Sliced Steak Gyros

In the midst of all this snowy weather we've had lately, I find myself dreaming of tropical getaways and ocean breezes. To facilitate this (and further delude myself that this winter will actually end. Really.) I prepared a great summer meal. A Greek Salad full of juicy tomatoes, salty Kalamata olives and crumbled Feta. So good that I blogged about it already here. To go with I'd planned Chicken Gyros but I had a chance to go out to lunch with my oldest son earlier in the week and ended up ordering Chicken Gyros so I switched to Rachael Ray's Sliced Steak Gyros instead.

The sauce was tasty and perfect for hubby who does not like cucumbers. His only complaint was that his vegetarian-prone wife made his gyro. Tons of toppings and very little meat! Next time, he's on his own!

Sliced Steak Gyros
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

2 pounds 1-inch-thick sirloin steak
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, grated
2 sprigs oregano, stems discarded, leaves chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
4 large pitas or other flatbread
Toppings, such as thinly sliced cucumber, tomato and red onion; chopped chiles and kalamata olives;
shredded romaine lettuce hearts; flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 lemon wedges

Preheat the broiler or a grill to medium. Drizzle the steak with the EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, for medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then thinly slice.  

While the steak is cooking, using a food processor, puree the feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a bowl. 

Char the pitas under the broiler or on the grill. Top with the steak and your choice of toppings. Serve with the lemon wedges and yogurt sauce.

Exotic Destinations: Nigella's Ultimate Greek Salad

This is what I see when I look out the window.

This is what I wish I'd see when I look out the window.

This winter seems to have started earlier, been colder, produced more snow than any winter in the past several years. I am not a "winter" person to start with. I hate being cold. I hate slippery roads. I hate being all bundled up. And I hate the kids (and dog) being stuck inside.

Now summer is more like it. Warm weather. Fewer clothes. Swimming. Hiking in the woods. Biking. Running in shorts, not layers. Kayaking. Picnics. Camping.  Grilling out. Ahhhh ...

What I need is a trip to an exotic destination. And lucky me, I Heart Cooking Clubs gave me an opportunity to travel to one of my favorite destinations: Greece. Greece is beautiful. It's old. It's mysterious. It's sunny. It's definitely exotic. (And it's very far away from here!)

Unluckily, I don't *really* get to go there. I'm still in my own kitchen. But as I enjoy this  Ultimate Greek Salad from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer cookbook and savor Rachael Ray's Sliced Steak Gyro, I can almost imagine that I can look out my window and see this:

This salad went together quickly and tasted great. It's definitely one I'll be making again and again. I can see this being a great summer lunch, made with freshly picked, home-grown Indiana tomatoes. Yum! Visit I Heart Cooking Clubs to see where everyone else went on their exotic getaways.

The Ultimate Greek Salad
Recipe from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson
See it online here.

1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 red onion, finely sliced
Black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
200ml extra virgin olive oil
5 tomatoes
1 teaspoon caster sugar (regular works fine)
Pinch of salt
1 very large head of romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
125g pitted black olives
400g Feta cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon

 Sprinkle the oregano over the red onion and grind over some pepper. Pour in the vinegar and oil and toss well, cover and leave to steep for a good 2 hours; longer’s fine. You’ll notice, once it’s had its time, that the blooded crimson of the onion is now a luminescent puce. It’s something to do with the acid in the vinegar: don’t ask. You don’t need to be fully conversant with the technicalities to take advantage of them.
But to return to the case in hand: cut the tomatoes into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters (always lengthwise) again, so that you have a collection of fine segments. Sprinkle the sugar and a pinch of salt over them and set aside. Tear the lettuce into big pieces and put in a large bowl. Slice the fennel and add that, then the olives and Feta, crumbled into chunks, and toss well. Add the tomatoes, the onion in its marinade, and the lemon juice. Toss gently but thoroughly, so everything is well combined. This is addictive: you will find yourself making it all through summer - and beyond.

Shrimp Saganaki

Hubby was out of town and I needed something quick and filling to make for my dinner. I pulled out a package of frozen shrimp that I keep on hand for times like this (dh hates seafood) and pulled out a recipe I'd bookmarked earlier: Shrimp Saganaki. Delicious! Not that I was surprised. Closet Cooking is a great place to find delicious dinner ideas. So far we've loved all we've tried. I did make a few changes. I left out the ouzo. (I had a bad ouzo experience back in college ...LOL!) I also didn't have any tomatoes on hand so I used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.

