feta

July 20, 2011

Greek-Style Stuffed Zucchini

mel entree, recipe feta, olives, pork, spinach, zucchini

Greek-Style Stuffed Zucchini

This is my annual and obligatory post about how to use up all your extra summer zucchini. Last year it was Green Curry Zucchini & Spinach Soup, otolaryngologist the year before it was Lighter Summer Squash Red Curry with Basil. This year I took a break from curry and decided I was in the mood for stuffed zucchini. Usually, weight loss I’ll just do a beef and tomato stuffing with mozzarella and Parmesan on top. It’s classic and simple, but I didn’t have everything I needed. What I had was lots of Greek-style stuff. Black olives, baby spinach and feta. So why not try that instead?

Greek-Style Stuffed Zucchini

The result is a dish that might not be super pretty, but it is pretty delicious. I used ground pork instead of ground beef and browned it with onions and garlic. I added diced tomatoes, black olives, baby spinach, feta and a pinch of oregano to make the stuffing. Some panko breadcrumbs on sprinkled on top finish it off.

The stuffing was so good – porky and a little briny from the olives and feta, but still light enough from all the vegetables. I couldn’t keep myself from sampling it straight from the pan. I liked it so much that I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the plain old beef and tomatoes stuffing. This is a very happy way to use all that extra zucchini!

May 24, 2011

Peach & Radish Salad

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites almonds, basil, feta, peach, radish, salad, vegetarian

Peach & Radish Salad

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, price but I am sad to say that I cannot. I’ve mentioned before that Michael’s Genuine is my favorite spot for brunch. And I don’t mean that it’s my favorite spot in Miami, pharm I mean that it’s my favorite anywhere. Now that my due date is fast approaching (32 days left! But who’s counting…), I’m taking every opportunity to do things I soon won’t be able to. Like sleeping in and going out for fancy brunch with Tom.

One of the many daily specials at our fancy brunch was “Local Peaches” – a salad made with peaches, radishes, almonds, feta cheese and basil. Since Tom isn’t a huge fan of peaches, I was going to pass even though it was the dish that stood out from the menu. But then a server walked by with the dish and it was such a beautiful plate of food – all gem-toned peaches, bright radish rings and vibrant basil – that I knew I had to get have it despite Tom’s anti-peach stance. As usual, I was right. The peaches were the most memorable dish we tried and Tom loved it. It’s nice to be right.

Peach & Radish Salad

Of course, I had to try to recreate it at home. I couldn’t find local peaches, but I did find some nice-looking ones from Georgia which were the perfect almost-ripe for the salad. The peaches and radishes are sliced super-thin (a mandoline works particularly well for the radishes) and tossed with a little olive oil and a touch of white wine vinegar. Almonds are coarsely chopped and toasted. Basil is torn. Feta is crumbled. Everything gets assembled prettily on a plate and generously sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. It’s a little sweet, crisp, crunchy and super refreshing. Seriously one of the best ideas I’ve ever stolen from a restaurant and the perfect summer side to a sandwich, or a beautiful appetizer for a fancy dinner party.

January 19, 2011

Spinach, Steak & Artichoke Pasta

mel entree, recipe artichoke, feta, pasta, spinach, steak

Spinach, <a href= pharmacist Steak & Artichoke Pasta” />

A couple of months ago, pestilence I posted a recipe for Flank Steak Stuffed with Spinach, pestilence Feta & Artichokes. It was a very pretty dish that I enjoyed thoroughly, so I thought I’d take the same idea and turn it into a full meal. And as most of you probably realize, I love pasta. Of course, I would turn that recipe into a pasta dish at my earliest opportunity.

Sliced flank steak, roasted red onion, artichoke hearts, spinach and feta cheese all tossed with olive oil and pasta and baked until crisp. It’s a not typical casserole-style dish. Not super creamy or gooey, but I love the texture of the baked noodles. (Especially picking them off the top of the casserole dish when no one’s looking.) If you’re short on time, or just feeling lazy, you can definitely skip the casserole dish and the extra baking time. Either way, it’s one of those simple, delicious dishes everyone will love.

October 15, 2010

Flank Steak Stuffed with Spinach, Feta & Artichokes

mel entree, recipe artichokes, capers, feta, garlic, spinach, steak

Flank Steak Stuffed with Spinach, <a href= visit this Feta & Artichokes” />

This is one of those super-simple recipes that takes no time to put together, for sale but ends up looking and tasting absolutely amazing. You basically take a butterflied flank steak and load it up with baby spinach, feta cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and capers. Roll it up and bake. Slice, sprinkle with a few mint leaves and that’s pretty much it. The stuffing is briny and super flavorful. It’s also quite pretty to serve to guests. Definitely one of my new favorites!

