California Greek Girl

Cinco de Mayo Vegetable Quinoa

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

After attending Melissa’s Produce Pepper Event, I became inspired to start cooking and making this Cinco De Mayo Vegetable Quinoa recipe. This recipe came from their new book, The Great Pepper Cookbook” which is available on their website. The brightly colorful photographs along with the helpful pepper tips, help you identify the vast varieties of peppers, making your recipe easy to follow. Enjoy this quinoa salad with a hint of pepper flavors and feel free to substitute whatever is handy in your kitchen. I love the new corn for the season, so I added fresh corn to the recipe. This is also a tasty and a quick meal for your Meatless Monday dinner.

This dish is made with fresh Banana Wax Chiles, which has a mild to medium heat level. You can find this year around pepper through Melissa’s Produce or at your local grocery store. This is a narrow, about 4-7 inches in length, with a light translucent creamy yellow exterior. Choose firm, yellow, glossy chiles. I also added Melissa’s mini sweet peppers to the dish.

Cinco de Mayo Vegetable Quinoa

Quick and easy- this healthy quinoa salad can be made ahead, adding the vegetables before serving.

Course Main or Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican - from "The Great Pepper Cookbook"

Keyword dinner, quinoa, vegetables

Servings 8

Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

1 8-ounce package quinoa
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 sweet onions, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 fresh banana wax chile peppers, stems and seeds removed, sliced into rounds
1 fresh red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 carrot, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 zucchini, diced (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 yellow squash, diced (about 2/3 cup)( I substituted corn)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt
freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through squash) cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine quinoa and vegetable mixture, stir in salt and black pepper to taste. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Quinoa can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. I add a little extra virgin olive oil to keep the grains from sticking.

This cookbook is available through their website here.

I can’t live without peppers, do try them!

Mary

Discolsure: Melissa’s was kind enough to send me the peppers for my post. The recipe comes from the new cookbook, The Great Pepper Cookbook. I was not compensated for this post. I post recipes I have tested and enjoyed.

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How-To Cook Gigante Beans with Kale

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

This post on How-To Cook Gigante Beans has been requested by many of my followers and way overdue. Beans are a common staple in the Greek Diet, and are eaten at least once a week in the Greek household. These are the most popular bean, and are often the item brought home from a visit to Greece.

Gigante are also known as “broad beans”. They are large flat, cream colored beans about 1 inch in length. Because of their size, I recommend that they are soaked overnight. The emergency boil method can be used but cooking time is longer. Make sure you use the three bean rule- taste three beans for tenderness. Their smooth interior lends them to a nice puree as a side. Can be used in soups, casseroles, and on rice or your favorite grain. If you cannot find these beans in your natural food stores, they can be purchased online here.

I chose this simple method with our favorite high nutritional green kale, but you can substitute spinach, cabbage, or a green of your choice. Nutritionally, they have a rich source of Potassium.

This is how they are packaged and you must measure before adding them to your recipe.

Soak your beans overnight in cold water and check water level often to make sure they are totally immersed.

Place the beans in a large pot of cold water, leaving room for the beans to expand.

Take the three bean check before turning off the stove to ensure that all the beans are tender.

How - To Cook Gigante Beans wtih Kale

This is a beginner's recipe, but delicious recipe for making gigante beans. Loook for these beans in specialty stores.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine California Greek

Keyword beans, gigantes, kale

Servings 6 -8

Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

1 pound gigante beans
2-3 garlic cloves
2 sprigs each of parsley and oregano
1 bay leaf
2 pounds fresh kale, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Soak beans in a large bowl filled with cold water, overnight. Drain.
Place beans in a heavy bottom pot and add enough cold water to cover plus 2 inches above beans.
Add garlic, herbs, and bay leaf.
Bring to as boil and reduce heat and simmer for 11/2 -2 hours until beans are tender.
Add chopped kale and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain.
Return to the pan and stir in salt, pepper, olive oil, liquid aminos (or soy sauce), and lemon juice. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve warm. Before serving, sprinkle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Gigantes are special beans to the Greek diet, and they are a staple in the Greek pantry.

Have fun Cooking,

Mary

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California Omelet with Avocado,Tangerines, and Cheese

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

When I think of a California omelet in the Springtime, I imagine a fresh citrus to help brighten the egg flavors. I know it sounds strange, but I enjoy a burst of tartness in a morning meal. Adding it to your eggs enhances the dish with an added crisp finish . So with a little imagination I combined these flavors for a new recipe for my family, my California Omelet with Avocado, Tangerines, and Cheese. In California, citrus production began early in this state and continues to be one of our leading crops. We are so fortunate to have the type of climate necessary to grow everything from grapefruit, oranges, lemons, to limes. I actually have several citrus trees in my backyard, and they are currently blooming, filling the morning air with their sweet scent.