Shrimp Saganaki
Recipe by Kevin of Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup tomato (chopped)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 splash ouzo
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 pound shrimp
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup feta (crumbled)

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

Add the tomato, oregano and ouzo and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and simmer for 30 seconds per side.

Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

Transfer to a baking dish and top with the feta cheese.

Bake in a preheated 425F oven until the sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Greek Sandwich with Feta Vinaigrette

This was a great way to use up some of those last few tomatoes from the garden. ::sigh:: I used the extra vinaigrette over some lettuce and diced tomato with dinner and it was delish!


Greek Sandwich with Feta Vinaigrette
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Sandwich:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
8 (1-ounce) slices sourdough bread
1 peeled cucumber, diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 cups chopped arugula
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare the sandwich, combine 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place 2 tomato slices on each of 4 bread slices, and sprinkle evenly with half of the salt mixture. Arrange the cucumber slices over the tomato slices; sprinkle evenly with remaining salt mixture. Add arugula, onion, and chopped olives to the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Arrange the arugula mixture evenly over the cucumber slices. Top with the remaining bread slices.

Layered Greek Dip

Here's a recipe that might come in handy this holiday season. It's easy to make and looks pretty when you serve it. This Layered Greek Dip from The Savory Notebook is perfect to take to those family carry-ins. The ingredients will keep on hand for awhile and it can be quickly thrown together at the last minute. Be sure to use a good hummus though. I tried a new brand the first time I made it and the horrible hummus overshadowed the whole dish. Next time I used our family favorite and the dip was delicious.


Layered Greek Dip
Recipe from The Savory Notebook

8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups prepared hummus
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato
½ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
½ cup crumbled feta cheese (reduced fat is fine)
1/3 cup sliced green onions
pita chips and/or multigrain tortilla chips

1. In medium mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and garlic with rubber spatula until smooth and well-combined.
2. Spread cream cheese mixture into deep 9-inch pie plate or oval platter. Spread hummus on top of cream cheese layer. Sprinkle on cucumber, then tomato, olives, feta, and green onions.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Grilled Greek Chicken

I know this is a really bad picture.

The problem is that this Grilled Greek Chicken smelled so good, we couldn't hold off eating it! And by the time I realized just how bad the picture was, there was absolutely nothing left. Even all the salad/salsa/topping was gone! That's how good this chicken is. Grilled Greek Chicken has moved right to the top of our family favorites list. Both girls loved it. Dh and I were about ready to arm wrestle over the last bit. (We ended up giving it to picky dd who never asks for seconds of anything!)

I did make a couple of changes in the original recipe. I didn't have cucumber so I substituted some red onion. It was delicious! The second change that I made was to marinate the chicken over night. I had originally planned to make it right away, but dh and the kids got home late and had already stopped for dinner on the way. If anything, I think the longer marinating time only helped this dish. It was delicious!

This recipe comes from a great blog called Dinners for a Year and Beyond. It is the perfect place to spend half a morning browsing through delicious-sounding recipes and drool-inducing photos. I think I found myself bookmarking about every other recipe! So far I've tried two recipes from Dinner for a Year and Beyond and loved them both. I blogged about the other one here. You should head on over and check out this wonderful blog for yourself!

I will be submitting this one to the Bookmarked Recipes blogging event hosted this week by Ruth at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. Be sure to check out all the great recipes that everyone tried out last week!

Grilled Greek Chicken
Recipe from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large tomato, diced
2 kirby cucumbers, diced
1/2 cup black olives
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and add about 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Seal bag and marinate chicken for 1 hour up to 4 hours.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Remove the chicken from the vinaigrette and grill for about 5 - 6 minutes per side for the boneless breasts and 3 - 4 minutes per side for the tenderloins. Remove from grill/pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

In a small bowl combine the tomato and cucumber and add the remaining 1/4 cup of vinaigrette.

To serve, top grilled chicken with the tomato-cucumber mixture, a few olives, and some of the crumbled feta.

Gyroll

Sometimes plans just have to change. ;-) This weekend didn't go the way I'd planned when I made out my weekly menu. First I spent the whole day Saturday having a garage sale rather than just the morning. Then by the time I made it home, I had a migraine. For me the day after the migraine is almost worse than the actual headache. It's like a hangover on steroids. So I didn't have the patience to stick with my plan. But it turned out okay because this recipe for Gyrolls was quick and easy to make and turned out to be a hit with everyone.

To simplify the recipe even further, I used Pillsbury Pizza Dough that comes in a rectangular shape so I didn't even have to roll it out. I also used ground beef since I couldn't find lamb. I served it with a choice of cucumber-ranch dipping sauce or our favorite Greek tomato sauce, Tomato Sauce and Myzritha Cheese from Lulu at Mama's Taverna. The whole peppercorns add a flavor that I just love. It's great paired with pasta but it was also delicious topping the gyrolls. Adding a Greek Salad with romaine and plently of feta, red onion and Kalamata olives finished the meal.