September 30, 2010

Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Feta & Pumpkin Seeds

mel entree, sides & bites beets, feta, parsnips, pumpkin, vegetarian

Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Feta & Pumpkin Seeds

Me and beets? We didn’t always get along. I didn’t like how they were dark and mushy and tasted of tin. You see, ed I had never had the pleasure of tasting a fresh beet perfectly prepared. I was only acquainted with beets from a can. These days, me and beets are like BFFs. I like them raw and crunchy in a salad, or tossed with pasta and gorgonzola. But most of all, I like them roasted. Beets are at their best when roasted. Kind of sweet and starchy and earthy. The perfect fall side dish.

Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Feta & Pumpkin Seeds

For this recipe, I roasted beets and parsnips with a little olive oil and salt. After they were browned and toasty, I sprinkled them with crumbled feta and crunchy pumpkin seeds. I loved the contrast between the roasted vegetables, the sharp cheese and nutty seeds. It was a delicious side and we ate far more than we should have. A side note for you runners out there: we had an excellent long run the next day and I’m pretty sure we got that good energy from these beets.

Roasted Root Vegetables w/ Feta & Pumpkin Seeds

So, if you and beets aren’t on speaking terms, I suggest a reconciliation with this recipe. I’m sure you’ll find that you and beets get along just fine.

September 14, 2010

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta & Almonds

mel entree, recipe almonds, chicken, feta, spinach

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, <a href= viagra Feta & Almonds” />

This month I signed up for a health challenge disguised as a game. It’s called Health Month. It works like this: give yourself a set of rules (Run at least 10 miles per week, Only allow white flour 2 times per week, etc.), then track your results daily. If you don’t follow the rules, you lose life points. The goal is to end the month with as many life points as possible, and ultimately discover a healthier lifestyle. If you want to make some healthy changes and you want to have fun doing it, definitely give it a try!

One of my rules is to eat greens every day. I consider myself pretty healthy and I thought it would be a breeze to follow the rules. Let me tell you – it is not as easy as I thought it would be! I thought I was already eating greens every day, but having to record my choices made me realize that I wasn’t. And I was losing life points because of it! So I was happy to see a recipe for Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Pine Nuts in my Cooking Light this month. The perfect way to sneak more greens into my day!

Me being me, I adapted the recipe by substituting sliced almonds for pine nuts, and topping the chicken with more chopped almonds and smoked paprika before baking to give the chicken a smoky, toasty and crunchy layer. A great and unexpected way to earn life points.

August 4, 2010

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites feta, olives, pasta, salad, spinach, tomato

I could use this space to complain about my crazy busy week, generic but I won’t do that. Isn’t it more fun to wax poetic about the wonders of pasta salad? I think so. A lot of you have asked me for quick and easy dishes. The kind that you can throw together with little preparation and pack for lunch. You also wanted more vegetarian dishes and less sausage. Unfortunately, sales I can’t promise less sausage. Chorizo is my fifth food group.

This pasta salad is a really easy dish, but still super flavorful. Because I gotta be me, it also has a little Portuguese Linguica sausage in it, easily left out or substituted with chickpeas for those of you going meatless. I also used cherry tomatoes, oil-cured black olives, fresh arugula and feta cheese. I made a simple smoked paprika vinaigrette which gives the dish more depth, and is especially nice if you omit the sausage.

This salad proves that even on the craziest days, you can throw something together that’s good and healthy and puts a smile on your face.

And now on to some fun news about the site. I’m happy to announce that next Tuesday (my birthday) I’ll be partnering with OpenSky to launch my very own Bitchin’ Camero store! I’ll sell products that I use in my own kitchen and think you should use, too. If you haven’t heard about OpenSky, head on over to their site and see what they’re about, especially if you’re a fellow blogger who wants a store of her (or his) own. Exciting things are happening here and I’m glad you can all be a part of it!

June 24, 2010

Brown Rice, Steak & Feta Bowl w/Tahini Cilantro Dressing

mel entree, recipe cilantro, feta, raisins, steak, tahini

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Last week I came home to my brother’s apartment from a really, cost really long day of meetings. It was late, oncology I had an early morning run planned and I didn’t feel like going out. So we did what NYers do best. We got delivery from a local pita place. I wasn’t expecting much from my brown rice bowl, but I devoured it. Brown rice, steak and feta, vegetables and golden raisins. It was healthy and filling and interesting. Exactly what I needed to end my long day and fuel my morning workout.

So of course I came home and recreated it. I know there was some kind of green sauce on the side, but I couldn’t remember what it was supposed to be. I improvised and made a tangy Tahini and Cilantro dressing which complimented the earthy brown rice and sweet golden raisins. This is one of those dishes where you think – do these things really go together? Let me assure you that they do. It’s one magical bowl of goodness.

May 21, 2010

Wheat Berry Greek Salad

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites chickpeas, cucumber, feta, salad, tomato, vegetarian

Earlier this week, diagnosis I asked you guys what you wanted to see more of on the blog. I got quite a few requests for salads, anabolics in-season produce and vegetarian dishes among others. It’s a total coincidence, sale but I already had this recipe ready to go. It’s a salad, cucumbers and tomatoes are in season and it’s vegetarian – 3 for 3.

