Greek Souvlaki Salad

Greek Prep Sorted

 

Hello guys,

I hope you’re having a splendid Saturday morning.

Are you? Don’t lie to me now.

Good.

I can confirm that in 24 hours time I’ll be on a plane heading to Athens! Whoop! This both excites and worries me considering that I actually haven’t finished packing yet and even though I haven’t been on Greek land since I was 18, I have no doubt that the vibrant, relaxed and rich culture will be as satisfying as a sizzling serving of souvlaki.

Oh, did someone mention souvlaki? How completely unplanned and relevant to this blog post…

Yep, as I’m still on my Greek kick, I decided to share a quick and light lunch option I actually made ages ago that I’ve been excited about trying again since booking this Holiday. Inspired by something I tried whilst volunteering at Food Bloggers connect last year from a company called The Athenian – this classic Greek dish is filling, tasty and wonderfully simple. It turns out that I’m usually very pleased with simple things – I’ll end that comment there.

Souvlaki usually consists of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables cooked on a skewer which are then often served wrapped up in a flatbread with an array of salad and sauce. It can be a little messy but it is most definitely worth it. I always embrace the full 90 degree turning of the head when eating such foods. You can’t turn the souvlaki, you might lose some of the fillings!!!

I recreated a vaguely similar taste of this delicious Greek staple not long after returning from Food Bloggers Connect (my food needs were strong) and was pleasantly surprised at how easy this was to make. It literally involves a little bit of grilling, chopping up some veggies and mixing together a 3 ingredient sauce; so simple I even I could handle it and with the combination of the fresh salad, seasoned meat and tangy, sweet sauce this dish is the perfect way to step into spring.

Oh, did someone mention spring? How coincidental and completely unintentionally on topic for the next point of conversation…

As it actually is spring (don’t be deceived by the British weather) I decided to highlight some potential seasonal ingredients that can be used for this dish. We don’t buy everything seasonally but it’s a good idea in order to get better quality produce for the cheapest prices and it also supports the local economy a bit more – yay, economy.  Another bonus is that eating seasonally can push you out of your food comfort zone and get you to try new things. I didn’t know how much I was going to end up loving persimmons but since last Autumn/winter (when I tried them for the first time) I have since seriously considered either emigrating or going on Jeremy Kyle for them. I love me some persimmons!!!

So, seasonal produce is something I’d recommend and any ingredient in Green below means that it’s in season – grab it if you can! Think supermarket sweep just less orange and without the inflatable banana.

Disclaimer: If you attempt to play supermarket sweep in your local Asda, you will be instructed to get out of the trolley and/or asked to leave the premises. Alex tested.

Anyway, I better finish packing or this salad is the closest I’m going to get to Greece this year! I hope you have an amazing week and I look forward to sharing my travel adventures, when I’m back.

Greece, Here we come!

Opa!!!!!!! (have I used that correctly yet?)

xxx

Greek Souvlaki Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients:

For the salad base

A few handfuls of salad leave spinach, rocket and maybe even water cress

Some chopped vegetables of choice – cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado

Protein of choice such as some chicken or in this case I used some extra lean pork (as it’s all we had on hand) – feel free to omit the meat if vegetarian/ vegan or use an appropriate substitute like haloumi or tofu. You could even use a grilled vegetable in this salad let’s say… Asparagus

A pinch of oregano and/or parsley (optional but recommended)

Olive oil spray or 1 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

2-3 tbsp Greek yoghurt (can use a non-dairy yoghurt like Soy for vegan)

1 tsp honey (can use agave/maple syrup/fruit syrup for vegan)

1 tsp lemon juice

Extras

A metal skewer or wooden skewer that has been soaked in water for twenty minutes or so to prevent burning

Instructions:

Preheat the grill to a high heat.

Season the meat with a little olive oil (you don’t need much) oregano, salt and pepper before chopping into vaguely cube shaped pieces and threading onto a soaked skewer.

Spray a grill with cooking spray and lay down the meat-skewer..

Grill for at least ten minutes on a very high heat or until the meat is cooked through. - I used a George Forman grilling machine for this.

Whilst the meat is cooking, combine the rest of the salad ingredients together on a plate or in a bowl.

Mix together the sauce ingredients.