Gyroll
Recipe from AllRecipes.com

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground lamb
6 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 large onion -- sliced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2/3 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 pound pizza crust dough
6 ounces feta cheese
1/2 zucchini -- diced
8 ounces chopped black olives
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meat with garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. When meat is almost done, add parsley and cook until the parsley wilts. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.

Roll pizza dough out into a rectangle (about 18 inches by 12 inches), with the long side laid out left-to-right in front of you. Spread out feta cheese, zucchini and black olives evenly over the dough, leaving 3 inches from the edges of the crust uncovered. Spread the cooled meat mixture over the top, still leaving edges of dough uncovered.

Starting with the edge closest to you, roll up the whole thing until it is all rolled up. You can do this by using the uncovered edge of dough at the end as a 'strip' to stick to the roll and seal it, making sure both ends are pressed down and sealed. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Greek Night: The Rachael Ray Way

We had a Greek-themed dinner last night. We started out with Eggplant Roll-Ups, a Rachael Ray recipe from her 30 Minute Meals TV show. They were pretty good: grilled eggplant slices rolled around creamy garlicky cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes. I made it using a Slow Roasted Tomato recipe I found over at Smitten Kitchen. Mmmmm! Rachael Ray seems to add grill seasoning to almost everything but this was one recipe where I didn't care for it. Maybe I used to much but it seemed to overpower the other flavors of the dish. Next time I'll just use salt and pepper.

I also made the other recipe from the show: Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with SpicyCucumber and Yogurt Sauce. I really thought I'd like it. I love pretty much every single ingredient. But somehow, I just didn't care for it. The meatballs were just sort of bland and the dip was lackluster as well. Very disappointing. I like the idea of this though and I think I'll play around with the recipe a bit and see what I can do.


Lulu over at Mama's Taverna definitely provided the star of the show: Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Myzithra Cheese. Unfortunately out here in the middle of nowhere, Parmesan was as close as I could come to Myzithra, but the dish was a hit anyway. The kids were originally a bit frightened of the whole peppercorns they saw in the sauce and convinced it had to be a bug but after being reassured it was only pepper, they dived right in. Dh requested that I make it again (but next time maybe I could add some meat? ...) Check out Lulu's recipe here.

Eggplant Roll-Ups
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

1 large, firm eggplant
Salt and pepper
Grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
1 cup semi-soft garlic and herb cheese (recommended: Alouette or Boursin)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, a couple of handfuls
A few grinds black pepper
6 to 8 soft sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (tender sun-dried tomatoes are available in small pouches in produce department)
2 cups arugula leaves, chopped
1 cup basil leaves, chopped

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Thinly slice the eggplant, a minimum of 18 slices. Season with salt, pepper and grill seasoning blend. Grill the thin slices to tenderize the eggplant, 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Combine the cheeses, black pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Top each slice of cooked eggplant with a dab of cheese and some arugula and basil then roll up. The eggplant roll ups should have a few greens sticking out of both ends.


Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Cucumber andYogurt Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for liberal drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted.
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
1 1/2 cups Greek style plain yogurt
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh dill
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons, 1/2 a palm full, cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons, 1/2 a palm full, coriander
Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl combine onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry. Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden and juices run clear.

Place yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce with toothpicks.

Hummus Pizza

I've found my new favorite quick lunch! I dvr'ed an episode of 30 Minute Meals where Rachael Ray whipped up a couple of Greek-themed dishes in the alotted thirty minutes. All three dishes seemed to have a little potential but the Hummus Pit-zas were the quickest to throw together. As I was at a loss for what to fix for lunch, I thought I'd take a chance on this one. I mean, I like hummus. I like Pita bread. And I'm currently infatuated with Feta. What's not to like? (And how is it that I only just discovered Feta? How have I lived without it this long!)

This is definitely one of those recipes where simple ingredients combine to form something greater than the sum of it's parts. And it's definitely one of those recipes I will be fixing over and over again now that the kids have gone back to school. Yum-o!


Hummus Pit-zas
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

6 (6-inch) pitas
1/2 pint container store bought plain hummus
1/2 cup prepared olive tapenade
3 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella or a combination of the 2
6 anchovies, chopped, optional
3 whole roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts in water, 6 hearts, drained well and chopped
1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini, chopped, optional
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the pitas on baking sheets or sheets. In a bowl combine the hummus and the olive tapanade. Spread the hummus on pitas and top with cheese, like pizza. Combine the chopped anchovies, peppers, artichokes, and pepperoncini. Cover the pizzas with the chopped mixture. Bake 10 to 12 minutes to melt cheese and crisp the pitas. Cut pizzas into wedges and garnish with parsley.

