Sunday, May 8, 2011

Family Bonding


Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies!  Today I am posting a recipe for a pasta dish I quickly whipped up on Friday night right  before my 7pm shift.  My parents and brothers were driving to Philly from Boston for my nephews 1st birthday and would be arriving while I was at work.  Being the greek girl that I am, I knew I needed a delicious meal to welcome them that would refridgerate and reheat well.  I grabbed all the veggies in my fridge and started chopping.  I ended up with a delicious pasta with basil and veggies sauted in a garlic white wine sauce. The pictures aren't great considering I only had a few minutes to snap them, but they do the job :)


Here's the recipe for my last minute creation:

Simple Spring Veggie and Chicken Pasta in Garlic White Wine Sauce:
1 lb pasta of your choice: penne or spagetti
2 large chicken breasts, Cut into pieces 
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
a bundle of asparagus, chopped into 1 in pieces
1 large red or orange bell pepper
8oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced and seeded
1 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons
1 cup white wine
EVOO
salt 
pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta to cook al dente.  Meanwhile,  chop all the veggies.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in skillet for 4-5 minutes depending on size of pieces, trying to only turn once. (You don't need to completely cook chicken through at this point, will be recooked later.)  Removed chicken and place in a covered dish to keep warm.  To the same skillet, add more EVOO (if necessary) garlic, and shallot. Lightly saute and stir with a wooden spoon releasing all the brown chicken bits from the pan.  Add mushrooms, asparagus and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes. Try not to over cook them: the point is to soften the veggies but still keep their color and bite. Add the chicken back to pan. Add the white wine and cook on medium high heat about 2 minutes until it has evaporated a bit.  Remove from heat and add fresh tomatoes and basil.  Stir in pasta.  Serve warm, topped with shaved pecorino romano or parmeasan cheese!




Thursday, May 5, 2011

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Hola! In honor of Cinco de mayo, anoche I prepared a Mexican dinner that is muy delicioso.  After having a productive day off (I even worked out!) I felt the need to eat something healthy.  When it comes to Mexican food that can be quite the challenge. With so many deliciously cheesy dishes to choose from, I opted for a more figure-friendly Salmon with Black Bean and Corn Salsa.  This meal will make you forget about tacos and enchilladas!


Black Bean & Blackened Corn Salsa


1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
2 ears corn, grilled and cut off cob
1 cup tomatoes , chopped and seeded (1 large tomato)
1/2 hass avocado, chopped
2 green onions, grilled and chopped
parsley or cilantro, chopped
2 limes
salt and pepper
EVOO

Grill the corn on the cob until tender and marked with grill lines (about 2-3 minutes per side). Add the scallion or green onion to the grill for the last few minutes and grill about 1 minute per side. Cut the corn off the cob and chopped the scallion.  In a bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomato, and avocado.

In a separate bowl whisk together the juice of 2 limes, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and oil.  Pour over salsa and mix. Top with parsley. Serve room temp or cold.








Salmon Marinade

juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 small shallot, minced
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
drizzle of olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk well.  Pour over salmon and marinate in fridge for 15 min-1hour.  Cook salmon as you please and serve over Black Bean and Corn Salsa.

*Salmon in picture is baked (for 10 minutes) but it is also delicious seared in a pan or grilled!





ALSO:
If your having a Mexican Fiesta, the salsa is really great served as a dip with tortilla chips, or even in a burrito.



Viva Mexico!

Spring Days Off

I've never been big on breakfast. My typical breakfast includes a cup of coffee and on special days a second.  I'd much rather skip the meal and have an early lunch. So I guess working night shift is a perfect gig for me. I get to wake up at 5pm instead of 5am and get right into dinner.  However on my days off when I'm actually awake during the day, I find myself struggling with what to eat in the AM.  Greek yogurt has become my go-to breakfast.  For those who are like me (and wouldn't mind skipping the meal)  this a perfect and complete breakfast to get your day started. Especially when the sun starts shining again after a long winter, and you know those bikini days are right around the corner!


Greek Yogurt with Granola, Berries, and Honey


Not really a recipe but heres how I eat my yogurt:


1 serving 0% milk fat organic greek yogurt  (150g)
1/4 cup granola
1/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice*
1/2 cup berries 
1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)

*my favorite granola has nuts already in it so I use 1/2 cup. 


My favorite thing about this yummy treat: its about 330 calories!
both the agave nectar and yogurt have 0g of fat, berries have barely any, and the granola and nuts have (about 7g of) all good fat!

Enjoy

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Easter Feast 2011

Dad, Brother and Uncles
Chickens

Kontosouvli (pork)
yum!


Pig


Nothing says Greek Easter like a lamb on a spit-- let alone a pig, goat, chickens, kokoretsi, and kontosouvli. This year we outdid ourselves. Who ate all this food you might ask? My Big Fat Greek Family. And you can't eat all that meat without a couple delicious mediterranean side dishes (and by a couple I mean 15.)

the table is set!



Traditionally in my family, the men are responsible for preparing and cooking the meat. The day before Easter Sunday they dry rub the gutted-hairless animals (ordered from the local greek market) inside and out, with copious salt, pepper, and of course oregano. They then skewer them and let them sit over night.  Early Easter morning the charcoal pit is started, and the low and slow cooking process is begun. It is well worth the wait, evident by the gathering of people at the butchers table as each individual animal is ready to be removed from the spit.




As much as I love preparing the traditional (and non-traditional) side dishes with my mom, this year my favorite experience was braiding lamb intestines with my Uncle George! He fryed all the unused parts of the lamb so the men could eat as an accompaniment to their tsipouro, while they watch the charcoal pit, and brushed the animals with oil.


the finished product: garthouba
Believe it or not, this was not my first time braiding the bowel of a lamb! When I was younger I used to help my yiayia do this for her traditional Easter eve soup-- magiritsa.





Preparing a Meal this big a a group effort! Here's a closer look @ the Eater Feast:
Thea Maria's Gigandes
Thea Maria's Pastitsio
Thea Maro's Sarmades: stuffed grape leaves
Thea Nouli's Tsatsiki: cucumber yogurt spread


Thea Nouli's Potato salad
My Spring Salad
Mom's Tiropitakia: Cheese pies
Thea Zoi's Melitsanosalata: Eggplant spread
My Tortellini Salad
Mom's Spanakopita
Mom's Lasagna Rolls

Traditionally dyed eggs
My fresh motzarella, tomato, basil salad
Mom's shrimp rice
Thea Zoi's Bouryoudi: Spicy baked feta