French Fries with a Greek twist

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                                               Organic French Fries with a Greek Twist

These are French Fries you can enjoy without feeling guilty. Our homegrown potatoes go directly from the garden and unto our table. Everything tastes so much better when it's home grown it's not only healthier but there's a lot of love that goes into growing your own food. So how do you make French Fries nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside?

Firstly, wash your potatoes really well, then peel. Slice your potatoes to accommodate your taste, we like them skinny, they become crunchier that way. 

Secondly, place them in a container with cold water and allow them to soak for about  1/2 hour then

 pat them dry. If you would like, place your fries in a colander and allow them to drip dry. When dry drizzle them with salt

Thirdly, Add olive oil in your frying pan, 100%  extra virgin olive oil gives your French Fries the extra savoriness and it's ideal for frying because of its limited fatty acids. Your oil should be hot before you add your French Fries. Fry your potatoes until golden brown.

Serve your French Fries with a Greek twist, instead of drenching them in Ketchup, drizzle them with lemon, olive oil,  a pinch of oregano and pepper. You could eat them as is or serve them with olives, either way they are delicious! The lemon and olive oil I used  are also organic, both come from my husband's village. This was a complete organic home meal! 

TIP: Place about 3 paper towels on the platter so the fries can drip the oil before you serve them.

                                         

Yellow Split Pea Soup

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                                                           Yellow Split Pea Soup a.k.a Fava

                                   
                                    

 When it's cold outside you need something healthy and delicious to warm your families insides and lift their spirits, nothing hits the spot like yellow split pea soup. It's quick,easy healthy and not to mention easy on the pocket. Split pea soup is rich in proteins and it comes in two colors yellow and green, I love both, it's just that yellow looks prettier. This is an authentic Greek traditional dish and you can find it at almost all local taverns when travelling to Greece. You don't have to travel to Greece to have this yummy dish, take a walk at your local grocery store, they have plenty. I have been such a food aficionado all my life due to my family's  Greek culture but also to my dad's refined taste buds.He always appreciated a higher quality of food and Split Pea Soup falls under this category.  A higher quality of food!

Split Pea Soup is a.k.a pease pudding, it was made in Medieval Europe and it's a popular dish in the Greek culture a.k.a Fava which is served as an ( appetizer) meze. Fave can be prepared as a puree or you can make it a bit chunky, I prefer the puree. My mother served it as a main dish with a side dish of any type of seafood, I serve it with a side of bruschetta

Split Pea Soup of either color are rich in fiber which helps the digestive system. All peas contain manganese,potassium,copper, protein and vitamins such as B1 and B5. For all the above reasons Split Pea Soup is a perfect meal at any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 500 grams yellow split peas
• 1 medium sized onion chopped 
• 1 carrot shredded
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• salt & pepper 
• 5 - 8 tablespoons of olive oil

 Take your split peas place in pot cover with water, place on stove and boil.When peas come to a boil drain them in a colander rinse with cold water and return to pot. Add all your ingredients and last add olive oil, saute for about 10 minutes. Cover peas with water, allow to boil until creamy and tender. Scoop batches of soup with a soup ladle, pour in a blender and mix until smooth. When serving drizzle with olive oil.

TIPS: a)  Use an immersion blender, this is faster and easier.
            b)  For a more spicy taste, use homemade broth or 1 beef knorr cube.
            c) If soup is too thick, thin it out by just pouring more water.

                                                     

KALE OREXI!!! Another fabulous dish from my kitchen to yours! 

Romaine Lettuce with Cherry Tomatoes

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Romaine Lettuce with Cherry Tomatoes

A two ingredient-   A  two minute salad! 

