Tag: feta

Vegetarian Rice Bowls with Fried Egg

I am obsessed with Asian style bowls- it’s a great way to serve a dish with all sorts of flavors and textures- this one is a vegetarian one and Mediterranean inspired.. perfect for Meatless Monday! Best of all- it used cauliflower rice!!!

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown rice, I used wild brown rice with seeds, rinsed
2½ cups vegetable broth
Salt if needed

Heat a saucepan with the butter and oil. Add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat with lid on for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Take the lid off and let cool.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup pine nuts
Fresh dill stems, ¼ cup, chopped (reserve dill to use later)
2 ears of corn, the kernels scraped off
1 cup grated cauliflower, also known as cauliflower rice
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

In a large frying pan add the oil, onion, garlic, pine nuts and dill stems. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and the cauliflower. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cooled rice, dill and parsley. Saute for another 4 to 5 minutes, add salt but not too much as feta will be added later. Let the mixture cool and add the crumbled feta.

Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 cup tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
½ cup fresh dill
Juice of half a lemon and or a pinch of sugar – depending on how sweet or sour the tomato sauce is
1 to 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a small saucepan with the oil. Add the garlic and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Add the sauce, dill, lemon juice and salt. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over the rice with a fried egg on top!

Greek Style Eggplant with Pine Nuts and Feta

This is a yummy dish for meatless Monday. It has delicious roasted eggplant flavored with mint, cinnamon, tomatoes and feta. It is a great side dish or a dip with warm pita bread!

1 pound eggplant, I used small ones, sliced ½ inch thick
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt

Place the sliced eggplant on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle some salt. Broil under medium heat turning the slices once till both sides are golden brown- about 10 minutes. Take out of oven and keep aside.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried mint
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup chopped tomatoes, canned or fresh
Salt
½ cup dried currants
½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped
½ cup feta, crumbled

Add the olive oil to a heavy saucepan and add the mint and cinnamon. Cook for 15 seconds on medium high heat and add the onion, garlic and pine nuts. Saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and currants. Saute for another 5 to 6 minutes. Add the eggplant and salt to taste. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the parsley and dill. Once the dish is completely cooled off, add the feta and mix well. Serve room temperature.

Feta Dip

I have been all about feta and dill since I came back from Greece! I was hosting book club and wanted to make an easy dip- so I checked what I had in my fridge and pantry and came up with this. It was a big hit. I served it with pita chips..

½ cup crumbled feta
½ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup half and half
3 or 4 cherry peppers, chopped
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Hot sauce

Add all the ingredients to a serving bowl, mix well and serve with pita chips.

Feta Omelet with Mixed Greens

Feta Omelet with Greens1 I am always looking to eat something yummy with the gg crackers I eat everyday. Since they are not the yummiest things to eat, I like to pair them up with a healthy and delicious protein. I usually eat a couple for breakfast with some low fat cheese and hummus. I try to have few for lunch as well and sometime run out of ideas.

I usually eat them with cheese and salmon or whatever protein I have in the fridge.

For this meal I decided to make an omelet for myself. I love eggs for the protein and taste. They fill me up, especially with the gg crackers. I took two eggs beaten with a splash of milk. I also added feta cheese – just a bit. Feta is lower in fat than the other cheeses so it is a good choice. I then added a cup or more of mixed greens right into the omelet. It is like having a salad with my eggs. I folded the omelet and served it with the crackers.

The omelet is simple and super healthy with just a bit of oil. Try this meal next time you run out of ideas for lunch or breakfast especially if you are eating the gg crackers.
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Whole Wheat Penne with Tomatoes and Spinach

whole-wheat-penne-with-tomato-and-spinach This is a really healthy and quick dish to make. Everyone has a ‘go to’ ingredient in a pinch and mine is chicken sausage. I was in the mood to make a really healthy pasta- I had just bought some whole wheat penne. I used to be a big skeptic when it came to whole wheat pasta- it tasted like cardboard, but things have really improved over the years. The pasta now tastes really delicious and nutty. The texture has improved as well- soft, just like regular pasta. Now, my husband and daughter cannot tell when I have used whole wheat pasta.

In this dish I used some mushroom and fontina chicken sausages- my daughter, Sia loves them!!! I had also purchased the most fabulous looking grape tomatoes and baby spinach. I decided to incorporate all the items in this dish including some basil- the more the merrier! It took all of 30 minutes to make so it is very quick. While I was putting it together, I noticed I had feta cheese in the fridge- “perfect”, I thought. I took some pasta out for Sia, since she finds feta too salty (and I can’t get enough of the saltiness!!). I added the feta into the rest- the mixture of some left over pasta water and the cheese made the sauce really creamy and light at the same time. Since this was a one pot meal- the only other thing I had to worry about was the wine. I opened the German Pinot Noir!

½ pound whole wheat penne, cooked (save ½ cup of the pasta water)
5 chicken sausages, casings removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces fresh baby spinach
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup basil, chopped
Salt to taste

In a wide frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the sausages and brown on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or till the tomatoes soften and begin to burst- push down with the back of the spatula to crush some of them. Add the cooked pasta and the pasta water and mix well. Add the spinach and cook till it has wilted. Add the basil and feta, mix well and adjust seasonings.