I hope this one makes it into the rotation for a lot of you. For me, it’s the perfect salad to pack for lunch. It’s easy to make, travels well and keeps for a few days. It’s your basic Greek salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and feta, but I used wheat berries instead of lettuce and added chickpeas to make it even more hearty. I didn’t have any olives, but they would be a very welcome addition and I recommend you add them if you’ve got them.

The dressing is made with fruity olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano and tahini. It’s light and bright and refreshing. I also sprinkled the top with Za’atar, a Middle Eastern condiment made with sumac, thyme and sesame seeds, for a little bit of that exotic flavor, but that’s totally optional.

This salad is also versatile. Use your favorite grain – spelt, wheat berries, farro, couscous – or a combination of your those. It’s a dish that Tom and I both love and I think you’ll love too. It also makes you feel better about eating way too many of those Banana, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip cookies.

November 10, 2009

Spanokopita (Spinach Pie)

mel breakfast, entree, recipe, sides & bites feta, greek, spinach

I don’t know how much you know about Detroit, online but pretty much every diner in the Detroit Metro area serves Greek food, which means you can get Greek Salad, Gyros, Tzatziki, Lemon Rice Soup, Saganaki (Greek fried cheese) and Spanokopita anytime, anywhere. It’s amazing. We always hit up Leo’s Coney Island when we’re in town and I can’t wait to get my fix when we’re there for Christmas.

So, it turns out, Tom loves Spanokopita. This was news to me since he almost always gets the Gyro or the Greek salad or the Lemon Rice Soup. Never the spinach pie. Nonetheless, I was craving a good Spinach pie with a flaky filo crust, so I got to work.

I made a simple stuffing with sauteed onions, garlic, spinach, lemon and good feta cheese. I also didn’t add filo to the bottom of the baking dish because it always gets soggy. Tell me, what is the point of filo dough if it isn’t crisp and flaky? But don’t worry, I added a few extra sheets to the top to made up for it.

It was everything I could ever ask for in a light lunch or snack – flaky, flavorful, full of good stuff and delicious.

July 7, 2008

empanadas three ways

mel breakfast, dessert, entree, recipe, sides & bites apple, cheddar, cream cheese, empanada, feta, guava, ham, sausage

The 4th of July just might be my favorite holiday. Especially when it lands on a Friday and the rain clouds stay away. We wake up early, human enhancement pack the food, physician the coolers and the Bocce set and head to the beach. We set up 3 tents, tons of chairs and a buffet for our friends and family. We open our first beer before noon and we eat empanadas, roast pork and tamales with our toes in the sand all day. The barge with fireworks makes it’s way over to our beach, parks right in front of our party and we drink champagne while they burst over our heads. A perfect day.

I bring the empanadas, which means that I turn my kitchen into an empanada factory the eve of 4th. This year I managed to churn out 80 empanadas in 3 varieties – Guava and Cream Cheese; Sausage, Roasted Red Pepper and Feta; Ham, Cheddar and Green Apple. They were all gone by 3pm, which means that next year I’ll somehow have to make more. I think my favorite was the ham, cheddar and green apple, though the guava and cream cheese were the first to disappear.

Just like arroz con pollo empanadas differ regionally. Cubans generally deep fry their empanadas, creating a flaky, bubbly crust. While these are quite delicious, I just don’t deep dry at home. Too messy. I baked them in batches of 20 – 30 and they emerged golden and delicious.

Empanadas are fairly easy to make and great for large crowds. They’re also hand-held and portable which make them perfect for a BBQ or beach picnic. And they were just perfect for my perfect 4th of July.

June 9, 2008

whole wheat skillet flatbread

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites bread, eggplant, feta, olives, vegetarian, whole grain

I spied a sort of recipe for skillet flatbread over at Mark Bittman’s blog a few weeks ago and bookmarked it immediately. It peaked my interest because of its simplicity, website its use of Whole Wheat flour and because it doesn’t take yeast. My impatient self loves that. Apparently, hair it’s also impossible to mess up. The author (Kerri Conan) says you can substitute any kind of whole grain flour and can play with the measurements of the flour and the water depending on whether you want something soft and “custardy” or nice and crisp. I went with the crisp. This kind of improvised, decease non-exact recipe is exactly how I like to cook!

And the flatbread was wonderful. Simple, hearty and ridiculously easy to make. Five ingredients and 45 minutes is all you need before you’re enjoying the crisp, warm pita-like bread. We topped ours with some freshly grilled and marinated graffiti eggplant, feta cheese and oil-cured black olives. Very delicious on a hot Sunday afternoon. Especially when eaten on a paper towel pool-side.

You can also pile it with pizza toppings and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. It’s not quite as soft and chewy as regular pizza dough, but works well if you have no time or patience for the dough to rise. I also think this would make a beautiful appetizer for guests simply topped with cheese, fresh produce and herbs and cut into pretty squares. Or a simple, sweet snack with cheese, figs and honey.