Fakes - warming lentil soup

Looking for inspiration for a weekday lunch that you can make on the weekend and eat throughout the week that is super healthy?

Fakes is your answer!

When I was younger, my mother would chase me around the house trying to get me to eat my weekly bowl of lentil soup (fakes soupa). Now I'd chase her across the world to have her soup on a weekly basis. So obviously, when I finally got my hands on her recipe, I just had to share it with you all as it is delicious and great for batch cooking.

I am constantly trying to think of inspirational healthy lunches that I can make on the weekend and then take in to work for the week, this recipe is the winner!

The main ingredient in fakes is lentils which are famous for their nutritional benefits. They are a great source of protein for vegetarians and are high in fiber, vitamins, iron and minerals. Lentils can help reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce cholesterol and increase your energy - just what you need during these cold winter months.

Fakes is a family favourite in Greece and is a great way to promote healthy eating for all. My recipe below makes four servings. Fakes goes perfectly with feta cheese crumbled on top and some warm crusty bread on the side.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils

4 cups water

1 finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped carrots

2 finely chopped celery stalks

1 crushed garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 vegetarian stock cube

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon oregano

Chopped parsley for garnish

Half pack of Feta cheese (crumbled)

Red wine vinegar to taste


Instructions

1. Boil the lentils for 5 minutes and then drain and set aside

2. In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and brown the onion and garlic, then add the chopped carrot, celery and stir

3. Add the fakes, add 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon tomato paste

4. Crumble the stock cube into the soup

5. Add bay leaves and oregano, stir all together and leave to simmer for 1 hour (you may need to add some more water depending on how thick/ watery you want the soup to be)

6. Once cooked, serve into bowls, stir in some vinegar to taste (I usually add 1 tablespoon per bowl), sprinkle some feta on top, add some parsley for garnish

Kali orexi - enjoy!!

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Spanakopita - Spinach and Feta Cheese pie

Planning a dinner party this weekend...Spanakopita is your answer!

This is probably one of my favourite recipes of all time. Like all Greeks, I grew up eating Spanakopita. It is a delicious mix of spinach and feta cheese wrapped in crisp filo pastry.

You can buy Spanakopita everywhere in Greece, all bakery's sell it and you will often see Greek people grabbing one to go for breakfast or as a snack. However, nothing beats a homemade dish and my mother's recipe is the best!

Spanakopita literally means spinach (spanaki) pie (pita) and in Greece you can get lots of different types of pitas…Spanakopita (spinach pie), Tiropita (feta cheese pie), Kotopita (chicken pie), Kolokithopita (courgette pie)...notice how they all end in pita, pie! And they are all so tasty! 

Spanakopita has been around for generations and everyone has their own little twist to the recipe. To be truly authentic you should really make your own filo pastry and whilst this can be highly therapeutic, it is just so much easier to buy it from the supermarket and it tastes just as good if I am being honest!

You can make spanakopitakia (confusing huh!?), which basically means small spanakopita which are usually in triangular or half moon shapes…

However, I like to make my spanakopita in a large baking dish, keeping it very traditional. It can either be served as a main dish or cut into smaller pieces and eaten as a snack or as part of meze (Greek starters, similar to Spanish tapas).

My recipe below serves 6-8 people. It is a great vegetarian dish that I usually either serve alongside a meat dish or serve with a large Greek salad and a dollop of tzatziki on the side. Spanakopita should ideally be eaten the same day you make it as the phyllo pastry becomes less crisp the second day, but if you warm it up in the oven (never in the microwave as it gets soggy), it tastes just as good!

Ingredients

500g filo pastry

1kg fresh spinach

2 large leeks

500g feta cheese

60g rice

30g butter

2-3 tablespoons of fresh dill

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 medium onions

2 eggs

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Wash the spinach and add to a saucepan of boiling water for 3-5 min. Drain, squeeze out all the water and set aside (if you don't have a big saucepan you may need to do a few batches as there is a lot of spinach - Popeye would be in heaven!)

2. Finely chop the leeks and onion. Saute both in a large fry pan with a tablespoon of oil until soft and brown

3. Boil rice for approx. 10 min until soft, drain any remaining water and set aside

4. Add the spinach, chopped dill and parsley to the onions and leeks and stir 

5. Whisk two eggs in a bowl, add to the fry pan and mix in with the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper

6. Crumble the feta cheese into small pieces and mix it in with the mixture above (delicious)

7. Melt the butter in a cup in the microwave and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil

8. Grease a large baking tray with the olive oil and butter mixture

Now the fun bit begins:

9. Line the baking tray with 1 packet of filo pastry. Brush each sheet separately with the butter and olive oil mixture using a pastry brush, just like my picture below

10. Make sure the pastry is hanging over the edges so that you can fold it over to make a crisp golden crust

11. Add the mixture from the saucepan as the filling and spread out evenly over the pastry in the baking tray

12. Use the filo pastry from the second pack to cover the filling, ensuring the edges are hanging over the baking try as before. Don't forget to brush each sheet separately with the butter and olive oil mixture (you may need to add a tad more olive oil if you are running low)

13. Fold the sides back over into the tray to create that crispy crust around the edge of the tray and brush with the butter and olive oil so that it turns a gorgeous golden colour when baked

14. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 45 mins or until golden brown

15. Let it cool slightly before serving

Kali orexi - enjoy!!

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Spanakorizo (Spinach and Rice) Healthy Greek Comfort Food

Meatless Mondays are for Spanakorizo!

A classic Greek comfort food that is extremely healthy and absolutely delicious. It is easy to make and can be served as a side or main dish. Try it with some feta cheese and crusty bread on the side and you will be in food heaven!

Spanakorizo is probably one of the easiest and healthiest vegetarian Greek recipes as its main ingredient is spinach, the famous super food! Spinach is full of antioxidants and fiber, essential for staying healthy during these cold winter months.

My recipe below makes two main courses or four side dishes.
Ingredients

500 grams of spinach (washed)

1 onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for drizzling on top at the end

Two thirds of a cup of water
One third of a cup of rice (I used wild rice)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of chopped dill

Juice from half a lemon

Instructions




1. In a large saucepan wilt the spinach with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of olive oil

2. Drain and set aside

3. Sauté the onion with the rest of the olive oil until soft in a saucepan

4. Add the spinach, dill and two thirds of a cup of water and bring to a boil

5. Add the rice, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 20 minutes until rice is soft and the water is absorbed (you may need to add additional water to get the rice soft – just taste and see)






6. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a slice of feta and some crusty bread – delicious!


Kali Orexi – enjoy!!

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