Healthy Greek Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup short grain rice (like arborio)
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 eggs
1/2 cup Italian parsley chopped
1/2 cup olive oil or margarine
1-2 lemons
salt and pepper

METHOD

In a mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef along with the rice, onion, parsley, one egg, and salt and pepper.



Create meatballs to the size of walnut and set them aside. In a large deep pan put the oil on high heat and start adding the meatballs.



Cover the meatballs with hot/boiling water and let them cook until you can see the rice coming out of the meat cooked. Depending on how thin or not you want the soup you can add some more water. Keep in mind that eventually the rice will keep absorbing the water even after cooking's done.



Prepare the avgolemono sauce using one or two of the eggs and the juice from the lemons (see the recipe for the avgolemono right below).
Incorporate about 1 1/2 cups of the soup's juice to the egg mixture.



Then, pour the avgolemono into the pan with the meatballs.



Finally grab the pan by the handles and sift it around so that the sauce covers all the meatballs.



Enjoy!

check out below a youtube video I found that follows more or less my recipe. It's in Greek but you'll get the picture!

INTRODUCTION

Avgolemono is a sauce consisted by eggs and lemon, that we use in several types of soups. We prepare it at the very end of cooking and add it to the soup while is still hot but not boiling. Avgolemono gives everything a very thick and rich consistency and a lemony taste that all Greeks just love.
Here, I'm giving you the recipe for the acgolemono preparation, which you can apply to almost all soups (like beef or chicken soup without tomato) and some other plates as well (like dolmas). My version uses two eggs which is more than enough to cover a big pan of soup, but you can do it with one egg too if you're trying to avoid too many eggs.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, separated yolks from whites
juice from two lemons (or more if you prefer)
~1 1/2 cups of the soup while still hot

METHOD

In a bowl beat the egg whites (you can use a hand mixer or do it by hand with an egg beater) until they reach meringue consistency.



Incorporate just one of the two egg yolks (discard the other).



Then while still beating the eggs add the lemon. Finally again while beating the mixture add very slowly about 1 1/2 cups of the soup. and keep beating until everything has come together.

Then add the mixture inside the soup, grab the pan by the two handles and shift it so the avgolemono covers all the soup.

The secret is to do the avgolemono sauce right before you serve the soup so you get the maximum richness.
Sometimes I might prepare the soup in the afternoon, heat it up a little in the evening and then prepare and add the avgolemono.

Check out the application of avgolemono in a meatballs soup above.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbr Veal for stew
1 medium/large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 can tomato sauce or pettit cut or 3 large tomatoes grated
Seasoning: Salt, pepper, 2 bay leafs, ground all spice, ground cinnamon, dried oregano, dried lavender
1 1/2 cups orzo (or any other small sized pasta)

METHOD

Chop the onion and garlic and saute in a large pan until soft. In the meanwhile, season the meat with salt, pepper, all spice, cinnamon, and oregano. Add the meat to the pan and saute, turning until cooked in all sides. Quickly add the wine and let it evaporate. Stir in the tomato, lavender, and bay leafs and season with some more salt. Bring it to a boil and then cover, lower the heat, and let it cook for a couple of hours adding water if needed. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400 F.



Transfer the meat and then the tomato sauce to a deep ceramic baker (with cover), add some water (to cover the meat), cover and let it boil. When it reaches to a boil take it out of the oven and add the orzo.



Cover and let it cook. Keep an eye on it by stirring it from time to time so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the baker. When the pasta is fully cooked, serve it on a plater (don't forget to remove the bay leafs) and sprinkle with grated mizithra cheese.



Feta cheese is always a good match for this dish. Also, you can skip the whole oven step and cook the pasta directly in the pan with the meat.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Lean minced beef
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 Tbs whole milk
2 Tbs olive oil
1 small chunk Italian parsley
Dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper

METHOD

Place the meat in a mixing bowl. Chop the onions and the garlic (I use a food processor so they become like pulp) and add them to the meat. Thinly chop the parsley and add it to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients in the meat mixture and knead until you have a solid dough. If for some reason you think the dough is kind of liquidy or oily add some more crumbs.



Make the patties at the size of your palm and place them in a tray. You can cook them either in the grill or bake them or of course barbecue them. If you just bake them you can place the patties on a deeper tray and add lemony potatoes (you can find the recipe below). You bake them for around 30-45 min in F400 (adding water if needed for the potatoes) and you don't need to turn them over.

INGREDIENTS*

2 pounds potatoes for baking
juice from 2 lemons
1-2 garlic minced or garlic salt
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/8 tsp yellow curry
oregano

METHOD

Peel the potatoes and cut them in halves, then cut them in quarters (from each potato you should get 8 pieces) and put them in a large bowl. Add all the ingredients in the bowl and toss everything together. Cover and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours so all the juices and the aroma blend together. Preheat the oven and bake in a baking tin in 400F (200C) adding water if needed.

