Horiatiki Salata (Greek Salad) with Homemade Feta

Whew...it's a toasty one...reaching 98 degrees here today.  Whenever it gets this hot out it reminds me of when my husband and I were traveling in Crete and we were staying along the Libyan Sea.  It was like 100 degrees, combined with Southern California Santa Ana type winds (if you've ever experienced them before) and you get the idea of how hot and dry it was.  We lived off of Greek Salads and good Greek wine and beer...not a bad vacation!   I really love the hot weather though, especially if it's only for a few days.  There is nothing better than taking a walk at 9:00pm and having it be 80 degrees outside!

So tonight, the stove and the oven will remain off and a Greek Salad is the order of the day.  I've always been interested in making my own vegan cheese, but I just haven't had time.  My hubby bought me a vegan cheese making book for Xmas, but they didn't have a recipe for Feta.  So I decided to throw something simple together using Greek flavors such as oregano, basil and mint.  Since this Feta is made with tofu, it doesn't have a melting quality, but it is great for a salad and really resembles Feta.  Plus it gives the salad some protein!

Feta Ingredients:

1 10 oz block of organic Sprouted Wildwood Super Firm Tofu (or similar)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

1 tsp fresh minced oregano

1 tsp fresh minced basil

1 tsp fresh minced mint

1/2 tsp oregano flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:  Remove tofu from package and pat dry.  Slice in half and using a fork crumble into 1" sized pieces.  Place in a bowl and add lemon juice, vinegar and salt, stir and set aside while mincing herbs.  Combine all ingredients together and let sit for about an hour in the fridge for flavors to combine.  Best used within 1-2 days.

In Greece they don't crumble the Feta (you get a 1" thick slice on top, drizzled with olive oil and oregano, nor do they use red wine vinegar.  They also don't use romaine lettuce, but since this is our dinner this evening I wanted a more substantial salad.

Other Ingredients:

Chopped romaine lettuce

Roma tomatoes, quartered

Cucumber, sliced

Green bell pepper, sliced

Red onion, sliced thinly

Kalamata olives, pitted

Oregano flakes

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Red wine vinaigrette (I just whisked together a quick vinaigrette, but you could just drizzle your salad with good quality (preferably Greek) cold pressed olive oil!)

Enjoy (Opa!) 

 

 

 

 

 

Loukoumades with Orange-Cinnamon Syrup

Loukoumades (Greek Donuts) remind me of summertime.  I guess it's because my husband and I would travel to Greece during this time of year, and we would also attend just about every Greek festival in the Bay Area during summer.  The best Loukoumades that I've ever had were at the Belmont Greek Festival, which is held over Labor Day weekend.  The line for Loukoumades would wrap around the building for people to get a bowl of piping hot donuts dipped in warm honey syrup.   But since they're not vegan, no more Belmont for us...so I wanted to make my own version and they are just as delicious if not more!  Everything tastes better when you take the time to make it yourself!

I used to have a great recipe for Loukoumades (kind of like a brioche dough) that I wanted to veganize, but I couldn't find it and so I had to start over experimenting with recipes to get the right texture and flavor.  Actually, I made a batch of these on Saturday night when I had family visiting, but the dough was very difficult to work with.  So my daughter-in-law, who went to pastry school and is an excellent baker, and I sat around afterwards discussing ways to revise the recipe.  We thought about reducing the yeast, reducing the soy, adding more flour, chilling the dough before frying and so I made another batch incorporating some of these changes, but they still weren't right.  I was about to give up because there is only so much fried-sugary food I want to put in my body, but I'm glad that I gave it another shot because as you can see they are perfect little balls of gooey goodness.

Dough Ingredients/Frying:

1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm filtered water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup organic warm plain soy milk (110-115 degrees)
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp ground flax
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
1 liter canola oil for frying
Canola oil spray
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup toasted pistachios, finely chopped

Method:

• In a large bowl add warm water and yeast and let sit for about five minutes to proof yeast.
• Add warm soy milk, agave, ground flax, vanilla extract, salt and whisk to combine.
• Add flour and stir to combine.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for about two hours.
• Add canola oil to a deep dutch oven or pan and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees with a deep fry thermometer.
• Remove plastic from bowl and stir dough a couple of times to remove air bubbles.
• Using a small 1 tbsp ice cream scooper or a regular tablespoon, spray it lightly with canola and then scoop the dough and drop directly into the hot canola oil.  Work with about 6-8 donuts at a time turning them frequently so that they brown evenly.  Remove from oil with a large slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• While donuts are still hot, toss them in the orange-cinnamon syrup and top with finely chopped walnuts and pistachios.  This recipe makes a lot of donuts so I dipped some in cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar as well.
• These donuts are best eaten warm, just after frying.

