Stifado (Greek Stew)

I pinned a post recently for summer slow cooker meal ideas.  One of the ideas featured in that pin was for a greek stew called stifado from Dialed-In Nutrition.  It sounded really good - plus I was trying to use up some of last year's beef before I pick up our beef this week.  So I made this for dinner one night last week.  I cut out a lot of the prep work to make it super easy to prepare and I don't feel like it really cut the flavors or taste at all.  I also cut out the optional ingredients and switched out a few for what I had on hand - I posted the recipe below as I made it.  This was very good - we all really liked it a lot.  My brother-in-law had dinner with us the night I made this and he thought it was very good, as well.  I served it with orzo, some roasted zucchini fries and roasted mushrooms. 

Greek Stifado

3 Tablespoons coconut oil
2-3 pounds grassfed beef, cut into 1 1/2" cubes (I used a chuck roast and cut it up)
1 medium onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato puree (I just used a can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Add everything into your crockpot.  Stir to incorporate ingredients.  Cover.  Let cook on low for at least 8 hours. 


This post is shared at:
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online

Paleo Dolmades (a.k.a. grape leaves)

As I mentioned in my post for chicken souvlaki, we had a greek feast with some friends on Saturday.  I decided to make some dolmades/grape leaves to go along with our meal.  Some people think making dolmades is really labor intensive, but I don't think so.  Yes, they take some time to roll up each dolma, but it goes really quickly, in my opinion.  I prepped these the night before so they were ready to stick in the oven to cook before dinner on Saturday.  And I probably only spent about 20-30 minutes prepping them on Friday night... which I don't consider bad at all. 

I used my own pickled grape leaves for these, but you can pick up a jar at the store in the international section, also.  Normally, dolmades have rice in them, but since we are avoiding grains as much as possible, I decided to try making them without the rice.  They turned out great!  No one missed the rice at all and everyone commented about how delicious they were. 

Paleo Dolmades

1 jar grape leaves
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
3 Tablespoons dried dill
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth

Take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse, and drain. 

Mix the ground beef, onions, dill, mint, tomatoes, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. 

Place one grape leaf on a flat surface.  Place a small amount of the meat mixture (about 2-3 Tablespoons, maybe?) in the center of the bottom part of the leaf. 

Fold the bottom pieces of the grape leaf up over the meat. 

Then fold in each side of the grape leaf.  Once the sides are folded in, start to roll it up.  You'll want to roll it pretty tightly.

Then place the rolled dolma into a casserole dish.  You'll want to pack in the dolmades very tightly so that they are held in place during the cooking and don't risk opening up. 

Once you have all your dolmades in your casserole dish, pour the chicken broth over top, just enough to cover.  I actually ended up switching mine to a different casserole dish so that it wasn't filled to the top edge and wouldn't risk boiling over in the oven.  You can do all of this ahead of time.  If you are prepping ahead, cover the dish and stick it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. 

When you are ready to cook the dolmades, preheat your oven to 375.  Cover your casserole dish with its lid (or foil if you don't have a lid) and bake for an hour to an hour and a half.  I cooked mine for an hour and a half.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and serve!  I've had dolmades with a tomato based sauce over them, an egg based sauce, and tzatziki.  They are great with any of these!  I decided to serve mine on Saturday with tzatziki. 



This post is linked to:
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad
Grain Free Real Food Carnival @ Real Food Forager

Chicken Souvlaki

We had some friends over yesterday and I prepared a Greek feast for dinner... chicken souvlaki, dolmades (post to come), tzatziki, greek salad, and fresh fruit.  It was soooo good!  Everyone loved it, even the kids ate really well. 

Souvlaki always goes over really well.  It's such a simple thing, yet full of delicious flavor.  It's one of my favorite things to make in the summer on the grill.  I've tried it indoors in the winter in a grill pan and it's great, too... but you really can't beat the grill.  :)  I posted the recipe for pork souvlaki a couple of years ago, but I most often make chicken souvlaki.  So I figured I'd post it for chicken... plus, I've changed a couple ingredients, which are reflected below. 

Chicken Souvlaki

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 medium onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 3/8 cup cold-pressed, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers, soaked overnight

Cut the chicken breasts into uniform pieces/chunks.  Cut the ends off your onion and then slice into quarters.  Separate the layers into a large bowl.  Add your remaining ingredients.  Then add chicken and toss to coat.  Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight. 

Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that’s filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight.  This prevents them from disintegrating when grilling.

The next day, skewer your chicken.  I add some of the onions on the skewers, too. 

Pre-heat your grill.  When you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlaki skewers for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlaki, followed by a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.


This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke is Online
Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist
Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet
Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Primal Cave @ Primal Toad

Kourkouto with Zucchini

I found this recipe on Kalofagas a while back and thought it sounded tasty. (If you haven't seen Peter's blog, you really should check it out. He has some awesome recipes on there! I've tried several and have posted them on this blog, but there are so many more that I want to try!) This dish sounded kind of similar to the zucchini casserole I make regularly, but with a greek twist from the greek cheeses and different spices. Having such a bumper crop of zucchini, I also figured that now was the perfect time to try it! This was delicious! Its sort of like a thicker quiche, if that makes sense. We all loved it - the taste, the texture, everything! This is a definite keeper. We ate it as a main dish, but it could make a great side dish, too. I did cut the recipe back a little since I didn't think we needed a 15x10 pan for the three of us. Even with leftovers, that seemed like a lot. I used an 8x10 pan and it was plenty for dinner and some lunches for all three of us. I will update later with a picture.

Kourkouto With Zucchini

5 large eggs (organic, free-range, local)
1 cup of strained Greek yogurt
1 cup of self-rising flour (I just used regular organic flour and added a little extra baking powder)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil (organic)
3 bunches of scallions, finely chopped (organic)
3 zucchinis, diced (from the garden)
(I added a diced green pepper from the garden since it was in the fridge)
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled (organic)
1 cup Kasseri, grated (I actually found Kasseri at my local market, but if you can't you can use a mild cheddar instead)
1 cup of chopped fresh dill (I used dried)
ground pepper to taste
sweet paprika to taste (and for garnish)
slices of zucchini rounds (for finishing... I left them off b/c I forgot to keep a few out for this)
a 15″ X 10″ baking tray, greased with vegetable oil (I used a smaller pan - I think its 8x10)

Pre-heated 350F oven

Into a large skillet, add your olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add your chopped onions and diced zucchini (with some salt) and saute over medium heat for about 20 minutes to soften and have most of the water content evaporate (should reduce to about half). Take off the heat and reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk your eggs for a couple of minutes until mixed well and then add your flour and baking powder and mix in. Add your yogurt and stir in to mix.

Now add your grated cheeses and sauteed vegetables and mix to incorporate. Add some ground black pepper and sweet paprika. Have a taste and adjust seasoning (probably will not need any salt).

Stir in the the chopped fresh dill and pour the mixture into your greased baking dish. Top with round slices of zucchini and sprinkle some sweet paprika over the entire mixture.

Place on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and baked for approx. 1 hour. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes and then cut up into slices. Serve warm or room temperature with a side salad.

Pork Souvlaki and Tzatziki

Tonight we had pork souvlaki and tzatziki from Kalofagos. Oh my goodness, this was sooooo good!! All three of us loved it! The meat had such a great flavor. I'm already planning to make chicken or lamb souvlaki using this method sometime. The tzatziki was very good, too. Though I doubt I'll make it again just because I am the only one that ate it, so now I have a ton of leftover tzatziki that I'm not sure what I'll do with... I can only eat so many pita chips dipped in it before I'll be sick of it... but I guess maybe I'll take it for a snack at work or something. Anyway, definitely try this souvlaki sometime - it is just so delicious! We had ours with some grilled summer squash and zucchini. And I forgot to take a picture of the tzatziki - check out Kalofagos, there's a picture there.

Pork Souvlaki

1 boneless pork butt/shoulder (we used some of our yummy pork from my BFF's brother)
1 medium onion, grated (organic, I just chopped mine)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (organic)
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers, soaked overnight

Trim excess fat from your pork butt and cut into uniform pieces. In a large bowl, add your remaining marinade ingredients along with the pork pieces and toss to mix and coat all the meat. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight. (I soaked mine overnight) Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that’s filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight (so they don’t disintegrate when grilling).

The next day, a couple of hours before you are going to grill your souvlaki, allow the pork to come to room temperature and then start skewering your meat - it’s easier when your meat’s at room temperature.

Pre-heat your grill and when you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlakia for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlakia with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.

Serve with some crusty bread and Tzatziki.


