Join me and support Project Hope for Greece
Sunday, April 21, 2013
for a
Private Director’s Screening of “Hello Anatolia”
UltraLuxe Anaheim Cinemas
321 West Katella Ave., Anaheim,Ca. 92802
Reception 3:00 PM ~ Screening 4:00 PM ~ Q&A 5:30 PM
100% of your ticket goes to Project Hope
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This will be my first year attending this Femme Event in Santa Barbara, California at the Marjorie Luke Theater on Sunday, April 28th. This year’s theme is “Collaborating Locally for World Harmony”. This program is presented by the UN Santa Barbara and Tri-County Chapter of the United Nations Association.
The first 20 people to leave their email under the comments section will receive a free ticket to this event.
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A quick lunch to eat at home is always my first choice, since I don’t eat out much during the day. Eggplant is a staple in my fridge because there are so many uses for it. You can roast it for an eggplant dip, stuff it with grains, , add it to your vegetables. Whichever method you choose this quick and healthful dish is a great substitute for a burger anytime!
1 eggplant, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
3-4 mushrooms, diced
1/2 tomato, seeded, chopped and/or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare the eggplant, slice 1/4 inch thick and salt both sides. Place on a paper towel while you prepare the sauce. In a saute pan heat the olive oil and add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomato and yellow pepper. Saute until soft. Add salt and pepper, a splash of white wine or vinegar and simmer until sauce thickens. Add chopped parsley and 1/2 of the pine nuts. Remove from the heat. Rinse the eggplant, wipe dry. Place on an oiled pan and add sauce on top.
Place in a preheated oven for 45 minutes. Add remaining pine nuts and a little parsley on top. Makes 4 servings
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I was up late last night celebrating my brother Tom’s birthday in L.A., so my Feta and Friday Brew post got delayed, until late into the afternoon. I was browsing Redwood Hill Farm’s website for inspiration on their cheeses they had sent me, and I saw they had a beer and cheese pairing article. I made my husband run out to find the beers, but only found one of the three they recommended, the Stone Smoked Porter. The other two were matched up by the owner of the store. What an interesting combination Feta and Brew – I hope you have as much fun with it as we did!
Any Goat Chevre : Lost Abbey Red barn Ale, with a light spiced ale for the summer (left)
Smoked Goat Milk : Stone Brewery Smoked Porter ; A smoky complex flavor with caramel,chocolate, coffee accents. (center)
Raw Feta : Abita Strawberry Lager a sweet fruity raspberry flavor. (right)
You may also enjoy my many feta recipes below or for more recipes : Feta Friday Category
Feta and Pita Panzanella Salad
Thank-you for the great inspiration Redwood Farms! I was not paid to write this article. All cheeses can be found at Redwood Hill Farm’s Website.
Drink Responsibly and enjoy Feta Friday!
“Just Feta Driven”
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For a gardener like myself, it’s sad to say goodbye to my tired Winter garden, but on the other hand, I’m eager to get my Spring garden designed and planted immediately. Fava beans are a priority to plant and are so easy to grow and make a nice cover crop for the next season. This Spring Garden Vegetable Risotto can be changed up with any seasonal vegetable you find at the farmer’s market or from your own garden. My fava beans and sugar snaps are still going strong, so I included them in this dish. Basically, food grown in the same season, can go together in a dish. If you’re not familiar with risotto, it is commonly used in Italian dishes. Risotto is an Italian technique for cooking Arborio, but this rich, creamy medium grain is versatile. It also plays well in crowd-pleasing puddings and appetizers. Most stores today carry this rice, but if you can’t find it, head over to Lungberg online and look for Organic Arborio.
After shopping at the farmer’s market the early asparagus and leeks have arrived adding them to the dish too. You can switch out any of the vegetables in this dish but remember to cut them small so they slightly cook in the risotto. I added Myzithra cheese to mine for a Greek Twist but you can add the traditional grated Parmesan cheese.
Add the butter and turn off the heat. Add the grated cheese. Stir gently to mix.
Taste and adjust before serving. Serve immediately.
You may also enjoy other Risotto Recipes!
Avocado Risotto with Lime
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Tuna melts are a food of the past… mostly during my college years, but there’s something about a warm tuna sandwich with melted cheese on top that I associate with comfort food at it’s best. I chose to swap out a large portabello mushroom, for the bread and added a smoked goat cheese cheddar in place of the regular cheddar cheese.