When meat is cooked, remove from the grill; ensure it is cooked all the way through before placing on the salad followed by the sauce.

Optional touches – sprinkle with some more oregano and grind a little more pepper on top. I also recommend consuming the whole thing wrapped up in a whole wheat/sprouted grain flat-bread or pita because carbs. That is all. ;) 

Also, if you want to check out this link the The Athenian's website - this was probably my favourite thing I ate over my weekend volunteering at FBC and I ate cake, Mexican food and hot dogs that weekend. Need I say more. 

Baked Falafel

No more falafel for you!!! (I've been watching Friends again)

Chairete people! (hello in Greek)

Nope, I'll admit that I don't even know where to begin in pronouncing that word but the Google speaker woman made a noise that sounded like quiche, air and E.T. combined. I'm not hopeful.

...

Opa!

That's Greek; that much I know

Anyway the reason for the Mediterranean outburst is due to me no longer being able to contain my excitement at going to Greece with my bud Ellen in just over a week's time! I don't think I've actually mentioned it on this blog yet, whoops. Surprise I going to Greece! Athens for three days to be precise to look at naked statues of ripped men absorb all of the culture and history, followed by another three days on the coast in a small town called Palouki to visit Olympia and explore the beaches. As I'm sure you'll understand, there are multiple reasons as to why I'm more than eager to get on a plane and escape the slog of the daily work routine for a week but as I'm a compulsive troll and love listing things, below are some of my top picks for what I'm looking forward to:

1. Firstly the food, always the food (and as the Mediterranean diet is said to be one of the most healthful in the world, I expect to come back with glowing skin and luscious hair, anything less than this will be disappointing).
2. Greece's fantastic history and mythology, although I'm pretty worried that at some point I will be mistaken for a Gorgon. As I've aged, mum's curly hair gene seems to have transitioned from recessive to a dominant state and now I'm probably going to have to pre-warn Ellen before we reach coastal air that despite arriving with Alex she'll probably be leaving with Medusa.
3. The vibrant culture - I've read that it's a compliment for people to spit at you as traditionally this is done to ward off the evil eye and any bad luck. Being spat at in a positive way... that's nice.
4. Because my name is traditionally Greek, I'm hoping that everyone will be extra nice (fingers crossed for free moussaka!!!)
5. The weather - if you live in England, this doesn't really need any further explaining. If you don't live in England, think sadness out of Inside Out - that is the most accurate way I can describe our climate.
6. Spending time with one of the most important people in my life. Ellen studied Classics at college and as a result is very clued up on Ancient Greece. This trip was her idea and is something that she has wanted to do for years and as a result I am beyond chuffed that she asked me along to share this little adventure with her. I love my freckly friend :) (maybe even more than crumble... I said maybe).

In preparation, Ellen has been learning a few Greek phrases to help us get by whilst so far all I've done is practice my best pointing/nodding and have tried to convince Nam that the reason I dropped and smashed one of the dinner plates was so that I would be ready for any potential Greek parties.

Opa?

Yeah, she may be 75 but she's not daft.

Anyway, I've also been getting into the spirit for this trip via some food experimentation and hence today I am sharing something usually found on any self-respecting Mediterranean pop-up food stand - Falafel!

Despite originating in Egypt and the Middle East before spreading northwards to places like Greece over time, this dish (mostly comprised of chickpeas) is a street foodie favourite all over Southern European cities. Quick, hot and perfectly portable in pita, this snack provides a tasty punch of plant-based protein that will keep any avid tourist powered up for exploring all day.

Fun fact - whilst drunk in Prague after joining a stranger's stag-do (odder things happened whilst travelling) my friend Georgie and I walked for well over an hour to find somewhere that was still open to serve us food. When we eventually located a small 'hole in the wall' type place, the only thing I wanted off of the menu was falafel , something I had never craved let alone even eaten before. Since that night, it's become a bit of a problem. I love the stuff!

However, traditionally falafel is deep fried which is delicious but kind of defeats the chick pea's healthy vibe. Sadly, it's probably advisable to not have it all the time but me being me, thought screw that I want it! Hence, I found a recipe which simply baked the fabulous fritters as opposed to frying them and by making a few more wholesome switches managed to come up with something that is crispy on the outside, warm and chewy on the inside, all whilst being refreshingly light and wonderfully satisfying.  