History of citrus at a glance from California Bountiful

1769 While building the California missions, Father Junipero Serra also plants the first citrus seeds.
1840 Frontiersman William Wolfskill plants lemon and orange seedlings in what is now downtown Los Angeles. California’s citrus business is born!
1870s Riverside couple Eliza and Luther Tibbets receive navel orange cuttings from Brazil. The trees thrive and word quickly spreads about the sweet, seedless fruit.
1877 The completion of the transcontinental railroad helps satisfy a national demand for navels and other California-grown citrus.
1893 Needing an effective way to market their citrus, farmers form the Southern California Fruit Exchange—a cooperative now known as Sunkist Growers.
1906 Farmers lobby for a research facility to help them grow a better crop. The Citrus Experiment Station becomes the foundation of the University of California, Riverside.
Today California’s more than $1 billion annual citrus business ranks second in the U.S., producing a significant share of the nation’s navels, valencias, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines.

And as you know, I cannot live without a California Avocado somewhere on my plate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. To top it off, I used a Kerrygold Cheese that I felt would work great in this dish, with a soft and mild flavor.

Kerrygold kindly shipped me lovely cheeses for Grilled Cheese Month. I chose to add “Barney Castle” to this recipe and it was incredibly smooth blending beautifully with the citrus. The texture is smooth and mild similar to a gouda. The distinct flavors of all the Kerrygold Cheeses, comes from the care and importance of grass -fed cows on family farms in Ireland.

California Omelet with Avocado, Tangerines and Cheese

Try citrus in your next omelet, it gives a great punch to any boring omelet.

Course Breakfast/Dinner

Cuisine California Greek

Keyword avocado, cheese, omelet

Servings 1

Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 tangerine, peeled
1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup grated cheese, I used Blarney Castle Kerrygold

Instructions

In a skillet, place a non-stick skillet on medium heat and add butter.
In a small bowl add the eggs, salt and pepper. With a fork beat until blended.
Add the eggs to the pan and move them around with a spatula, pulling sides inward while swirling pan to fill in the gaps.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Once the eggs are set, lift one side over, forming an envelope.
Cook for 2-3 more minutes for the eggs to set and the cheese to melt.
Flip onto a plate and enjoy!

Enjoy your breakfast,

Mary

Here are a few more breakfast idea from my blog:

Buckwheat Crepes with Seville Orange Creme

Fava Beans and Eggs for Breakfast

Ricotta Pancakes with Roasted Strawberries

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Pollo en Crema Chicken Recipe

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

I know you may find this strange for a Greek girl attending a chili pepper luncheon, but I did and I love it! Melissa’s Produce is a strong supporter for food bloggers and food media. This was my first trip to Vernon where the warehouse is located. And boy was it worth it. I learned so much about chili peppers I never knew exsisted. Choosing the Pollo en Crema Chicken recipe to feature was the perfect dish, because for me the smoky flavor with the dried chilpotle peppers with the crema was a perfect flavor match and winner for me!

Dried chilies can be prepared many different ways and the book goes into more detail on prepping chilies for your recipes. But, in the pollo recipe they are braised with the chicken as it slowly cooks to impart the smoky flavor.

Everyone here is watching the chef prepare the dessert for us in a cooking demo. Melissa’s entertained the group with a hilarious book trailer, Robert’s presentation on chile peppers, and a book signing from the authors. The book can be purchased on Melissa’s Website.

Melissa’s invited many food enthusiasts to view and eat from their new cookbook The Great Pepper Cookbook. And what a spread they put out for us! All these recipes are from their colorful and beautifully photographed cookbook.

Glazed Chile-Spiced Baby Carrots

Cole Slaw with Chile-Lime Dressing

Tropical Spinach Salad

Spicy Stuffed Mushrooms

Chile Roasted Dutch Yellow Potatoes

Chili-Chocolate Truffles

Pollo en Crema Recipe

Serve over hot cooked rice or wide noodles; garnish with chopped cilantro.

Course Main Dishes and Sides

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword chicken, dinner, pollo

Servings 6

Author Melissa's Produce

Ingredients

4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, trimmed
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 dried chipolte chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
1 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped

Instructions

In a large skillet, sear chicken skin side down in a single layer over medium high heat, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle evenly with garlic; add chiles and water to cover.
Bring just to boiling. Reduce heat;simmer until chicken is completely cooked thorough and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees.
Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving chiles and liquid.
Place chiles and 2 cups liquid from the pan to a blender, add sour cream and salt. Process until smooth.
Return pan to stovetop. Add oil, heat over medium-high. Add onion and tomato stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
Add chile mixture, bring to just to boiling.
Nestle chicken into chile mixture, simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Be careful when blending hot foods, the contents expand rapidly, causing a risk for scalding. To be sage before blending remove center piece and place a towel over the opening.

Bring in the Peppers!