Orange-Cinnamon Syrup:

1/2 cup agave syrup
3/4-1 cup filtered water
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

• In a small sauce pan, add agave syrup and water, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes until sauce thickens.  You can tell when it's ready because it will start foaming.  To check consistency, spoon a little on to a plate and hold the plate at an angle.  You still want it to drip, but you want it to be a little thicker than maple syrup so that it coats the donuts nicely.
• Remove syrup from heat and let cool.  The syrup will thicken as it cools, so you may need to add a little more water to thin out.
• Once cool, stir in orange zest, vanilla, lemon juice and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

There are a lot of different recipes for Dolmades.  Some recipes add diced tomatoes, currants, pine nuts, cinnamon and allspice to their rice, while others just add fresh herbs and lemon juice.  I've been making this recipe for a long time now. I use it to stuff grape leaves, tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers.  Sometimes in place of the sunflower seeds I'll add pistachios, or I'll cut back on the herbs and add currents and cinnamon.  Regardless of what I add, it still tastes great wrapped in the briny little package.  Serve the Dolmades with Tzatziki Sauce (below) or my Tahini-Mint Sauce, and of course warm pita bread.  I added a little Zatar (oregano, thyme, sesame seeds and sumac) seasoning for additional flavor.
 

Dolma Filling:

1 1/2 cups brown long grain rice
3 cups filtered water
1 medium onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill sprigs
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried Greek oregano leaves
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups vegetable stock
1 2 pound jar of grape leaves
Note:  You'll have a lot of leaves left over with this recipe.  This recipe makes about 20 Dolmades.  I've purchased the smaller 1 pound jars and ended up not having enough leaves because they were torn.

Method:

• Bring water to a boil, add rice and simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly tender.  Drain really well and set aside.
• In a large saute pan, cook onions, celery and garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil until soft.  Add rice, along with dried oregano, fresh herbs, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper to taste and the juice of 1 lemon.  Stir to combine and set aside.
• Add plenty of water to a large stock pot, and bring it to a rapid boil.  Remove grape leaves from the jar and separate the leaves and drop them in the boiling water and blanch for about one minute.  Remove leaves and drain well.  Sort through the leaves and pick ones that are similar in size and that are not ripped or torn.  Also, remove the stem if there is one.  The remainder of the leaves can be used to line the bottom of the pot to keep the Dolmades from burning while cooking.
• I then create an assembly line and work with about 10 Dolmades at a time.  I use a small ice cream scooper so that each dolma is about the same size.  
• Lay the grape leaves with the smooth side down, place a scoop of rice near the base of the leaf and roll up tightly like a burrito.  
• Once all the leaves are stuffed and rolled, line the bottom of the stock pot with extra leaves and place Dolmades seam side down tightly next to each other, working from the outside of the pan to the center.

• Add enough vegetable stock to cover the tops of the grape leaves by about 1", about 2-2 1/2 cups.  Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the juice on 1 lemon.
• Place several smaller plates directly on top of the Dolmades to weigh them down so that they don't float and open up while cooking.
• Cover with a lid, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour until Dolmades are tender.  They may take longer or shorter to cook depending on how tough the leaves are.  Check during cooking process to make sure that the stock has not evaporated.  Add more if necessary.
• When finished, remove Dolmades and strain liquid into a small sauce pan.  Add a pinch of dried oregano and reduce sauce by half.  Pour sauce over Dolmades and serve.

Tzatziki Recipe:

8 oz Follow Your Heart Sour Cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups English cucumbers, diced small
2 tbsp minced dill leaves
1/4 cup minced mint leaves
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Method:

• In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until combined.  Chill until ready to use.

Roasted Vegetable Moussaka

I feel like this is going to be "Greek Week" for me.  All I want to do is make and eat Greek food.  I guess I associate this time of year with traveling abroad and going to local Greek festivals.