Ingredients:

• 1 Romaine Lettuce
• 1/2 pound of cherry tomatoes
• salt
• vinegar
• olive oil

The other day  feeling exhausted from running errands and being a portable taxi, I needed a quick fix that was also healthy. I opened my refrigerator, I surveyed the area, my eyes spotted  Romaine Lettuce and juicy, ripe, Cherry Tomatoes perfect for a quick pick me up brunch! With only two ingredients and it only took two minutes to make Romaine Lettuce and Cherry Tomatoes hit the spot!  Hearty Salad Recipes, are a favorite. of mine. I don't think a day goes by that I don't have salad on my table! Don't forget, salads are beneficial in our daily diet, they are nutritious and always packed with the necessary vitamins to revitalize our bodies.

TIP: This quick salad can accompany all your kiddie  and adult parties! You will not believe the positive feedback I always receive when I serve Romaine Lettuce with Cherry Tomatoes Salad. 
Try it and I await for your feedback. KALE OREXI!

carrot truffles

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                                                               Carrot Truffles

I went to a party the previous week and as I sat down my eyes immediately were attracted to these tiny coconut covered balls. My hand quickly dove into the platter, grabbed one and sunk my teeth right into it. Then another one and another one, I couldn't stop at just one, these Carrot Truffles were so good!  So what's the next best thing, you ask the host of the party if you can have the  recipe. She handed me over the recipe book. I opened it up and found my recipe of Carrot Truffles, they were so easy to make. 

This is not my recipe, and I haven't tweaked it at all. The author of the cookbook is Vefa Alexiadou, she is really well known in Greece. I just wanted to share it with all of you. 

So without further adieu and since this will be my last post for 2015 I wanted to leave you with a sweet thought, Carrot Truffles- simple, quick and an awe- inspiring yummy recipe. :)

Carrot Truffles

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds big carrots
• 1 pound sugar
• 1 pound grated coconut ( have an extra bag for coating)
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Clean your carrots place them in a pot and cover them with water.Boil them until they become soft ( don't over boil)  Place them in a colander and let them drip dry.When they have dried up shred them. Place them again in the colander and set  them aside for two hours. Place them in pot add sugar, place your pot on stove on high heat and stir for about 15 to 20 minutes. Take your pot off the burner, add your vanilla extract, grate your two lemon rinds,and your coconut, stir and allow to cool. When cool take a bit of the carrot mix and roll balls into your palm then coat them with coconut and they are ready to serve.  KALE OREXI and have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! You should be able to make about 40 - 50 depending on how big or small you make your truffle balls. 

Bruschetta

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                                                                  Bruschetta

The other day I was just sitting around and I needed a quick fix, ever feel like that? We all do at one point or another.  Took a few steps to my kitchen and opened up my cupboards and ran my eyes across the shelves and there was some leftover bread that I had brought from two days ago, hmmmm I thought how about some bruschetta, I had different types of cheese in the refrigerator,  some cold cuts and had a bit of white sweet wine. In just a few minutes I whipped up a quick fix lunch for me and my hubby, oh , my kids had leftover lunch from the other day. As you can see  it was a lazy kind of a day so I needed something quick and easy. Bruschetta hit the spot.

Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 1 left over bread
• 2 tomatoes
• 3 -4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 -3 fresh basil sticks

Take your left over bread and cut into slices. Place baking sheets on your rack ( makes cleaning easier) Sprinkle with water add chopped up tomato, few pieces of chopped garlic, sprinkle with olive oil and oregano. Bake for about 5 minutes on high. When done add basil on top and serve with cold cuts and cheese. KALE OREXI !!!!




                                                 

Pan Fried Bell Peppers with Tomatoes

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Pan Fried Bell Peppers with Tomatoes 

Pan Fried Bell Peppers with Tomatoes, A quick and easy dish! Peppers can be found year round but the best time for this recipe is the summer time, that's when they are in season, fresh out of our garden and onto our plates. Fried peppers are a  personal and cherished favorite of mine only because it was taught to me by my grandmother. When I prepare this recipe, images of good times, fun times, relaxed and carefree summer days come to mind. The scent of  Pan Fried Bell Peppers in olive oil takes your culinary taste to another level. Back in the days when I lived with my paternal grandmother, I  would sit right beside her, in her outside fireplace, where she cooked on an open fire as she used olive wood and olive oil, I waited patiently for the first batch of fried peppers and to just start eating. The aroma that lingered in her outside fireplace, for a little while after she had finished the frying... mmmmm I could almost touch this memory! The tomatoes give the peppers a delightful succulent taste.

