Seven Layer Greek Dip

Seven Layer Dip- when you hear this name, probably the first recipe you think of is the delicious gooey goodness of refried beans, guacamole, salsa and sour cream topped with all the fixin's. But everyone brings the Mexican version to parties... how about changing it up Mediterranean style next time? Here I layer creamy hummus, bright and zippy Greek yogurt sauce similar to Tzatziki, garden tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and Kalamata olives for a fresh and unexpected spin on a traditional party favorite. This recipe has become a go-to of mine to bring to parties and get-together's with friends.  It is ALWAYS a huge hit and the recipe is always requested.  In fact I bought this appetizer to a recent neighborhood Recipe and Wine Night party and won 1st Place for best Appetizer! Its great served with fresh pita bread, a veggie tray, crackers or pita chips. And if you happen to have leftovers, roll them inside a pita with some crunchy lettuce for a delicious wrap.

While you could totally buy a tub of hummus and pre-made Tzatziki at the store, I love making my own for this app. Hummus is one of those recipes that is SO EASY that after making it the first time you will wonder why you ever bought it pre-made at the store. The ingredients are inexpensive, you can easily change the flavors by what you happen to have in your fridge and all you do is literally dump all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, push a button and DONE.  Simple as that! I am going to share with you my favorite Hummus recipe if you wish to give it a whirl! But either way, store bought or homemade, this Seven Layer Greek Dip is sure to be a huge hit with all your up and coming holiday parties!

Seven Layer Greek Dip

1/2 English cucumber, quartered and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup sliced Kalamata or black olives
3 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion
a few sprigs fresh dill, stems removed

For the Hummus
2 (15 ounce) cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), juices from one can reserved
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice (roughly the juice of two and half lemons)
3-4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes
pinch cumin

Combine in food processor or blender the garbanzo beans, tahini, 1/4 cup lemon juice, garlic, salt, red chili flakes and cumin.  Bend until smooth.  Taste and add more lemon juice to suit your taster.  We prefer  it more on the lemony side.  It will be quite thick at this point.  Slowly add in some of the reserved garbanzo bean juice to thin it out.  Blend again.  Add more of the juice, blend and taste. Repeat until you reach the right consistency.  You won't need all the juice just enough to get it creamy!!  The texture should be smooth and creamy and not too thick.

For the Greek Yogurt Sauce
1 1/3 cups thick plain Greek yogurt, like Fage
1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced (I love a lot of garlic flavor, so I use 2 cloves)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh parley, minced

Combine all Greek Yogurt Sauce ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside. If you prefer a more mild flavor, you can make this up to a day in advance stored in the fridge.  The longer it sits in the fridge, the less "bite" the garlic will have.

Putting it all Together

On a large platter or 8x8 pan, evenly spread the hummus. Next, careful not to smear together with the hummus, evenly spread the Greek Yogurt Sauce on top of the Hummus creating your second layer. Top with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and red onion.  Sprinkle minced fresh dill over the top (kitchen scissors work great for snipping dill evenly over the layered dip!)

Serve immediately with pita bread cut into wedges, fresh veggies, crackers or pita chips.

Greek Orzo with Feta

I have a new favorite orzo recipe, and this is it.  Bonnie made it for our girls Greek Night dinner this month.  It is refreshing and seriously addicting.  It tasted wonderful warm the day it was made and I thoroughly enjoyed it the following day cold out of the fridge.  It would make a great potluck and a surefire family favorite.   

Greek Orzo with Feta 
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 pound dried orzo pasta
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, olives, tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, garlic, oregano, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and toss the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

Kolokithopita- Savory Greek Pumpkin Pie

At our last girls' night in, we decided on a Greek Theme for dinner.  I've made plenty of Souvlaki's, hummus and pitas, kabobs, and all your traditional fare in the past.  So tonight I thought I would try something a little different.  Being that it is fall and I love all things pumpkin this recipe really stood out to me.  It is a pie, like the famous Spanakopita; a spinach and cheese pie layered between flaky phyllo pastry.  Only instead of spinach it uses the festive pumpkin!  It is called a "pumpkin pie", but it tastes nothing like the American counterpart.  It has a slight sweetness thanks to the pumpkin, but otherwise it is a very savory dish with the salty feta and ricotta cheeses, sautéed onion, and rice.  It was a lovely recipe and I am so glad I gave it a whirl!  You should too.

Kolokithopita- Savory Greek Pumpkin Pie

adapted slightly from Healthy Greek Recipes

1 medium to small pumpkin OR one can of pumpkin
1 large onion, chopped
1 and ½ cups milk (I prefer evaporated because is creamier)
1 cup short grain rice
2 whole eggs (substitute is ok too)
2 cups different cheeses (you can use feta, which is typical, but any other cheese will do it as long as it is a salty one.  I used one cup of feta and one cup of ricotta)
pepper to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
Either ½ box of Phyllo (pictured) or 1 whole box puff pastry

If using a whole pumpkin, cut in half, clean out the seeds and grate the pumpkin into a bowl.  Set aside. 