Most people think that Moussaka is prepared with ground meat, but for most households in Greece it is made with only vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes.  Actually, the word "Moussaka" refers to any casserole made with vegetables.  The best vegetarian Moussaka that I ever ate was at a small outdoor cafe overlooking the caves of Matala, Crete.  Matala is best known for all the hippies and "flower children" who flocked to the area and lived in the caves during the 1960's and 70's, until Crete declared the caves and the region a "protective area" in 1980.  No one is certain why the caves were built, but current thinking is that they were used for Roman or early Christian tombs.

Our view of the caves from the outdoor cafe

I think that you'll really like this recipe for Moussaka.  I know that the ingredient list looks long, but it takes no longer to make than regular lasagna.  The creamy topping for Moussaka is traditionally made with a cream and cheese bechamel sauce, but my version is made with a cashew cream bechamel and you cannot tell the difference.  It has a wonderful creamy texture, cheesy flavor, heightened with a hint of nutmeg and lemon juice.  It's absolutely delicious and takes me back to Matala!  Now I just need to work on getting a better view!

Tomato Sauce:

1 28 oz can tomato puree
1/2 large onion, diced small
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano flakes, crumbled
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Note:  To save time, you can purchase your favorite marinara sauce, just make sure that you add the cinnamon to give it the authentic Moussaka flavor.

Method:

• In a medium sauce pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.
• Add all the other ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until thick and all the flavors have combined, about one hour.

Cashew Cream Bechamel Sauce:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours or overnight in filtered water
2 cups filtered water
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes, found at Health Food Stores
Juice of 1 1/2-2 lemons
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup filtered water
1/3 package of organic silken or soft tofu, drained
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

• Place cashews in a bowl and cover completely with filtered water for at least 4 hours or longer.  Drain water and place cashews in a blender and add two cups of fresh filtered water and blend until smooth, about 4 minutes depending on what type of blender you have.  Strain cashew cream through a fine mesh strainer into another bowl and set aside.
• In a small sauce pan, saute onions, garlic and thyme until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add a little water, if needed to keep the garlic from burning until onions are soft.  Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a blender or food processor, add cashew cream, onion mixture, tofu and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth.
• In a small cup or bowl, mix together cornstarch and a 1/4 cup of water.
• Pour cashew mixture back into a sauce pan and and heat on medium-low and whisk in cornstarch mixture, nutmeg and the juice of 1-1/2 lemons, salt and pepper to taste.
• Continue stirring mixture until thick and bubbly.  You want the mixture to be the consistency of loose mashed potatoes.
• Remove from heat, cover and set aside until ready to assemble.

Other Ingredients/Assembly:

2 large globe eggplants, cut into 1/8" slices lengthwise
2 pounds organic Yukon gold or White boiling potatoes, cut into 1/8" slices
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Minced parsley

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brush two sheet trays lightly with olive oil and place eggplant slices, trying not to over lap.  Brush the tops of the eggplant lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast eggplant for about 5-10 minutes until soft, depending on your oven.  Since they are sliced very thin you want to make sure that you don't burn them.  This is not to cook them all the way through, just to make them soft.  Remove from oven and set aside.
• For the potatoes, you can either toss them olive oil and roast until soft, or pan fry on a griddle, which I did.  I just brushed the griddle with a little olive oil, placed the potatoes so that they wouldn't overlap, sprinkled with salt and pepper and cooked on medium for about 5-10 minutes until soft.  If you want to cut down on the oil, you can also steam or boil them.  Set potatoes aside until ready to assemble.
• In a 10"x9" or similar size casserole dish, ladle about a 1/3 of the tomato sauce on the bottom.  Layer with eggplant, potatoes, tomato sauce, repeat for the second layer, but for the third layer instead of tomato sauce for the top layer, pour on the cashew cream bechamel over the entire top and smooth with a spatula.
• Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes until bubbly.
• Remove casserole and preheat broiler to 500 degrees, remove foil and place casserole under the broiler for about five minutes for topping to brown.
• Remove from oven, cover with foil again and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
• Sprinkle with minced parsley and drizzle with extra tomato sauce or olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

 






 

My Big Fat Greek Gyro

One of my favorite countries to visit is Greece.  My husband and I have traveled all over the Peloponnese, the Cyclades Islands and Crete.  But I still remember that it was in Athens, at a street corner stand, where I had my first authentic gyro.  I remember that we had just walked about six miles, it was hot, we were exhausted and we sat under a shady tree in a city park devouring our gyros.  And when we returned from vacation, we would crave Greek food and attend just about every Greek Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Our favorites were the San Jose festival held the first weekend of June, and the Belmont festival held over Labor Day weekend.  San Jose has the best Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), and Belmont has the best Loukamades (warm donuts in a honey-cinnamon syrup).  Both of which I will be making and sharing my recipes in upcoming posts.