*The sky is the limit regarding the ingredients of this dish. Maybe the most common way to make it, is with lemon and oregano, two basic ingredients in Greek cooking. Nevertheless, you can use almost everything you like: thyme dry or fresh, dry rosemary, paprika, saffron, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh orange juice, basil fresh or dry, cumin etc.
Always serve with feta cheese!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of white beans (Great Northern or similar)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 big onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
salt and olive oil

METHOD

In a medium/big pan add water, the beans, and the onion (whole or cut in two) and boil for around one hour or until the beans are almost cooked adding water if necessary. Then, add salt (to your taste), the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the vegetables and cook for about half an hour more in a medium/low heat. Depending to your taste you can make this soup thicker (like a porridge) or more "watery" by adding water in the process. I prefer it thick so I add water and let the beans cook through until they start dissolving. Before you remove it from the fire, you can add the oil again depending on your taste. By adding the oil at the end you get a richer taste, that's why some people in Greece like to separately add row oil on their plate.

INGREDIENTS*

1 package phyllo dough
1 pound feta cheese
1/2 pound soft kasseri cheese
1/2 pound gouda cheese
3 eggs
fresh basil leaves chopped
sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup condensed milk
olive oil, dried oregano, and pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 400F. Crumble feta cheese and place into a ball. Add the rest of the cheeses grated and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss.
Use a 12-15 inches pan or aluminum pan. Spread the bottom with oil and place the first sheet spreading it with oil. Continue with the rest of the phyllo sheets using half of the package. Spread the cheese batter and continue with the rest of the sheets. Cut the pie in pieces and bake at 400F for around 45 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown.

*Tyropitas are made with different cheese so you can use your favorite ones (not even feta is mandatory). Also, you can add almost anything you like in the batter like ham, sun dried tomatoes, basil, or other herbs.

INGREDIENTS

.5 pound green beans (fresh or frozen)
4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
1-2 garlic cloves
1 crashed tomato can (or fresh tomatoes)
parsley chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil to taste

METHOD

Wash the beans thoroughly and cut the edges. Chop the onion and the garlic and saute them with the oil in a dip pan. Add the beans and the parsley, and saute them for another 5'. Then add the tomato, salt and pepper and stir. Let it boil once and then add some water and let it boil once again. Then lower that fire and let it cook for around 30' (or less if you use frozen beans).

Meanwhile prepare the potatoes; peel them and cut them in wedges.

After half an hour has past add them in the pan and add some water if needed. Let it boil in medium heat for another 30' or when the beans and the potatoes are cooked and the tomato is a thick sauce.

Serve it with feta cheese.

INTRODUCTION
This is again one of the most popular pies in my father's village, especially during the mushroom gathering period. The people in this area use a local mushroom that grows on the mountain Helmos but portabella mushrooms will work just fine too.

INGREDIENTS
3.5 pounds of portabella mushrooms
3/4 cup arborio rice
1 package puff pastry dough or one traditional dough recipe
1 medium onion
1 egg beaten
olive oil
salt and pepper

METHOD
Wash and drain the mushrooms and dice them in little cubes. In a big deep pan add the onion chopped and cook it until light brown. Add the mushrooms and cook until the water from the mushrooms is gone. Stir in the rice, add salt and pepper to taste, and let it stand and cool down for a while.



Preheat oven to 400 F. Oil a 13x10 pan or pyrex and place one pastry dough. Spread the mushroom mixture (you may add here if you wish some grated cheese) and top it with the second pastry dough. Spread some egg on top of the pastry and if you like some sesame seeds. You may also want to make some engravings as a guide for your pieces before you put it in the oven. Bake at 350 F for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the dough becomes golden brown.

INTRODUCTION
To learn more on trahana greek pasta please click here
This use to be a homemade pasta in all greek families; now you can easily find it in any Greek supermarket. To buy it online click on the module below.
INGREDIENTS
250 grams trahanas (sweet or sour)
olive oil
salt and pepper
METHOD
Combine all ingredients together in saucepan and add four (4) cups of water*. Boil for about 15 minutes or until it becomes a thick porridge. Serve hot with some crumbled feta cheese.
*Note: Some people add crushed tomatoes in the soup as well which gives it a tomato taste and an excellent color, but I give you the recipe we do in our house.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups Lentils (small or big)
2 bay leafs
1 big onion
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 can diced tomatos
red wine vinegar
salt
METHOD
In a deep cooking pan add water, one whole peeled onion, and the lentils. Boil for about an hour or until most of the water is evaporated and the lentils are almost cooked.

Add the diced tomatoes, the salt, and the oil. If you wish, for an even healthier version reserve the oil for the very end. Reduce heat and stir from time to time. Cook for about 15 more minutes. The soup should become a little by little thicker and there's always the danger of being burned.

