Greek Recipes Archives - Page 4 of 13 - Kitoula's Greek Food Journal

Greek Ikarian Diet for Long Life

Here’s my brief run down on a current, very popular topic: How a Greek Ikarian diet can help you be healthier and live longer. I Googled “Greek Ikarian diet”, and got over 35,000 results. There have been a lot of articles about the “Mediterranean diet” for some time, but now because of a new book by Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones, it is getting a lot of buzz. Particularly because of the longevity of the population on the Greek island of Ikaria in the Aegean Sea.

So, for those of us who aren’t so fortunate to live in this paradise, we can at least try to eat like the Ikarian people do. That means eating more leafy greens, beans and lentils, cooking with olive oil, avoiding processed foods, and over-eating. We should eat meat less frequently and in much smaller portions. Eat the smallest meal of the day in the late afternoon or evening. Here’s the best part: Drink alcohol moderately and regularly, 1-2 glasses a day!

I have been a big fan of Chef Diane Kochilas for quite some time. I have made and shared her recipes on this blog. Some day I’d like to attend her vacation cooking school on the island of Ikaria.

In 2012 at TEDx Athens, she talked about how to eat like a Greek, the nutrition of the Ikarian diet, and how all of this could be used to renew Greece’s place in the global community. It’s one of my favorite TED Talks.

Enjoy the video, and kali orexi!

Feta Lamb Burgers & Mint Aioli

Here’s my recipe for grilled feta burgers with fresh herbs, topped with mint aioli.

The ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery; ground lamb, fresh herbs, onion, and feta. I buy Dodoni feta at Costco, but 2 or 3 brands of crumbled feta are in most markets now. These herbs are from my garden. I have a decent size patch of Greek oregano, but I used dry oregano in this lamb mixture. Fresh oregano can be a very strong and over powering herb.

This recipe will make 4 to 6 lamb burgers, depending on the size you want.

The mint aioli is a really quick recipe. You can make aioli from scratch, whipping eggs and olive oil. I took the easy route and used Hellmann’s mayonnaise as the base. The mint is from my garden. I have it contained, so I let it flower. The bumble bees love it.

I like to make this aioli with a lot of flavor, so add the garlic and dry mustard slowly. Taste it as you mix, to make sure it has just the right amount of zing for your taste buds. You know the rule. You can always add more, but you can’t take away.

It’s an easy recipe for a delicious alternative to ordinary hamburgers. Enjoy!

Feta Lamb burgers & mint aioli

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

35 mins

Recipe for grilled feta lamb burgers with fresh herbs and topped with a mint aioli.

Author: Kitoula

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Greek / American

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

LAMB AND FETA BURGERS
1½ pounds of ground lamb
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ large onion diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons for vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to taste (remember the feta is salty)
FRESH MINT AIOLI
1 cup mayonaisse
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or if you prefer, 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced and smashed into a paste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

LAMB AND FETA BURGERS
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, toss in the diced onions
Bring the pan to medium-high heat and cook the onions for 5 to 10 minutes
Turn the heat off and let cool.
In a large bowl, add the ground lamb, onion, feta, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, soy sauce and vinegar
Mix well with your hands
Form the lamb mixture into 4 to 6 patties (depending on the size you want)
Grill the burgers to your desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
FRESH MINT AIOLI
In a small bowl , mix together well the mayonnaise, chopped mint , dried mustard, garlic, salt and pepper

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Vegan Diet, Lent and Fasting

Many people follow a Vegan diet now, and groceries and markets have a lot of Vegan products to offer these days. Vegans are vegetarian, but they also do not eat eggs, dairy products and honey. A Vegan diet is similar to the diet many Greek Orthodox follow during the Lenten season.

Greek Orthodox Lent began on Monday, March 2nd this year. That is 5 weeks before Holy Week, the week before Orthodox Easter on April 12th. Many Greek Orthodox who follow a strict fast during Lent abstain from meat, fish and dairy products. On some certain days of Lent, fish, shellfish, wine, and olive oil may be eaten.

I have decided to give up red meat, sweets, and sugar for Lent. The most difficult part has been avoiding sweets and sugar. Sugar is hidden in almost all ready-to-eat prepared foods. So the best way to abstain from sugar is to make all your meals homemade.

My recipe for Lentil Soup can be adapted for strict fasting (don’t use olive oil) and Vegan diets. I also found this Greek Rice Pilaf with Leeks and Saffron recipe from Chef Diane Kochilas’ site. I am definitely going to try it.

Vegan Diet Lent Fasting banner 2015

Pastitsio Recipe – Baked Pasta

The Ladies Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
in Grand Rapids Michigan host a wonderful luncheon and bake sale every year.

One of their most popular entrees is pastitsio – baked pasta with meat sauce.

This year they decided to follow Tina Afendoulis’ pastitsio recipe,
(she’s my Aunt and Godmother!) which is also in their cookbook.

The Taste of Life Greek Food, Ladies Philoptochos Society of Holy
Trinity cookbook was published in 2004.

Here’s my Nouna’s recipe.

My Nouna Tina in the church’s professional kitchen. She’s so cute and
looking great at 83! Check out her 80th birthday party here.

I ordered a half-pan of pastitsio, that I was lucky enough to get delivered!
(It helps to have cousins who happened to be making a trip to my side of
the state this weekend).

That’s a big casserole but I just cut a portion of it to reheat and put
the rest back in the fridge for another time later in the week.

There are a lot of recipes for pastitsio out there in cookbooks and online,
but this one IMHO, is the best. Enjoy.