Tzatziki

500 gr. of greek (strained) yogurt
1-2 cloves of minced garlic (depending how garlicky you like it)
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and grated
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
splash of Ouzo (left this out)
salt
extra virgin olive oil

Take your cucumber and seed it then box grate it into a strainer. Sprinkle some salt to help draw out the moisture. Give the cucumber 30 minutes and use a cheese cloth or your hands (in batches) to squeeze out the water.

Add your shredded cucumber to the yogurt and now add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, your chopped dill, season with salt to taste and lastly, a splash of Ouzo....yes Ouzo. It gives your Tzatziki that "je ne sais quoi"! (I didn't use Ouzo)

Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, give it a dill garnish and serve with toasted pita bread.

Greek Goddess Salad

This recipe comes from my Biggest Loser Cookbook. I was kind of hesitant to make it this soon in the summer season, but I was able to find some decent looking (organic) produce at Meijer on Friday morning, so I decided to make it. This is a delicious salad and its super healthy with all the veggies! The cookbook suggests adding a grilled, sliced chicken breast on the side to make it a complete meal. We're having grilled chicken for lunch today, so I guess we'll get to try it out. :) I'll post the original recipe, which is for 2 servings. I obviously made a larger recipe since its for Kevin's family gathering.

Greek Goddess Salad

3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
4 pitted kalamata olives, minced (I left these out b/c we don't like olives)
1 clove garlic, minced (organic)
4-5 Tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
1/2 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped (organic)
1/2 medium red or orange bell pepper, chopped (I used some red, orange, and yellow, organic)
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (I used a few containers of organic cherry tomates, quartered)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion (organic)
1 ounce (heaping 1/4 cup) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

In a serving bowl, combine the parsley, olives, and garlic. Whisk in 4 Tablespoons lemon juice. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, onion, and 3 Tablespoons of the cheese. Toss to coat the ingredients with dressing. Taste and add up to 1 Tablespoon more lemon juice, if desired. Top with remaining cheese.

Makes 2 servings.

Spanakopita

Last night I made some spanakopita - or greek spinach pie. I love this stuff! Kevin and Carson both really liked it, too, although Kevin wasn't too enthusiastic about it when I told him what we were having. He's had spanakopita in restaurants before and hasn't cared too much for it. I've ordered it many times in restaurants and have had my boss, Connie's, homemade spanakopita - which is the recipe I based mine on last night. Connie didn't really give me a recipe, more of a method. You can pretty much alter the quanitities of the ingredients to your liking - some people like more spinach and some people like more cheese. I love them both. You can also use fresh or frozen spinach. I used fresh since that's what I had.


Spanakopita

1 roll phyllo dough, thawed
spinach, fresh or frozen, drained of all excess water (I used about 3 large bags of fresh spinach, steamed down and drained)
feta cheese
ricotta cheese (about equal parts of both feta and ricotta - with a little more feta than ricotta)
sauteed diced onion
dill
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 stick butter, melted

Begin by mixing together the spinach, cheese, onion, and spices in a bowl. Use however much of the spices that you like - be sure you taste the mixture. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to get the flavors incorporated.

Then begin brushing each piece of phyllo dough with melted butter. After brushing each piece, place it in a casserole or pie dish. You won't be able to just place the phylly centered in the dish, you have to stagger it on every layer, leaving enough hanging off the edge to use to wrap up the spinach filling and cover completely on top.

Once you have your phyllo all buttered and stagger-layered, pour the spinach mixture into the dough. Wrap up the edges of the overhanging phyllo over top of the spinach mixture, covering completely. Brush the top with butter.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Artichoke Pie

Last night we had artichoke pie from Greek Food and Beyond by Peter Minakis for our Meatless Monday meal. I thought it was very good! Kevin thought it was just good. I added my leftover roasted veggies (organic carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, and parsnips; and conventional bell pepper and zucchini) from making the veggie lasagna on Sunday and Kevin isn't a fan of roasted parsnips. He thinks they're too sweet, while I think they're becoming one of my favorite veggies. He thought the bites without the parsnips were pretty good, but the bites with the parsnips were gross. He said he'd also have preferred some mozzarella cheese on top instead of all gruyere. This makes a lot. I cut the recipe in half, but still ended up having to use my 8x10 pan.