Remove from heat, fish out the bay leafs, and add vinegar to taste. If you had reserved from earlier the oil you can add it now or when you serve it accompany it with some more good olive oil.

INTRODUCTION
While I was in Greece for the holidays I had the chance to take a sneak pick at my father's traditional beans and cabbage soup! This soup is a traditional and original soup from my father's village in northern Peloponnese and its surroundings. I haven't met anyone else in Greece that cooks that spicy soup except of that area...

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups white dry white medium sized beans (try Great Northen)
1-2 Red hot peppers (or to your taste...)
1 Whole cabbage cut in medium pieces
1/2 cup Virgin Olive oil
Water
Salt

METHOD
You boil the beans with the water until they become softer. Add salt to taste and oil and stir



Reduce the heat and add the peppers. Gradually add the cabbage without mixing it with the beans. The idea is the cabbage to cover the beans and be cooked by the steam of the boiling beans.


Let the cabbage cook until soft, remove from fire and serve.

For a healthier version of this recipe add the oil at the very end before you remove the pan from the fire. Also, if you have a really good and virgin cold press oil you could add after you serve the soup, on the side.

INTRODUCTION

What we generally call pies in Greece is a layer of pastry toped with some kind of batter toped with another layer of pastry. There are sweet pies but the most common ones are the ones we call the "salty pies". Salty pies can be the typical cheese pie, spinach pie or cheese and spinach pie, mushroom pie, meat pie, leek pie, and many other regional variations around Greece. Sweet pies are not that many; there is milk pie, milk and semolina pie (galaktoboureko), honey pie, pumpkin pie again in several variations around Greece.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium to small pumpkin (I guess you can use canned but I've never used so I couldn't tell for sure)
1 big onion chopped (it dispense on the size of your pumpkin)
1 and ½ cup milk (I prefer evaporated because is creamier)
1 and ½ cup short grain rice
2 whole eggs (substitute is ok too)
2 cups different cheeses (you can use feta, which is typical, but any other cheese will do it as long as it is a salty one. Also have in mind that you use cheese, in a way, as a seasoning but you don't have to put a tone in there; it's always a pumpkin pie not a cheese pie)

METHOD

You cut, clean and grate the pumpkin and set it aside.

In a big deep pan you sauté the onion until light brown. Then you add the pumpkin and you cook, stirring occasionally, in medium heat for about 20-30 minutes until it looks like paste. You add the milk and the rice and stir everything together for about ten more minutes. At the end you add the eggs, the cheeses and, some pepper and you mix it all together. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Spread some olive oil at the bottom of a pan and roll the first pastry at the bottom, add the pumpkin batter on top, flatten, and top it with the other pastry. Spread some egg on top of the pastry and put it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry becomes light gold.

Let it cool before you cut in squares and serve it.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound all purpose flour
1 can of soda water
olive oil
salt
pepper

METHOD

Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper) together in a deep mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and add some olive oil and start incorporating the flour. Gradually pour the soda water. You might not need to use the whole can so be very cautious; if the dough has too much liquid it becomes sticky. If it's sticky add some more flour to the mix. Work with the dough for a few minutes.
You can either open it with a rolling pin in a lightly floured area or, if you happen to have a pasta-making machine, you can use it with great success. The fyllos shouldn't be thick, maybe around 1/8 of an inch.
If you use a pasta-making machine, you might need to make two smaller pieces and connect them together when you place them in the pan.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 medium sized zucchini
3-4 medium eggplants
1-2 onions
3-5 medium potatoes
1-2 green peppers
4-6 tomatoes
parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper

METHOD

Clean and chop the eggplants, the zucchini, the peppers and the potatoes in round shaped pieces.


Mash the tomatoes or you can use a can of tomato sauce. Next chop the onions.
Add all the above in a deep pan, add salt, pepper, parsley and olive oil and mix them all together.


Finaly bake for about 1 1/2 hr in medium oven (120 C or 250F).

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 pounds of beef rump, round, or other stewing cut, cut in 2-inch chunks
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup of olive oil
2/3 cup of red wine
1 1/2 cups of water
3 ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped in blender
8 ounces of canned tomato sauce
1 tablespoons of sea salt
pepper
cinamon
oregano or dry thyme

METHOD

Sprinkle the meat with 1 tablespoon of salt, pepper cinamon and oregano. Sauté the onion and meat in the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning often.


Stir in the wine, cover loosely, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook until it boils. Add water as needed, reduce heat to low and cook for an hour and a half (the more the better).