TIP: For the perfect fried peppers make sure your oil is quite hot and make sure you don't put one too many in the pan or they will not fry properly. They even taste better if have  fresh brick oven rustic bread.

Pan Fried Bell Peppers with Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds green bell peppers
• 1 large tomato
• Olive Oil 
• salt 

Cut your peppers into pieces large enough to fit on a fork add salt and mix.

Cut your large tomato in small pieces and set aside for later use.

Add a bit more oil then just to cover the pan but not too much or your peppers will boil not fry.

In about 15 minutes of frying on high, they should start looking charred, 

Add your tomato allow to fry for about 5 minutes if more is needed allow them longer frying time.

That's it they are ready to serve as an appetizer or a side dish! 

KALE OREXI!! 

Halloween Lunch

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                                             Halloween Festivities with a complete lunch!

            Witches Brew, Bloody Spider Rice and Bloody Eyeballs served with Bloody Shots!

                                                         

Bloody eyeballs!

Halloween is a time to make spookatacular lunches that are darculicious! I'm an expat living abroad but that hasn't stopped me from celebrating my U.S. holidays whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving or Fourth of July, with  the help of  few good neighbors and community support,I always go out of my way to provide my kids with the best of both worlds. Before cooking our Halloween lunch, I joined up with the local English Afternoon School and after quite some hardwork of the owner of the school, Ms.Katerina Katsouli, and quite a few days of organization, My kids  and her students enjoyed a full week of Halloween festivities everything from spooky stories, trick or treating to Halloween fun and games and of course a complete lunch!! Happy Halloween!  It doesn't matter where you live in the world you can celebrate any holiday you want! We would like to thank Ms. Katerina Katsouli,  she really goes out of her way to make her students happy! Teachers like her are hard to find!

It's that time of the year again and I love it just as much as the kids!! There's so much in creating, serving and seeing smiling faces on the faces of people you love.

And now for the Halloween Lunch 

Ingredients
Witches Brew:

• 1 big round eggplant
• 1 medium sized onion
• 2 garlic cloves ( you can add more garlic to make it spicier) 
• 1 medium sized zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• Chili pepper (optional)

Take a sauce pan add your chopped up onions and garlic sweat them for about 2- 4 minutes then add

your chopped up zucchini and the inside of the pumpkin saute until veggies are soft enough to place in a blender. Add about 1/4 cup of water to and boil, veggies will soften faster, just be careful don't add to much water or it will become to soggy and watery.When veggies are soft enough run through blender making a smooth dip.

Take your eggplant and carve out the inside, add salt and place upside down on a paper towel and allow for the water to drip out for about half hour. Then place in oven for about 20 minutes on high. Make sure it doesn't bake all the way or it will  fall and it will not hold your dip. Take out of the oven add your dip and it's ready to serve!

Bloody Eyeballs:

Take 6 eggs separate egg whites from egg yolks

Add 1 cup water with salt and pepper allow to boil add egg yolks

boil until hard.

Add red sauce or ketchup in  plate spread add your egg yolks top with tiny pieces of olive and serve!

Kids will love this!

                                                            

*I found the spider idea on the internet.

Bloody Spider Rice

Ingredients

• 3 cups of long grain rice
• 1 cup red sauce or ketchup
• 1 tablespoon butter
• a few black olives

Boil rice as per package directions

When you drain and you return to pot add butter and stir.

Take a small cup that resembles a ghost add rice and pack well turn upside down on a plate

and your ghost figure should come out.

Make small spiders out of olives, place them on top of your rice , add red sauce or ketchup and your 

Bloody Spider Rice is ready to serve! Another food your kids will get a kick out of!  

Bloody skull shots any red juice

Serve with Bloody Skull Shots! Happy Halloween and spine chilling cheers to all! 

                                               

                                             A Complete Halloween Lunch!