Open-Faced Grilled Greek Burger

I'm getting my money's worth out of the most recent issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. I've lost track of how many of the recipes we've tried this month. The most recent was definitely a hit with the adults. (The kids were less than enthused however. LOL!) Not surprising since these Open-Faced Grilled Greek Burgers featured grilled onions, feta cheese and portobellos, as well as an "unusual" choice of meat (for us). The actual recipe calls for ground veal but I subbed ground chicken instead and it worked well. The kid's choice would be either a burger from McDonald's or a plain burger swimming in ketchup with *maybe* a slice of American cheese. Dh and I loved it though. The feta added a salty bite and kept the burgers juicy. I love the flavor of portobellos with burgers and often saute up a few as a burger topper. The addition of the grilled onions made this burger look special and added a unique flavor to the sandwich.

Check out the recipe for Open-Faced Grilled Greek Burgers here.

Ladenia: A Little Slice of Heaven!

Good news on the running front. Apparently I like to torture myself. This summer has been abnormally cool and I've been slogging through (and putting off) runs. Now that the Dog Days of Summer are here (100 today), I'm loving my runs and can't wait to get out there! I guess I'm more of a masochist than I thought!

Living where I live in the Midwest, you don't kind a lot of ethnic diversity when it comes to dining out. Until recently you were pretty much limited to Taco Bell and the Big China Buffet, complete with fried chicken and mashed potatoes and of course, Pizza Hut. So I'm a little behind the curve when it came to discovering Greek Cuisine. (Well, there was that one night back in college that involved a bottle of real Ouzo, smuggled into the country by a fellow student after a summer spent in Greece. But I really try not to remember that night if I can help it!) I noticed lately that a high percentage of the recipes I was saving happened to be Greek so I decided to start making a few. All have been great so far and I can't seem to get enough of some great Greek food blogs. Love, love love Peter's blog Kalofagas - Greek Food and Beyond. My family knows that if they can't find me, I'm probably online pouring through Peter's recipes. I can't count how many hours I've spent drooling over the recipes and pictures over at Kopiaste - to Greek Hospitality. And Lulu over at Mama's Taverna ... who knew you could grate tomatoes to make a tomato sauce? Loved it!
Peter's recipe for Ladenia is to die for! A Greek specialty that looks like pizza and tastes like heaven, ladenia is like a deep dish pizza crust, topped with onions and tomato and liberally seasoned with olive oil and oregano. A simple recipe that defies logic. How can something so simple taste so good? Even my tomato-phobic dh enjoyed it. This is one recipe I won't be waiting too long before I make it again!

Ladenia
Inspired by Peter M. from Kalofagas

1 ball of frozen pizza dough, thawed
olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
salt
freshly ground pepper
Oregano

Spread dough into an oiled round baking pan. Keep dough thick. Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil over dough and cover dough with onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown. Drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil and serve hot or cold.

Dreaming of Greece: Greek Pasta Salad

In our quest to eat healthier, I've been looking to the flavors of the Mediterranean for inspiration. Lately I seem to be focusing on Greece. Greece is a place I've always wanted to go. In fact, my love of all things Greek probably propelled me into studying archaeology in college. I was hoping to come up with a cool, flavorful salad to serve alongside my chicken sandwiches the other night. A quick Google and I came up with the idea for a Greek Pasta Salad. After a day at the beach (where the water is definitely not Aegean blue!), something cold and quick and easy to prepare yet with plenty of flavor fit the bill.

This recipe for Greek Pasta Salad was the perfect side to our sandwiches. I did omit the tuna and it turned out great. Quick and easy to throw together from things I keep on hand, this one is definitely a keeper!














Greek Pasta Salad
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, August 2004

Salad:
3 cups uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
Cooking spray
1 tuna steak (about 3/4 inch thick) -- (8-ounce)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sliced peeled cucumber
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese with peppercorns -- (3 ounces)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 cherry tomatoes -- halved

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

To prepare salad, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain; place in a large bowl.

Heat a large grill pan coated with cooking spray over high heat. Sprinkle tuna with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add tuna; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; cool slightly. Cut tuna into 1-inch pieces. Add tuna, cucumber, and next 5 ingredients (cucumber through tomatoes) to pasta.

To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, and toss gently to coat.