Monday, July 20, 2015

Tonight's Dinner Plan. And get this: I found everything on my shopping list!

Greek Dinner
Starters: spanakopita, chicken kebabs with tzatziki sauce
Mains: Lamb Kofte, greek lemon potatoes, chickpea salad
Greek Lemon Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered      1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil                 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
12 garlic cloves, sliced     1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Transfer potatoes in single layer onto baking sheet.Roast 30 minutes.
While potatoes are roasting, make the dressing by whisking extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and lemon peel in small bowl. Pour two tablespoons of the mixture into another small bowl and add garlic.
Divide garlic mixture between baking sheets with potatoes and toss to coat; reverse baking sheets and roast until potatoes are tender and brown around edges, about 15 minutes longer.
In a large bowl, toss roasted potatoes with enough of remaining dressing to coat and serve.
Spanakopita Triangles
Prep Time: 30 Minutes  Cook Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 35 Minutes       Servings: 12
INGREDIENTS:
55 ml vegetable oil                          1 large onion, chopped
1 Kg fresh spinach                            4 g chopped fresh dill
8 g all-purpose flour                        125 g feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, lightly beaten                     salt and pepper to taste
3/4 package phyllo dough            165 g butter, melted
DIRECTIONS:
1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.            Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions until softened. Mix in spinach, once wilted, add dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
3.            Separate one sheet of phyllo from the stack and evenly brush with a light coating of butter. Place another sheet of phyllo over the butter and press the two sheets together. Cut the layered phyllo dough into long strips about 3 inches wide. Keep the remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
4.            Lay out one strip of phyllo at a time on your work surface with one of the narrow ends close to you. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling 1 inch from the end closest to you. Fold the bottom right corner over the filling to the left edge to form a triangle. Fold the triangle up, bringing the point at the bottom left up to rest along the left edge. Turn the lower left corner over to touch the right edge. Continue turning the triangle over in this manner until you reach the end of the phyllo. Repeat with the remaining filling and phyllo dough.
5.            Place filled phyllo dough triangles on a large baking sheet and brush with the remaining butter. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Tzatziki Sauce

450 g greek yogurt
 2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and finely diced
 30 ml olive oil
 1 Tbsp lemon juice
 salt and pepper to taste
 4 g finely chopped fresh dill
 3 cloves garlic, finely crushed

In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Blend thoroughly, chill for one hour before serving.


Lamb Kofte Kebabs

250 g lamb mince
250 g beef mince
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp dill, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine the ground lamb and beef mixture, breadcrumbs, half the shallot, a pinch of garlic (save the rest for the vegetables), the remaining dill and remaining mint; season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 4 equal, oblong patties and insert a wooden skewer lengthwise into the center of each.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium until hot. Add the kebabs and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. (Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to help the kebabs cook faster.) Transfer the cooked kebabs to a plate, leaving any drippings in the pan. Set the cooked kebabs aside in a warm place.

Garnish with the cucumber-yogurt sauce and lemon wedges. Enjoy!


Chickpea Salad
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
0.5 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup black olives, drained and chopped
30 g crumbled feta cheese
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
60 ml balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste


Combine the beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olives, cheese, salad dressing, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper. Toss together and refrigerate 2 hours before serving. Toss feta in before serving. Serve chilled.