In large skillet sauté the onion until it begins to caramelize and turn brown. Add the pumpkin stirring occasionally over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes until it looks like paste. Add the milk and rice and stir for about ten more minutes. Add the eggs, cheeses cinnamon and pepper and mix throughly. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your liking.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

If using puff pastry:
Brush olive oil at the bottom of a pan and roll out the first sheet of pastry on the bottom.  Spread the pumpkin and cheese mixture on top and layer with the second sheet of pastry. Brush the top with a little olive oil and put it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry becomes light gold. Allow to cool before you cut in squares.

If using phyllo dough:
Brush the pan with melted butter. Carefully layer the thin sheets of phyllo one on top of the other, brushing each sheet with the melted butter or olive oil before adding a new sheet of phyllo.  You want about half of the stack of phyllo layered on the bottom of the pan.  Spread the pumpkin and cheese mixture on top and repeat layering and buttering of the remaining sheets of phyllo dough until gone.  With a sharp knife carefully score the top few sheets of phyllo dough into squares where you will want to cut them apart.  This will keep the phyllo from shattering when you cut it after baking.  Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the phyllo sheets are crisp and golden brown.


I linked up my recipe on Mom's Crazy Cooking!

Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

I love a nice chilled pasta salad for a summer lunch and they are obviously the perfect side dish for any picnic or BBQ.  But I am not always all that crazy about those that are doused in mayo.  Talk about wasted calories! I would much rather have an extra glass of sangria then mayo-laden pasta salad.  This is a lovely alternative. Totally guilt free and absolutely bursting with flavor.  I used my sister's Roasted Tomato Salad Dressing and it went perfect with the feta and olives.  So yummy!  And actually I felt that the salad tasted even better the next day after all of the flavors got to hang out with each other a bit.  If I was making this for a party, I would definitely put it together the night before.

print this recipe

Greek Pasta Salad with a Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette 

For the vinaigrette:
Roasted Tomato Dressing
Container of cherry or grape tomatoes
Small red onion (I used 3 chopped green onions, since that is what I had on hand.  Any onion would work really)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 1/2-2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Empty and entire container of tomatoes on a baking pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven until they start to split, about 15 min. While roasting, mince a small red onion & put in large bowl. Take roasted tomatoes and juice from the pan and put in bowl with the onions. Mash the tomatoes with potato masher or fork. Stir in dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar. In a slow steady stream, stir in olive oil while stirring with a whisk or a fork.  Stir until well blended, add salt & pepper to taste.

For the pasta salad:
1/2 box cavatappi pasta, cooked according to directions on box (or another ridged pasta; penne, fusilli or gremili would be nice)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 english cucumber, sliced into rings and then cut into fourths
1 can black olives, sliced into rings
1 block feta, crumbled
a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

Cook pasta to al-dente, according to directions printed on the box.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Set aside to allow to cool down.  This is a good time to make up your vinaigrette.  Once your vinaigrette is made, combine all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix well.  Chill for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

I have a hard time waiting to eat this yumminess, but I have to admit it tastes best chilled.

You could definitely add cooked chicken or shrimp to make this more of main course.  It would be delicious!

Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Elizabeth Malone

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

Elizabeth Malone

Liz and her handsome son Mannie

When you were a child, did your mom make your older brother or sister take you along when they went to play with their friends?  Or maybe you were the one with the permanent tag-a-long?  Although I always loved it, (I mean how cool is it playing with your older sister and her friends?!) my sister did not!  That is until she became friends with this girl Tina.  You see, Tina had a younger sister my age.  So not only could I come along, but I would have a wonderful playmate to have fun with instead of tagging along with the big girls.  It was a win-win situation!  Lizzy was so much fun!  We would play for hours on end, running through my parents woods, feeding the chickens, and doing all things little girls do best. She was a wonderful friend and encompassed quite a lot of my childhood memories.  As we grew up, we drifted apart; different schools= different friends.  It was a bummer, but something that happens so easily when you are a kid.  

Move ahead something like 17 years and there is this new thing called "social networking" ok, ok facebook... and guess who I reconnect with?!  My sweet, wonderful, childhood friend Liz!  It was so great looking at her life now and seeing the amazing things she is doing with herself.  She is married to a devoted man, Pat and has the most handsome son, Mannie.  And just as I remember my Lizzy being, all smiles, bubbly, and full of life- she is that and more now as an adult!  It makes my heart full of joy knowing she is doing so well.  She is right in the midst of launching a national magazine, Felicity.  It is all about happiness, and it is SO Liz.  Keep an eye on this girl- She is going places.

So for today's segment of Fridays, Feasting with Friends I am proud and honored to share with you my blissfully happy friend, Elizabeth Malone.  

What is your favorite thing to cook?
Ethnic food: Middle Eastern, Greek, Italian, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, etc. I love fresh herbs, spices and flavor!

How about your least favorite thing to cook?
Meat! I avoid eating anything that comes from a being with a face or a mom.

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?
I can’t pick just one! My favorite local restaurants are Falafel Café, Saffron Patch, Mint Café, Organic Energy, Aladdin’s and Tommy’s. I am excited to try Flaming Ice Cube on Public Square. I’ve heard wonderful things about their first location near Boardman.