                                   

Quail Eggs - a quick appetizer

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Quail Eggs a Quick Appetizer

The other day  my friends called me and said they were coming over with their  kids and I literally didn't have anything in the fridge. As soon as I put the phone down I ran to the supermarket, didn't have the slightest idea what to prepare for mothers and kids. Didn't have time to prepare various dishes, so I needed something fullfilling, fast and easy. As I was browsing and staring at the shelves, I came accross quail eggs. Hmmm.... food for thought ;) Unique, easy and fullfilling for moms and kids. So I bought a few, boiled them, accompanied them with Italian salami, olives, corn and of course  a cheese platter. I spiced it up for the adults and served it with a chilled semi sweet white  wine and I left them plain ( as seen in the picture below for the kids) served the kids fresh  squeezed orange juice.  I made a about 3 platters and we all had a wonderful afternoon!  

Quail Eggs don't taste that much different from chicken or turkey eggs. Even though Quail Eggs are tiny in size but they are filled with vitamins. In fact they have a greater nutritional value than chicken eggs. They are very high in B1 vitamin, iron and potassium.

Quail Eggs - a quick appetizer

Ingredients

• 1 package quail eggs
• 1 can of corn
• 1 salami
• 1 package of olives
• 1 small tomato ( used to place corn inside) 
• 2-3 lettuce leaves ( to decorate your plate) 

Another dish from my kitchen to yours. KALE OREXI !!!!

Greek Garlic Potato Dip a.k.a Skordalia

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Greek Garlic Potato Dip a.k.a Skordalia

Greek garlic potato dip a.k.a Skordalia is  another Greek traditional recipe. It's name is taken from the word skordo which means garlic, hence skordalia and if you are a garlic lover, then this dish is perfect for you, it's potent, so make sure you have extra mints lying around :) This is a dish that is usually made on Greek Independance Day, at our our house we made it a few times more. It was my dad's favorite and of course mine so we didn't wait till holidays came around, any day was a good day for skordalia. My sweet mom would never make enough. We would always wipe the bowl clean! Back in the days when blenders were not known  they used a pestle and mortar, yes we had one in the house and that's how my mom made Greek garlic potato dip ( skordalia) I use a mixer blender. If you are using a pestle and mortar for Greek Garlic potato dip ( skordalia), I suggest you use a wooden one, stone is too heavy and let me not forget when using these tools it's a bit more time consuming but for some reason it tastes better.

This garlic dip is usually served with boiled cod fish or beer battered cod fish with a side dish of beets. Variation servings with bread, vegetables, bread sticks etc. Skordalia is very simple to make all you need is potato, garlic and olive oil.  If you do a google sreach you will find many variations. Some use bread, almonds,  walnuts and lemon but this is the way it was made traditionally. Greek Garlic Potato Dip is usually served with a white wine or Retsina 

Greek Garlic Potato Dip 

Ingredients

• 2.2 pounds potatoes
• 5 garlic cloves ( crushed or minced)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• salt to taste
• Rustic bread  to spread your dip on

Peel and boil your potatoes on high until tender and mashable. If you us e a mixer place your garlic with 1/3 cup olive oil and chop up your garlic add your potatoes and mix. Empty out the mix into a bowl. Add your next batch of potatoes in the mixer, mix and add them to the garlic mix, add salt for taste.  Repeat the process until you are finished with the potatoes. Serve them with boiled cod fish and beets or beer battered cod fish.

If you use a pestle and mortar mash you garlic and slowly add your potatoes, you will have to remove them when it fills and then you repeat the process without the garlic. The more garlic you add the more potent it will become. Enjoy! Kale Orexi!! One more tasty recipe from my kitchen to yours :)

Beer Batter Recipe

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Beer Batter Recipe

Some people associate deep frying with winter but  I beg to differ. Just imagine, a perfect, beautiful breezy summer day hanging out with your friends and just wanting to sink your teeth in some crispy, deep fried munchies along with a cold beer to quench your thirst and cool you down. Making deep fried side dishes or heck even a main dish is a cinch. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes. 

