature, traditions, and many more.

Explore Greece - Read About Greece - Buy Greek - Learn Greek

---

Read Masaresi.com's first article, here
Visit Masaresi.com, here

 

 

Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix Go Greek!

Their RV hits the beautiful Greek islands and historical city of Athens, for a big fat Greek adventure, together again behind the wheel on an epic odyssey like no other.

The guys begin their adventure in Crete, Greece’s largest island, before navigating their way to stunning Santorini, making their way to the party island of Mykonos and finishing their trip in the Greek capital Athens and the monasteries of Meteora. 

One of the series' highlights is when Yiayia Catrina from Santorini, renowned for her legendary Moussaka tastes Gordon’s Salsa Verde and criticizes how much salt Gordon has added.

Gino says: “Today there is one thing that we all learned, even god can make mistakes. If he can make mistakes like that - we all have a chance in life!”



Originally posted on itv.com

The zeibekiko dance and the popular musical instruments bouzouki, tzouras, and baglamas have been included on Greece’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, the Greek Culture Ministry recently announced.

“The zeibekiko dance, the bouzouki, and similar musical instruments identify with Greece and its folk tradition. They played a leading role in Greek folk music during the 20th century,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said.

According to Mendoni, the bouzouki, tzouras, and baglamas are the most renowned Greek musical instruments abroad.

The zeibekiko dance

The zeibekiko was developed in large urban centers of Greece, mainly port cities including Piraeus, Patra, Syros, Thessaloniki, Volos, Chania, and Kavala among others, and the eastern Aegean islands.

The bouzouki instrument

The bouzouki was brought to Greece in the early 1900s by Greek refugees from Anatolia and quickly became the central instrument to the rebetiko genre and its music branches. It is now an important element of modern laïko pop Greek music.

The tzouras and baglamas instruments

Also added to Greece’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage List are the tzouras and baglamas. The two musical instruments are both connected to Greece’s folk tradition and associated with the zeibekiko dance.

The tzouras is related to the bouzouki. It is made in six-string and eight-string varieties.

The baglamas is a smaller version of the bouzouki pitched an octave higher, with unison pairs on the four highest strings and an octave pair on the lower D. Musically, the baglamas is most often found supporting the bouzouki in the Piraeus city style of rebetiko.

To read this article in full, please visit: news.gtp.gr