I hope you enjoy and Καλή όρεξη! (Kalí óreksi – Bon appetit in Greek).

Baked Falafel

Makes 9-10 pieces

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed

1 onion – peeled and chopped

2-3 garlic cloves – peeled and chopped

Small handful of chopped coriander leaves or 1 tbsp dried

Small handful of chopped parsley leaves or 1 tbsp dried

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp whole meal flour

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp olive oil

Salt/pepper to taste

Cooking spray or additional olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (we like it hot).

Throw (literally if your aim is good) all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend them together. Then proceed to lovingly form the mixture into little patties about the size of the palm of your hand.
Spray cooking spray or olive oil onto a baking tray and place the falafel onto it before baking in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Store them in the fridge as an easy grab and go snack or cram them between some warm pita breads with salad, hummus and avocado before pushing them into your facial vortex. Nom!

Feed Me Seymour Friday! (This time on a Saturday)

Just another day of eating...

Breakfast – 6:45am

Things started off a little fishy on this particular day and it wasn’t due to the suspicious behaviour of next door’s cat who has started making regular break-ins to my room whenever I leave the window open. What do you want Oscar?! It can’t be any more attention; I have no more to give! Maybe he was after the first part of breakfast which consisted of some salmon and mushrooms on a whole-wheat English muffin accompanied by a trough of spinach. Yes, this is what the cat has probably been hankering after, he’d love this -my sister wouldn’t however; this is something she’d only eat if being force-fed in hell.

Part 2 of breakfast was a bit more exciting, actually who am I kidding it was a million more times exciting. Lately I’ve been on a bit of a carrot cake trip and by that I mean I just want it. Like, all the time. In reality, who really doesn’t want carrot cake all the time? Do you? Of course you do, we all do. Anyway, to satisfy this near homicidal need for the carroty goodness, I got to experimenting in the kitchen again and one of the many creations (both good and horrific) were these carrot cake breakfast bites. Consisting of carrots, oats, a couple of dates, a little desiccated coconut and some truvia, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger these little guys were the perfect sweet treat and more than acceptable as part of a balanced breakfast. I think this recipe needs a little perfecting before I post it fully but as all the kids are saying: Watch this place. Wait, no damn it, I mean sp…

Morning Snack – 11:00am

I was Ballsy enough to actually photograph my food at work for this post. Please enjoy the background of my desk, guest starring my keyboard. As you may or may not know, I usually have a pretty hefty mid-morning snack and today was no exception. Looking at this box of treats, you will spy some white grapes, a very undersized apple, some walnuts, a home-made cinnamon-sugar cake-cookie (which is actually sugar free) and what’s this? Ooooh, a mystery item in foil. This is intriguing, let’s find out what’s inside.

Tadah!

Well that was underwhelming wasn’t it? However, looks can be deceiving dear friends as this little Frisbee has been a consistent go to snack lately due to both its simplicity and taste factor. It’s basically two corn cakes sandwiched together with some chocolate PB2 and sliced banana. A bit of a basic bi*** snack I know but honestly it’s so good, not to mention versatile. You can use any nut butter and fruit combo for this and if you’re really feeling fancy, a dash of cinnamon usually never goes amiss but on this day something inside of me was screaming ‘Elvis!’ and the peanut butter/banana mix just seemed right.

Lunch – 2:00pm

Touching back on that ‘looks can be deceiving’ point we just went over, lunch was of those examples where food, even though tasting good and being full of nutritious, wholesome ingredients can sometimes resemble something that would more likely be found clogging up the u-bend of a kitchen sink. Yes, Lunch looked sad today. If you’re wondering what this strange creation is, the answer is a very hearty and delicious vegetable casserole with broccoli, asparagus, carrots, swede, leeks, onions, lentils and kidney beans accompanied by a side of mustard mash. Tasty, despite looking like it’s already been pre-digested.

Dinner – 6:15pm

Dinner was lovingly prepped by Nan (thank goodness for nans), and consisted of some basa fish, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and sweet potato mash. The only thing I had to do when I got back from work was pop the fish in the microwave which truth be told, I didn’t think would be as much of an issue as it was. This seemingly simple task actually turned out to be quite the opposite, as radioactive, hot fish is quite spiteful and tends to both spit bits of itself all over the interior of the microwave whilst simultaneously stinking out the kitchen.