Just because we're both vegan now, doesn't mean that we still can't have a gyro.  And I could sell this gyro at any Greek festival and no one would have any idea that it didn't contain meat and dairy.  My husband couldn't believe how authentic the flavor and textures were and said that he could eat this every weekend.  I made my own Greek-Gyro flavored seitan from scratch, but you can purchase whatever brand of seitan you like.  I also made my own Tzatziki made with vegan sour cream, dill, mint, garlic, diced cucumber, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  For the bread, I went to a Middle Eastern market and purchased authentic pita, toasted it slightly and brushed it with olive oil before piling on all the ingredients.       

Most gyros in Greece are topped with Lemon-Oregano fries (Patates Lemonates).  I decided to serve my fries along side the pita which made it a little easier to eat. 

Baked Lemon-Oregano Fries:

1 1/2-2 pounds medium sized Yukon gold or white potatoes, peeled and sliced into wedges.  Make sure that you use boiling or waxy potatoes--not russets.
1 tbsp Greek dried oregano
Juice of two-three lemons
Greek extra virgin olive oil or another quality olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss potatoes in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper and spread out evenly on a sheet pan with edges or a large casserole dish.
• Add enough filtered water to just cover the potatoes.
• Bake in the oven until all the liquid is evaporated.
• Drizzle with additional olive oil and bake until golden brown.
• Just before serving, squeeze with additional lemon juice and kosher salt if needed.

Greek Tahini Cake with Maple-Date Glaze

I love simply prepared cakes and a slice of this tahini cake is just perfect.  It's dense, but incredibly moist.  It has a nutty flavor from the tahini and an underlying sweetness from the dates and maple syrup.  I could eat the whole cake (serves 8), but I decided not to and save a piece for my husband.  Serve this cake anytime with a cup of authentic Greek coffee, or a shot of Raki and you're all set!  Just delicious and so easy to make!  Takes me back to Crete!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup whole grain spelt flour
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs, finely ground
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup tahini sauce/paste (found in Middle Eastern markets)
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about two large oranges)
1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
1/4 tsp orange blossom water (optional-found in Middle Eastern markets)
1/3-1/2 cup filtered water

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly oil and flour a 9" cake pan and set aside.
• Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.
• In a blender or food processor add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Add wet ingredients to dry and mix by hand until smooth.
• Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes until cake pulls away from the side of the pan and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Let cool on a cake rack for about 15 minutes before removing.

Maple-Date Glaze:

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup tahini sauce/paste
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Method:

• Remove pit from dates and cut into quarters.  Place dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit covered for 30 minutes until soft, then drain off water.
• In a blender or food processor add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Drizzle glaze over cake and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Greek Rice Pilaf with Kalamata Olives

I've been making this Greek rice pilaf recipe for many years.  I use it to stuff grape leaves, Swiss chard, Napa cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.  Tonight, I served it with sauteed spinach with minced garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.  It also goes great with my Tahini Mint Sauce.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown long grain rice

3 cups filtered water

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tsp dried Greek oregano flakes

1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds (You can also use walnuts or pine nuts.)

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in quarters

Juice of 1-2 fresh lemons

1/2-1 tsp salt (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Fresh dill sprigs for garnish

Method:

• Heat a 2qt sauce pan on medium, add 1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, add brown rice and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Immediately add water, 1/2 tsp salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes longer.  Fluff with a fork and set aside.
• In a large saute pan heat remaining olive oil on medium, add onions and celery and cook for about 5 minutes until onions are soft.  Add garlic, dried oregano and cook for another 2-3 minutes longer.
• Add cooked brown rice, sunflower seeds, mint, dill and stir to combine.
• Fold in Kalamata olives and finish with fresh lemon juice.
• Check seasonings and add salt and pepper if needed.