Mary

Other pepper recipes you may enjoy!

Kapia Peppers Stuffed with Feta!

Cinco de Mayo Vegetable Quinoa

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Greek Easter Week Traditions and Lenten Recipes

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

This last Sunday began the holy week for all Orthodox Christians, starting with Palm Sunday. Greek Easter week traditions are followed closely with many families around the world. Special recipes are shared among the communities to make fasting more accessible to all Greek homes. Every four years the Greek Easter is observed on the same day as the American Easter. This year is that year. The Orthodox followers participate by going to church, involving their families in events at their local church while eating a restricted fasting diet. This is the most spiritual time for the Greek culture, and fasting is the preparation for the rebirth on Saturday night at midnight.

Easter Sunday is the most important day of the year and called “Pascha”. The festivities begin with a service called “The Great Vespers of Agape” (God’s Love) encouraging love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Afterwards dancing, eating traditional foods, and visiting with friends and family at church picnics becomes an all-day event of celebration.

Lenten foods are eaten during this week, and a typical menu may include legumes, vegetables, fruit, and shellfish. Below, I have listed recipes for you and your family to make this busy week easier.

Lenten Recipes can be found here.

Vegetable Dishes /Meatless – Spinach, potatoes, eggplant dishes…here.

Greek Soups – White Bean Soup, Lentil Soup and other soups… here.

Salads and Fruit – Greek Salad, Fruit salads, bean salads…here.

Meatless Monday Recipes… Recipes here

Red Easter Eggs are always dyed on Thursday, here.

Easter Bread is made with the dyed red eggs and served on Easter.

“Koulouria” are also traditional and made for Easter day, here.

Holy Week Schedule

Sunday – Palm Sunday and The Matins of Christ the Bridegroom
Holy Monday – The Matins of Christ the Bridegroom
Holy Tuesday – The Matins of the Bridegroom
Holy Wednesday – The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts and The Sacrament of the Holy Unction
Holy Thursday – The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
Holy Friday – The Reading of the Royal Hours, The Decent from the Cross and The Martins of Lamentation (Epitaphios)
Holy Saturday – The Descent into Hades and the Anticipation of the Resurrection
Easter Sunday (Anastasi)

Christos Anesti!

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How-To Cook and Roast Fava Beans

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Fava beans may be new to you because they are derived from Europe and have a very short late winter season in the garden. Recently, I have seen them gain popularity here in the states and are now available in your markets. Below is a picture of my fava crop maturing in my garden box this month. They do need space to spread out which takes up half of my planter box. If you have a small area around your home they also do well in the ground. Every winter season I plant two varieties, a common local variety and one Italian version. Do not miss the blossom period, they produce lovely white and black flowers that will delight you! Interesting to me is their strange growth pattern as they tend to grow upward on the stock and usually in groups of fours. Add this bean to your garden and try the easy cooking method of roasting for a rustic but fresh taste.

They are commonly used in soups, stews, and salads. But you need to prepare them depending on their freshness and time picked.

Their nutritional value of Fava Beans

Great source of nutritional benefits such as fiber, low-fat protein, and no cholesterol.
Included in these beans is 44 percent of your daily value in folate. (2,ooo calorie diet).
Also nutrient based in potassium, calcium, manganese and phosphorus.

Fava blooms pop out early Spring and are so strikingly beautiful with their black and white blossoms. But, as they mature and grown up to 4 feet tall plus, once they have four or five blossoms on the stalk you must pinch off the top of the stalk and blossom, to promote the bean growth.

Preparing fava beans:

Step One: Picking young favas will be easier to prepare. Selecting older beans will be a few more steps.

Step Two: Young favas can be left in their pod and roasted in the oven and eaten as is. Or they can be shelled and added to soups and stews as is.

Step Three: You can shell the beans (younger or older) and blanch them in boiling water for 4 minutes and remove the outer skin and add them to any dish.

Place the fava beans in boiling water for 1 minutes and rinse with cold water. As this point you can peel away the skins.

As you can see, the larger beans do need to be peeled. They have a much tougher skin. But young beans can be eaten as is, or peeled for that clear green color.

Roasted Fava Beans

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Wash whole young pods and pat dry. Pace on a lined sheet pan in a single layer.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15-20 minutes until browned.

Serve warm on a platter.

Can be used as an appetizer with bread, cheese, and cold cuts.

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Greek Roasted Feta with Kalamata Olives

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Have you ever roasted Greek Feta and Olives? This is the perfect go-to appetizer for any given night. Simple and easy to assemble using the typical Greek pantry ingredients, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, olives and lemon. Don’t skip the olives because they bring out the earthiness – an additional taste to this dish. This must be served warm, so to save you time, this can be assembled early in the day and refrigerated. As your guests arrive, place it in the oven and serve immediately with crackers, pita bread, or vegetables of your choice.

