Greek Salad Pitas with Olive-Garlic Tapende

Greek Salad Pitas with Olive-Garlic Tapende

by | Sep 5, 2012 | Recipes

The hunt for recipes that allow us to use our weekly bag full of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetables and fruits continues. Our allotment of cucumbers is one I find difficult to use – often I leave them in my brother and sister-in-law’s fridge during Tuesday visits with Mom at his house. So when the August 17-19 issue of USA Weekend ran this recipe, I was delighted.

As usual, I messed with the recipe by adding onion, which we both like, relegating the feta cheese to stand-by status to accommodate dairy allergies, and cutting down on the amount of tomato and cucumber, (Even though I wanted to use mine up, I can only eat so much of that veggie.) So here’s my version of this yummy sandwich that is healthy, easy and delicious. Hiram and I gave this recipe 2 thumbs up. What about you?

Zesty Greek Salad Pitas with Olive-Garlic Tapende

1 small to medium cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks (about 1 cup)
1 cup of chopped tomato
4 medium radishes, cut into chunks
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 – 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh
Fresh ground black pepper
3 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 whole-wheat pita pockets
1/4 cup Olive-Garlic Tapenade (see recipe below)

In a medium bowl, combine all vegetables except spinach. Add olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and black pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.

In blender or food processor, combine 2 cloves garlic (I ran mine through a garlic press first), 1 cup Kalamata olives, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Process in blender or food processor until mixture is spreadable, but not completely smooth.

Spread inside of each pita pocket with a tablespoon of olive-garlic tapenade. Stuff with 3/4 cup spinach and 1/2 cup of salad mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!

Fourth of July Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad

Fourth of July Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad

by | Jul 4, 2012 | Recipes

We were on the road so much last week I hardly had time to cook, let alone try a new recipe. So today, for readers still unsure of what to fix for a Fourth of July meal,  here’s a rerun of our current favorite summer grilling recipe. It meets all my criteria since it’s easy, tasty, healthy, and makes decent left overs.

We had it for supper Monday night, for the first time with fresh oregano from my new herb garden. Oh my, oh my, oh my, was that delicious. So give it a try and leave a comment about how it goes over at your house.

Greek Salad with Grilled Shrimp

1 head romaine lettuce chopped (or an equal amount of other greens)
2 sweet peppers, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

(The original recipe called for two chopped tomatoes and a chopped cuke)

Toss all together in bowl and put in refrigerator. Then prepare the shrimp as follows.
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and with tails off
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cajun or creole seasoning

Toss shrimp with oil and seasoning. Thread on skewers and grill for 1 – 2 minutes per side, until shrimp is done. Put on a platter.

Mix together the juice from 1/2 lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle over lettuce mixture and toss well. Divide equally among 6 plates. Arrange shrimp on top and serve.