So what is beer batter and why is it different than regular batter? Batter with simple beer of your choice, flour and of course a few other various ingredients.  Anything you fry with beer batter it automatically pairs with a cold one.

No frilly ingredients are needed for this recipe, these are ingredients you have lying around in your kitchen and you can just whip up a batch of anything deep fried. I use it with onions, zucchini, cod fish  bites, chicken nuggets and you can even deep fry pineapple with this beer batter. It makes everything crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Beer Batter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour (I prefer self rising flour )
• 1 can beer
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• salt & pepper to taste
• * hot chili pepper
• TIP: Once you think your oil is sizzling enough drop a little beer batter, if the batter starts to bubble and float your oil is ready!

So if your watching any game, say, like soccer, football, basketball, etc. make this batter in a jiffy and start deep frying. 

TIP: You can add chili powder, hot pepper to the batter or small tiny pieces of chili pepper.

I used this beer batter to make deep fried onions and they came out perfect! 

Dip them in the batter and with tongs take them out let them drip and place in the sizzling hot oil.

                                             

Place a paper towel on your plate so the oil can drain in it and then transfer to your serving platter.

   And once your onions are ready, you can prepare a nice platter combo

Kale Orexi!! Another great recipe from my kitchen to yours! 

My Platter Combo

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My Combo Platter with a Greek Twist

An all time favorite at our house is this delicious platter combo with a Greek twist to it. Whether it's for us or for entertaing our friends. This particular combo platter is a show stealer. It's quick, easy and with ingredients that we already have in our kitchen. I mean, who doesn't have onions and flour in their kitchen cupboards. Peppers are so easy to find almost all year round. The long horn peppers fill the platter better, they're ey catching. My combo platter with fried onions and  peppers is and excellent starter for any get to together. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound longhorn green peppers
• 4 large onions
• Olives
• Lemons
• Greek Feta Cheese ( or any kind of cheese your prefer) 
• dips ( you can use my mustard dip or my new yoghurt dip
• salt & pepper to taste

Batter Ingredients

• 2 cups Pillsbury self rising flour
• 1 can beer
• 1/2 teaspoon Arm & Hammer baking soda
• 1 can of beer 
• 1 1/2 cup water 
• salt & pepper to taste

Youghurt Dip

Mix 1 cup white plain Fage Yoghurt with 1/3 cup of Hellmann's Mayonaise. Add 3 tablespoons vinegar and a dash of chile spice. Mix well and serve.

For my platter combo I started out with fresh green longhorns peppers.

        

Wash them and with a fork puncture them all around that way when you fry them, they will not burst (make tiny openings) and you will not get burned.  Once you have done that add salt before frying.

                                       

Have a frying pan ready with olive oil, that's all I use, and preferably use a flat frying pan, when the oil sizzling hot add your peppers.

                                 

Also have a plate vready with paper towels so all the oil can be absorbed before you dress up your platter.

                                                     Make sure you drip all the  oil before placing on your plate.

                                                            

They should be ready in about 15 minutes or when they have reached this color. Set them aside and prepare your batter for your onion rings.

                                                 

                                                                  

I used this cup to measure ( I'm Greek) anything is good for measuring. Combine flour, beer  and baking soda with the water.  Add salt and pepper to taste whip, with a whisk until you get a creamy, thick batter. Your batter is ready when it starts making small bubbles.

                                            

                                 

                                  Cut your onions into rings and separate them.

                                                     

                           

                                                       

                              Dip them in your batter a few at a time.

                                                   

             Drip them from excess batter then drop them in your frying pan. I used a wok  it works fantastic for deep frying.

                                                       

They need about 3 minutes and when they have reached a golden brown color remove and place them on a plate with towels. Set them aside,let them drain all the excess oil about 10 minutes. Then start to prepare your platter.

                                                            

                                                      

                                      Your platter is ready to serve with a tall cold glass of beer! Kale Orexi!

                              

Another great dish from my kitchen to yours!