Remove from heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes covered before serving.
Serve with spagheti, french fries or mashed potatos.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium tomatoes
3 medium peppers
4 medium potatoes
2 medium eggplants (big enough to be stuffed)
2 big squashes
1 cup rice 1 big onion
Parsley
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound feta cheese

METHOD

Slice-off the top of the tomatoes and peppers, and the top of the squashes and eggplants lengthwise . Use a spoon to remove the inside part of the vegetables and reserve it in a blender (besides the inside of the peppers). It will be used for the stuffing. Try to leave the empty vegetables as thin as possible but be careful not to score their skin. Mash the inner vegetables parts in the blender and mix it with the rice the onions (chopped), the parsley and the oil. Add salt and pepper as desired. Stuff vegetables and lid them with their tops.

Place them in a pan, surround them with the potatoes (sliced) and pour the remaining of the vegetable mash. Cut the feta cheese in 1/2' cubes and place them right underneath the lid. Add olive oil and bake for about 1 1/2 hour in a medium oven. Add water if required during baking.

Optionally: you can stuff the vegetables with some minced meat combined with the rice.

INGREDIENTS

500 gr thick macaroni
1 kg minced meat
180 gr grated kefalo or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium sized onion
500 gr ripe tomatoes or 1 can tomato sauce
1 portion béchamel sauce
salt, pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice

METHOD

Cook the macaroni according to package's instructions. In a big saucepan heat the oil, add the onions and cook until lightly brown and tender. Season the minced meat with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice and add it in the pan. Cook the meat until brown. Add the strained tomatoes or the tomato paste and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir in the macaroni and mix all well. Put the pasta mix in a buttered pan. Prepare the béchamel sauce. Pour the béchamel sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese and some cubes of butter.


Bake in a moderate oven (200 C) until béchamel gets brown (40 - 45 minutes). Let it cool in room temperature and cut in squares. Serve it in room temperature.

INGREDIENTS

1 large aubergines
3 lb potatoes
1-cup olive oil devided
1 large onion, finely chopped
450 gr. minced beef
1 glass red dry wine
1 can tomato sauce
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and black pepper
1-teaspoon oregano
25 gr. grated Parmesan, kefalotiri, or Gruyere cheese
Some chopped parsley

Topping
1 portion Béchamel sauce
60 gr. grated Parmesan, Gruyere or Kefalotiri

METHOD
Moussaka should be baked in the oven. Use a roasting container, either square or oblong, approximately 39x28 cm .
Aubergines
Top and tail the aubergines, without peeling them. Rinse them, cut them lengthways in 75-mm thick slices and immerse them in salted water, for 30 minutes. Take them out, squeeze gently, rinse, drain them in a colander and pat dry. Sauté them in hot olive oil until they become pale golden on both sides; drain them on absorbent paper on a plate so that most of their oil will dribble away.
Potatoes
Pill the potatoes and slice them lengthwise in 75-mm thick slices. Sauté them in hot olive oil until tender but not thoroughly cooked. Drain them on absorbent paper on a plate so that most of their oil will dribble away.
Meat
Sauté the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, until golden and tender . Add the meat and sauté together, stirring, until all the lumps are broken down and the meat starts to change colour. Pour in the wine, add tomatoes, the spices, salt and pepper and the oregano. Cover and cook for 20 minutes in medium heat, until liquid is absorbed. Then mix in the grated cheese and parsley.
To assemble
Cover the base of the roasting dish with the potatoes in one layer.

Then put on top in another layer the fried aubergines,

then spread the meat mixture evenly on top of them.

Cover neatly with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top.
Bake in a pre-heated oven in 350 grades F/ for 1 hour, untit a golden crust is formed all over the top.

Let it cool in room temperature and cut in squares, in order to be able to cut it more easily. To serve, cut into square or oblong-shaped piece

INGREDIENTS
2 medium tomatoes (preferably cold)
1/2 cucumber sliced and peeled (or not)
1/2 onion sliced (not chopped)
~5 Kalamata olives
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp olive oil
Oregano
Salt to taste
Feta cheese (no crumble please)


METHOD
Rinse and cut each tomato in 8 pieces. Put them in a salad bowl. Add the cucumber slices and the onions. Mix them all, add salt, some pieces of feta cheese, the olives, oregano and at the end pour some olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

1 full tsp Instant coffee (preferably Nescafe's Taster's choice)
1 full tsp sugar or substitute (or to taste)
Milk or cream (preferably evaporated milk) if desired
Water
Ice cubes

METHOD

If using a small hand mixer (like the one on the photo):

Pour about an inch of water in a glass. Add sugar and coffee and mix until foamy. Continue by adding a few ice cubes, milk and the rest of water.
If using a shaker:
Shake the water, coffee and sugar until they are dissolved and foamy. Transfer to the glass; add milk, ice cubes and water.
Drink with a straw.

*If you don't have a hand mixer scroll down to the amazon section for some good deals!