Try and select a shallow baking dish you can also use to serve in.

Serve warm with your choice of bread or vegetables!

If you would like to learn more about olive oil, you may want to buy my cookbook, Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil!

BUY COOKBOOK HERE

Get your Greek on and serve this at your next dinner party~ OPA!

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Avocado Risotto with Lime and Olive Oil

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Not so long ago, blogger Mimi Avocado invited our blogging group to her home and avocado farm for a tour and delicious luncheon. We spent most of the day together walking the orchard and picking avocados, while Mimi brought us up to date on the latest harvest and avocado news. It was a beautiful clear day and we enjoyed the brisk walk around her colorful property of blooming avocados and citrus trees. Mimi defined all the varieties of avocados she grows on her farm by the shape and leaf design. The Fuerte variety is the earliest and we happily packed our bags full of the first crop of the season. This was my inspiration for this recipe, Avocado Risotto with Lime and Olive Oil. Risotto, is one of my favorite dinners for my family. Avocados are so healthy, so try adding them to your diet. Find them at your local farmer’s market, or health food store.

Bloggers Kim from Rustic Garden Bistro, Lisa from Whisk and Cleaver, Liz from Liz the Chef and myself.

Her Fuerte Varieties!

Here are the budding blossoms from one avocado branch on Mimi’s farm.

The grove is very large with 100’s of trees.

Avocado Risotto with Lime and Olive Oil

This lovely risotto will warm your belly up with the touch of fresh citrus zest and juice. You can change up the citrus if you would like and add lemon or orange.

Course Main Dish or Side

Cuisine California Greek

Keyword avocado, lime, risotto

Servings 6

Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups leeks, chopped
1 3/4 cup arborio rice
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup Greek Myzithra cheese or Parmesan
2 avocados, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
Juice and grated rind of one lime
Drizzle of lime or regular extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Heat the butter in a heavy soup pot.
Add the leeks and rice and saute on low heat for 10 minutes. Stirring constantly.
Add the stock, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stirring often to prevent sticking.
Add the cheese of your choice, and stir well to mix.
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the avocado, zest, and juice.
Drizzle with lime olive oil or plain extra-virgin olive oil. Serve warm!

Try this risotto recipe and be happy!

Mary

Other avocado recipes you may like:

Greek Avocado Ceviche

California Omelet with Avocado,Tangerines, and Cheese

Grapefruit and Avocado Cabbage Slaw

Enjoy!

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Roasted Beet Tart with Phyllo

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

I often substitute phyllo in place of a typical crust, as I did here for this roasted beet tart. You would be surprised how much lighter phylolothis makes your dish. Tarts are easy to assemble for a busy weeknight dinner, and it can be ready within an hour. Make sure you keep defrosted phyllo in your refrigerator for last minute meals such as this one. If you would like you may substitute your greens with blanched vegetables of your choice-for example broccoli, asparagus, or carrots.

If you don’t have the time to roast your beets, you can purchase Melissa’s organic steamed baby beets in these packets cooked and ready to go. Just slice and add to your tart. You will possibly need to double the amount of beets, if you use the baby beets for this recipe.

I do like to use fresh beets, so I may save the greens. Adding the greens enhances the flavor of the beets with a bitter taste. Beet greens are often thrown out, and overlooked but they are packed with nutritional benefits. They are a good source of protein, folate, and fiber. Along with an added source of vitamin A,C,E and K. So, tell your grocer to keep them attached for you so you can enjoy their sweet flavor for your meals.

Roasted Beet Tart with Phyllo

This is my version of a beet tart. Keep defrosted phyllo dough in the refrigerator so you can quickly cook this up for a quick lunch or for dinner. Purchased pre-cooked beets can be substituted. Serve alongside a soup or salad.

Course Main or Side Dish

Cuisine California Greek

Keyword beets, phyllo, tart

Servings 8

Author Mary Papoulias-Platis

Ingredients

1/2 lb. phyllo dough, defrosted
1/4 cup melted butter
2-3 beets, roasted
3-4 cups of beet greens, washed and roughly chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Filing

1/2 cup whole fat ricotta
1/4 pound Greek feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash and wrap each beet in foil. Place on a sheet tray and roast for 45 minutes.
When beets are done and slightly cool unwrap and peel.
Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter the bottom of a 9x12 pan and layer the phyllo one sheet at a time, buttering after each later. Set aside. You may need to cut the phyllo sheet dough to fit your pan.
In a deep pan saute beet greens and onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper.
Cook until the greens and onions are softened about 8 minutes. (if needed add a little water to the pan to cook greens) While greens cool, make the filling.
In a small bowl combine the cheeses. Spread the cheese on the top of the phyllo dough.
Add the greens and onions to the top of the cheese layer.
Add the sliced beets and sprinkle with dill, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from a pan and cut into serving pieces.