Biftekia is a traditional dish that’s often described as a cross between burger patties and slightly flattened meatballs. The patties are made with a combination of ground pork, beef, or lamb, and the meat is mixed with onions, breadcrumbs, eggs, and aromatic herbs such as mint and oregano.
Our neighbor’s garden had a great season and they generously shared with us for this recipe! Since we had the fresh eggplants and tomatoes from their garden, as well as onions, capers, and lentils on hand, we decided to make a delicious and healthy saute! It’s quite an easy (and did we mention healthy) recipe and a good way to use up the last of garden’s summer produce. You’ll love it!
Moussaka is a layered dish of eggplant, ground meat, tomato sauce, and béchamel sauce. It is a popular dish in Greece and is often served as a main course. The eggplant is thinly sliced and then baked until soft. The ground meat is cooked with onions, garlic, and tomatoes. The béchamel sauce is made with milk, butter, flour, and cheese. The layers of eggplant, meat, and sauce are then baked until golden brown. Moussaka is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for any meal.
We played around a lot over the years with tsoureki recipes. There are different variations depending on what part of Greece the recipe hails from. I think we found our favorite! Not only is it delicious but it will make the house smell amazing! Here we left out the traditional red dyed Easter egg in the center because we never eat it but feel free to add it. The recipe will make 7 six-inch braids or 3-4 large braids. You can also use leftover tsoureki (if you have any!) as your bread for French toast or a croque monsieur sandwich. Sooo good!
Souvlaki, a beloved Greek dish, features skewered and grilled cubes of pork, chicken, lamb, or beef. This popular fast food is commonly enjoyed at souvladzidika, small eateries where you can also find gyros and similar grilled meat offerings.
These traditional Greek olive oil cookies have been a Greek staple for generations. They’re loved in Greece as well as around the diaspora and they’re very easy to make. Not only a perfect breakfast treat, but also an on-the-go snack or an afternoon pick-me-up. And since they are vegan, they are perfect during Lent.
The Honey Pistachio Baklava Cheesecake is a delightful fusion of two classic desserts from different culinary traditions: baklava and cheesecake. This creation merges the crunchy, nut-filled layers of traditional baklava with the smooth, luscious consistency of cheesecake, resulting in a unique combination of flavors that is both refined and irresistibly satisfying.
Grilled lamb chops, or paidakia, are a cherished Greek dish, enjoyed across the country as a main course. These chops are typically marinated in a flavorful mix of olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs before being grilled over traditional charcoal barbecues.
For as long as I can remember, zucchini patties have been a summer favorite for our family. They can be prepared as an appetizer as well as a side dish, and everyone agrees that these things taste great. They’re easy to make, low calorie, and a great way to enjoy lots of veggie goodness!
This salad is perfect for a light summer meal or as a refreshing appetizer. The sweetness of the watermelon and the saltiness of the feta cheese are a perfect combination, and the mint adds a touch of freshness.
One of our favorite desserts! Our bougatsa recipe is a traditional, custard pie, but in researching the history, we found that it had a deeper history than a simple dessert.
It took us a while to feature a gyros recipe because we focused recently on more vegetarian dishes, but the time has come for one of the most iconic Greek street-food dishes ever – homemade pork gyros! We feature pork tenderloin as the main ingredient, and we made sure to achieve extra tenderness by marinating the meat in a blend of herbs, oil, vinegar, and honey. The pork is prepared in a frying pan and served inside a pita bread with tzatziki, onion, and tomato.
We were having our weekly Sunday family dinner, this time at Joanna’s. She wanted to make something quick, easy and healthy. She had some chicken breasts on hand so she started looking around the kitchen trying to find ideas of how to prepare quickly, that didn’t require much effort. Thinking about how much I love balsamic, she decided to make the chicken with some balsamic sauce. Glad she did! Check out how easy this recipe is. Makes for a great quick meal.
The other day my sisters and I were talking about our favorite dishes from childhood and Joanna listed araka as one of her favorites. Our mom used to make it for us all time, partly because she could make a big batch at once, and partly because it was good for us. But mostly because we all would eat it. We loved this dish as kids and really missed it when we realized we haven’t had araka in years so, of course, my sisters had to make it.
This is a great recipe for a light and healthy salad. Fresh green beans, fresh corn, feta and a light tangy dressing make this a great dish, especially refreshing as a summer meal.
Here is an end of summer treat that is sure to be a hit! We took two of our favorite desserts, baklava and ice cream, and combined them (no ice cream machine needed). What we got is a rich, smooth, delicious and refreshing treat! A little goes a long way with this ice cream, so you don’t need a lot. You can stay health and diet conscious and still indulge a little.
Halva is a popular dessert in Greece that is traditionally made with semolina. There are a few variations depending on what part of Greece you’re from. Our mother used to make it with olive oil and farina, as semolina was not as easy to find here in the States. There are oven and stove top versions. We did a stove top version here, using butter, farina and a cake mold. You can easily replace the butter with olive or canola oil, or use half and half, and replace the farina with semolina. It’s a quick and easy dessert. Oh… and it’s delicious!
Growing up, our mom would make rizogalo pretty often. It was a staple in our house. She would have to ration it because Joanna would eat it all. It was her favorite dessert. So that’s why over the years, Joanna has tried to come up with a recipe as good as my mom’s, and it looks like she’s done it. Give it a try. It’s some good Greek comfort food.
If you’ve ever visited Greece then you probably know about Nescafé Frappe. If you haven’t, let me tell you about it. Read on.
Htipiti is generally a spread made with feta, crushed red pepper or sun dried tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice. Some even use chili peppers. But Joanna makes it as a dip, uses roasted red peppers and adds some creaminess for taste and volume, so the dip can be enjoyed by more! This dip is absolutely delicious! As our non Greek friends like to call it, “the tippy teepee dip”. Try it out, you’ll love it!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day. We put our spin on “engagement chicken”, (link) and combined it with Kota Limonata (Greek style lemon chicken). Make this for someone you love. It’s sure to be a hit!
Manestra, more commonly known as orzo and also known as kritharaki, is traditionally a casserole baked in a cinnamony tomato sauce and usually made with meat. That’s how mom used to make it. Here we made this recipe on the stove top, left out the meat (great for Meatless Mondays) added mushrooms and spinach and used 2 kinds of paprika to give it a smoky, spicy flavor. We also used whole wheat orzo (Delallo 100% Whole Wheat is our fav) to make it more nutritious and topped it some yummy Dodoni sheep’s milk feta. We’re obsessed!
Ahhh our beloved fakes soupa! How many plates of this dish have we eaten over the years? Not enough! It’s tasty, healthy, and reminds us of home. It’s such a classic Greek dish, but we created it with a spin! Try our delicious recipe for Coconut Curry Lentil Soup. We like it, actually we love it, and we think you will too!
We decided to make a healthy soup recipe before the weather really starts to warm up. We figured a nice soup to warm the soul is fitting right about now. We mentioned healthy but did we mention how delicious this recipe is? Well, now you know! Kali orexi!