Music and food go together so beautifully. If you were hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?
I have a cooking playlist of Ingrid Michaleson, Maxwell, Alecia Keys, Melanie Fiona, Robin Thicke, Norah Jones, James Blunt, Will Young, Yael Naim, and Mike Posner. Once we sit down to eat, I like to turn off the music and fully enjoy my company.

What would you chose as your last meal here on earth?
For my last meal I wouldn’t be concerned with what I ate, as long as I shared it with the people that I love.

What are you currently reading?
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

What is my favorite kitchen gadget?
It’s a close tie between my Vitamix and Twin Health Marathon Living Juice Extractor.

Do you have a signature go-to dish?
Simple creations. I’ll experiment with delicious combinations of vegetables or fruits based on whatever I have in the garden or refrigerator. Then I’ll cook a grain and legume that tastes good with it. I rarely make the same things over and over. I try to keep a wide variety of foods in my diet. Recently, I tossed homegrown tomatoes with red onion, basil, capers, balsamic vinegar and sea salt. I ate it alongside quinoa (or farro, brown rice, couscous, etc.) and cannellini beans seasoned with fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and a touch of olive oil. When I was little, I never liked the food on my plate to touch. Now when I cook, I still like to make sure all the ingredients compliment one another.

What is your favorite thing about Cleveland?
My favorite thing about Cleveland is the people! We know how to work hard for what we want, overcome obstacles, enjoy moderation because of our inherent extremes (in weather, wealth, sports teams…), we stick together when we need to, and people from Cleveland remember their roots!!

What is your favorite childhood meal and do you cook it still today?
I had so many favorite childhood meals! I used to eat dinner twice, once at my best friend Jenny Iacobacci’s house and again with my family. Mrs. Iacobacci and my mom were the most amazing cooks! My mom wrote the first extensive menu that turned Alfonso’s Pizza into a restaurant. She later opened two of her own restaurants: Moondog’s Diner and Evelyn’s at Lakeside. My dad also contributed to my appreciation of fine food by introducing me to imported Italian food stores, and he always included his kids when he dined at the best restaurants.

I also remember when I came to your house as a child, your parents introduced me to gardening and pickled dilly beans! I have wanted more ever since!

As a teenager, I practically lived with best friends from Greek and Arabic families. I was blessed to become part of their families, and I was constantly surrounded by mouthwatering food! I still have a circle of culinary moms that I learn from, and I adapt their recipes to fit my vegan lifestyle.

My favorite is a Greek recipe called Yemistes. Or as I called it, “yummy stuff”.

Yemistes "Yummy Stuff"
6 big, ripe tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
½ cup rice
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup fresh dill
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup raisins or currants (optional)
1 large can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)
Slice tops off tomatoes and save. Discard any slimy seeds. Scoop out pulp, chop and set aside. Place tomato shells in large casserole. Sprinkle insides of tomato shells with sugar. Sautee onions in ½ cup olive oil until soft. Add chopped tomato pulp, pine nuts, rice, dill, parsley and currants. Add ¼ cup olive oil and mix well. Sautee about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill tomatoes with mixture.

In separate bowl, combine large can of tomato sauce with ¼ c olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the tomato sauce over the tomatoes. Place tomato tops on top of the stuffed tomatoes. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake for 50 minutes or until rice is cooked, basting occasionally.

Goes well with…

Romanian Eggplant Dip
1-2 eggplants
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of Follow Your Heart Vegenaise (a healthier substitution for mayo)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Grill whole eggplant, turning regularly until entire skin becomes charred and blistered.  Allow to cool. Carefully peel off the charred skin and discard.  Place eggplant in food processor or chop by hand into pulp. Mix pulp with shallot, vegenaise, olive oil.  Season to taste and mix well. If you like it creamier, add more vegenaise or less if you like more eggplant flavor (like in baba ghanoush).  Chill overnight. Serve with fresh pita, carrots, thin rice crackers or as a sandwich spread.

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Wow, that’s hard! I know there are more, but the first three that come to mind are: Pay It Forward, Goodwill Hunting, and The Life of David Gale.

What was your happiest moment in life?
I appreciate everything in my life, but the happiest moments are the ones when I feel like the layers between heaven and earth get a little bit thinner, and I experience the synchronicity in my life that confirms I’m headed in the right direction.

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
Whole Foods, Heinen’s, Athen’s Pasteries & Imported Foods, Urban Herbs, Aladdin’s Baking Company, the Westside Market and my local farmers’ markets in Geauga County.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
I used to live above a French bakery in Vail, and I could eat an entire loaf of fresh bread when my roommate brought it home. Good bread is probably my biggest weakness because once I start, I can’t stop eating it until it’s gone!

Can you tell me what you are most proud of?
I am most proud of my husband, Pat. He is truly the best person I know. He doesn’t profess to be spiritual or religious, but he lives by example. Pat has taught me more about life, compassion, and love than anyone else I know.

Do you have any culinary resolutions you would like to complete this year?
My culinary resolution is to keep a journal of my recipes because I seldom remember how to make the same thing twice!

One word That best describes you is: Positive