Tag Archives: Zucchini

Jan 10 2012

Budget meal? If healthy, yes!

QUICK SALAD

Rachael Ray suggests this two-steps salad. A budget meal, made only of fresh ingredients that usually are in the refrigerator. Even if the vegetables are 7 days old, don’t throw them away.

To the original Rachael’s recipe I’m adding just a personal touch to make this salad even more interesting. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

For 4 persons

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1/2 pint yellow cherry tomatoes

1/2 pint red cherry tomatoes

1/4 small red onion, grated

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

HOW TO:

In a medium size bowl, toss together the zucchini, squash and tomatoes.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and the onion.

Whisk the EVOO into the mustard mixture until combined. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables.

MY PERSONAL TOUCH:

Grill all the vegetables (like you do with a chicken)

In the vinaigrette sauce: Add 1 tsp of honey

Sprinkle with Greek “Anthotyro” or other white, soft cheese

Jan 3 2012

IMAM BAILDI-a Greek dish-Is it?

In Greece, we use to cook with vegetables. Any dish with vegetables holds an important place in our kitchen. Unlike other “cuisines”, we cook them mainly with olive oil since it is produced locally and it’s our country’s top-selling exporting product. During the summer, you can taste a lot of Greek recipes that contain eggplants, zucchini and tomatoes. The following recipe is also suitable for vegetarians. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

4 slim, elongated eggplants, about 700 gr – 1 kg

150 ml extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

450 gr. onions, thinly sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced  

450 gr. tomatoes, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

HOW TO

Cut the stalks off the eggplants and rinse them.

Using a sharp knife, slit them lengthwise on one side only,

making sure you do not slit all the way through.

They should open like a wallet, so you can put the stuffing in the opening.

Shallow-fry them gently all around in 4 tablespoons olive oil.

If not enough you can add some more oil in the frying pan.

Take out and arrange side by side in a small oven dish and season them.

Put the rest of the olive oil in a saucepan and sautee the onions and garlic in it

until they are slightly golden. Add fresh tomatoes and half a cupful of water.

Season. Add the oregano and sugar and cook gently, covered, for 15 minutes.

With a spoon, fill the eggplants with this stuffing, opening them slightly.

They should be quite soft by now. Virtually pile the stuffing in them, filling them generously.

Normally they generate enough juices on their own so no addition of liquid is necessary in the oven dish.

Cook in a pre-heated oven, gas no. 4 (350 grades F/180 grades C), for 40 minutes.