Artichoke Pie
(Ταβερνίσια αγκιναρόπιτα της Τήνου)

a buttered 13X9X2" bakiing dish
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large loaf of rustic bread, crust removed & cut into thick slices
2 tsp. of fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
approx. dozen artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces, poached if fresh (I used the canned ones)
1 1/2 grated Graviera cheese (Gruyere is fine)
3 cups of Bechamel Sauce (or 1/2 of Peter's recipe - see below)
thyme sprigs for garnish

Melt the olive oil in a large skillet and add your onions and garlic and saute over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add your fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Now make your Bechamel sauce as per my instructions with the 1 cup of grated Graviera and set aside and keep warm.

Spoon some Bechamel Sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and lay your first layer of bread slices. Now spoon half of your sauteed onions over the bread, followed by half the artichoke pieces, some Bechamel sauce and some grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order.

Bake until tender and the top is golden-brown, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, slice into portioned squares and serve.

Bechamel Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
5 cups of warm milk, no lighter than 2%
4 eggs
3/4 cup of Kefalotiri or Romano cheese (I used parmesan b/c that's what I had)
salt to taste
pinch of grated nutmeg

Put the butter in a pot to melt. Add the flour, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming. Stir & cook the flour/butter mixture to a golden color.

Pour in the milk while stirring and then and salt to taste, stirring the mixture constantly. When it thickens, turn off the heat and add your cheese and slowly pour in your eggs, continue stirring.

Add your nutmeg and stir.

Greek Chicken Pasta

Tonight I tried out a recipe I found on AllRecipes for greek chicken pasta. I had some feta that needed to be used up and this sounded good and easy. Plus I had all of the ingredients in my pantry or freezer - so even better. This was really good. Kevin, Carson, and I all really liked this. Its very light-tasting and is pretty healthy, too. I was kind of surprised Kevin liked it so much since he's usually not too crazy about pastas that don't have some sort of tomato sauce on them. The pasta, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and feta were organic ingredients.

(Also note, I updated pictures back to the corn dogs.)

Greek Chicken Pasta

1 pound uncooked pasta (I used Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Penne)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I chopped mine finely)
1/2 cup chopped red onion (I used a whole yellow onion, medium-sized)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces (I just used some pre-cooked chicken breasts I'd cubed and frozen a few weeks ago)
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped (I used a can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dried)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 lemons, wedged, for garnish (I skipped this)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Chicken with Spinach and Feta

Last night I tried a new recipe that I came across on Kalofagas Greek Food & Beyond by Peter Minakis. This was so, so good! I'll definitely make this again. I prepped the chicken the night before with the spinach/ricotta/feta mixture, so it was ready to go when I got home from work last night. It requires a bit of cook time on the stove top, but it doesn't require baby-sitting, which is always nice, especially with a toddler running around now. The sauce was awesome, definitely need the sauce to make the dish complete, but the plain chicken was so good, too. I only made two chicken breasts, but they were huge, so I did the full sauce recipe, which I'm glad I did. I wish I'd have done four chicken breasts so we'd have had some leftovers, though. We just had it with green beans since I didn't feel like making rice.

Chicken With Spinach and Feta
(Κοτόπουλο με σπανάκι και φέτα)

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of water
75 gr. crumbled Feta (about 1/3 cup)
75 gr. ricotta cheese (about 1/3 cup)
4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh chives
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (I just used a little dried dill weed)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pads of unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
sweet paprika
2 Tbsp. of flour
1 clove of garlic, smashed (I actually did two cloves and chopped them up)
2 Tbsp. minced shallots (I just used one medium sized shallot)
1 cup chicken/vegetable stock
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Trim your chicken breasts of any excess fat. Wash and pat dry and set aside. In a bowl, mix your spinach, chives, dill, Feta and ricotta and mix well with a fork. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a pocket into the side of the chicken breast and fill with the spinach mixture. Secure with one or two toothpicks. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and some sweet paprika.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium/high heat and brown side of the chicken, 3-4 minutes a side. Remove the chicken and reserve.

In the same skillet, add the wine to deglaze the tasty brown bits and reduce over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until the wine has nearly evaporated. Now add the shallots, garlic and flour and saute for another minute or so, just enough to cook the rawness out of the flour.

Now add your chicken stock along with the chicken breasts, bring to a boil and then cover and, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

At this point your sauce should begin to coat a wooden spoon. Remove your breasts and keep warm. Add the cream to the sauce and simmer until the sauce is thick and you can draw a line into the skillet with your wooden spoon. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the chopped fresh parsley.

Cut each breast into slices, fan onto the plate, serve with your favourite rice dish and spoon the cream sauce over the sliced chicken breast. Serve immediately.