The health benefits of mushrooms makes them a superfood we should all add to our diet.
Our dear blogger Mimi Avocado, passed out her avocados at out last meeting, and I couldn’t resist having one with this lunch. This doesn’t call for a written out recipe- just a little imagination.
You can find smoked cheeses in your deli section of your supermarket- I used a smoked goat cheddar from Redwood Hill Farm.
You may enjoy my many avocado recipes, just click avocados in my recipe file.
Stuffed Avocado with Strawberries
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This may not be the norm, but Feta Mac ‘N Cheese is what Greek moms made for us growing up in our household. We never had cheddar as a cheese choice. Besides, it’s Feta Friday and all of you Feta Fans out there, can eat anything with Feta, and I can guarantee you this is a tangy pasta mouthful you won’t forget. Try adding olives, red and green peppers, mushrooms, or fresh tomatoes for additional flavor. This was selected from my long list of comfort foods! You may also want to serve this with a big Greek Horiatiki salad. If you’re not familiar with Feta cheese, it’s a goat cheese found in all Greek dishes. It has a tangy and sour flavor, that enhances many of the vegetables in the Greek Diet. Make sure you buy Feta in brine, for freshness. Do not by pre-crumbled, it’s too dry. This is my choice, in brine and in a reusable container. You can purchase this online, Dodoni Greek Feta.
This Feta and Pasta dish makes plenty for a large family or party. You can also squeeze in bits of vegetables for your kiddos.
After experimenting with the two pastas, one elbow and one penny pasta (the Greek choice), I preferred the elbow pasta ( on left side) for a more enjoyable bite.
You may also enjoy my many feta recipes!
Greek Roasted Feta with Kalamata Olives
California Feta Bagel with Avocado
Feta is the best,
Mary
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One of my most important items in the kitchen happens to be something as simple as My Greek Herbal Dressing. I couldn’t live without it. It has several uses in the Greek kitchen. Splash it on your fish as a finishing sauce, use it on your greens for extra flavor or drizzle it on your roasted vegetables for a lemony glaze. I usually place it in a mason jar and store it in my refrigerate. And for last minute touches it’s ready to go.
Dressing Recipe
Just remember it’s a 1 to 2 ratio for the base. To 1 part lemon juice or (red wine vinegar) to 2 parts extra-virgin olive oil.
Add crushed garlic cloves
Add dried oregano and fresh oregano
Add salt and pepper
Adjust all the spices according to your ratio.
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As a child growing up in the Greek Orthodox Church, I was fortunate to have two Spring breaks (they were called Easter Breaks when I was a young), which was something I looked forward to every year. My school friends always questioned my absence from school, but I would kindly say it was for religious reasons. The difference in the dates for this holiday can be slightly complicated, but I will attempt explaining it in a simpler version. In our Greek household, Easter baskets were not a tradition in our family, as they are today. Pretty dresses and new white shoes were also non existent – we were given practical play clothes for the local Greek picnic, which we attended with all our extended families every year at Flynn Springs in San Diego. We continue our Easter Sunday celebrations today (these are my cousins) having several choices of churches and picnic locations as the Greek community has seen growth over the years.
The picnic menu was the traditional red-dyed eggs, beautifully braided Easter breads, and rosemary scented lamb and orzo. In the Greek Orthodox religion, the Resurrection is the most sacred day of the year. I attended church every night during holy week, and fasted for the month from any animal products. We ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and french fires for dinner.
Let me explain to you why this Greek religious holiday is so late this year. First of all we follow a different calendar called the Julian calender. While the Western Christians follow the New Calender we have today. What are the differences between the two?
The Julian Calendar is 13 days behind the New Calendar which explains the Greek Easter Date.
A large gathering occurred in 1977 in Aleppo, Syria to determine if one common date can be established. Obviously, they didn’t agree because today we continue to celebrate the Greek Easter in May, once again. To read more about this meeting visit the site: World Council of Churches.
A more detailed article was written by Dr. Vrame the director of the Archdiocese Department of Religious Education.
This article can be found at The Orthodox Observer, March 2013. To read more in detail see this article.
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Hello from California Greek Girl. I’m the owner of Ethos Culinary located in the beautiful city of Carlsbad. Join me as we explore California’s bounty of foods, farmlands, and culinary experts. I’m looking forward to bringing you Greek, Mediterranean and Plant-Forward Cuisines. OPA!
More information can be found on our website: Ethos Culinary.