Quite rude really.

After ensuring that the kitchen smelt like Plymouth harbour I chilled for a few hours with my brother who was on a fleeting visit from Devon. We chatted about a manner of important topics such as who died on the Walking Dead and what epicness we think is going to take place on the upcoming season of Game of Thrones - very pressing matters indeed.

Post Workout snack – 9:30pm

By the time I actually got round to working out it was 8:45pm and let’s be real here, nobody needs weighted arm circles past 9 in the evening. On this day I think it was mostly upper body with some cardio thrown in for good measure which was just… splendid. The exercise did leave me peckish however and for the sake of being lazy time efficient, I opted for a humble bowl of cous cous with peas, flavoured with pepper and garlic powder. I also had another corn cake with some more chocolate PB2 on top because come the night time, my inventiveness switch goes into shut down. 

I realise now that I didn’t explain earlier that PB2 is powdered peanut butter (in case you weren’t aware). It has much less fat than regular peanut butter and although not quite as good in my opinion, it still hits all the right notes on my taste buds. It’s presence in my cupboard also helps make my regular natural peanut butter last longer than just one week, which is the longest it would probably survive considering that I try to put it on everything and even when nothing is available I’ll resort to the spoon/finger jar scooping method. Is there a possibility that this could become an addiction? Yes, yes there is. Am I concerned about this? No, no I am not.

All of the Nut Butter!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Ahem*

Happy eating!  

Chocolate Orange Black Bean Brownies (that actually taste good!)

A Weekend of Chocolate and Chimps

 

Hello Chums, Long time no see!

I hope you had a nice Easter last week and enjoyed the celebrations regardless of whether they were focused around Jesus, the Easter bunny or just simply eating as much chocolate as humanly possible. Each to their own. J

Sorry for disappearing for a bit but I’ve been attempting to transform into one of those social butterflies. It’s going well although I don’t think I’m quite at the desired level yet, maybe more of a social caterpillar i.e. sleeping in and sitting at the table in the pub that’s the furthest away from everyone else are still situations that I find very appealing and furthermore unlike a butterfly’s wings, my face is severely asymmetrical. Think Picasso’s style of painting and you’re on the right track.

However, despite this slow social metamorphosis I have been spending a lot more time with my friends lately and as a result have managed to cram in a few adventures. Take the Easter weekend for example; my good friends Amy and Katy and I took a two day road trip westwards into a land of roads that almost go vertically up over valley walls and villages so small that they can only possibly be inhabited by Playmobil figures. 

Ok, this may be a bit of an over exaggeration for the Wiltshire/Dorsett area but in terms of the hills and villages that we came across, the description is pretty apt.

What were we doing in this particularly scenic part of the country I hear you ask? Well, over the two days we visited both the insanely amazing Longleat Safari and Adventure Park and the thriving TV-famous Monkey World. I can confirm that both are unbelievably fun and contrary to belief you don’t have to accompanied by a young child in order to not look a little… let’s say odd. Actually, truth be told, that kind of thing doesn’t bother me too much anyway, I think odd is good so even if I did resemble a 5 foot 11 man-child with a hyperactivity disorder for the entire weekend, I really don't see a problem. How can you care when you’re surrounded by hoards of fluffy animals (that you can feed from your car!)? Squeeeee!

You may be wondering that it seems a specifically animal-themed way to spend the Easter holiday but actually it makes perfect sense. Let me break it down. Traditionally, Easter is about Jesus and Jesus is in the Bible and also in the Bible is Noah’s Ark, and on Noah’s Ark the animals went in two by two, and at Longleat it's pretty much like Noah's Arc pre-flood and at Monkey World, it's all about saving the animals.

*Takes a big calming breath to reduce over-excitement*

Therefore, this little trip actually made perfect sense. I do so hope you agree. It was also very educational and considering I have a degree in zoology, there are a surprising amount of things I didn’t actually know about all the creatures great and small.

Here are some valuable life lessons that  I will take to my grave:

• Wallabies are strong believers in the ‘stare you down/come at us bro’ approach to strangers. Classic gang mentality there, I mean, clearly from this photo it’s obvious they were on the verge of breaking out into a west-side story number on us with aggressive pointed toes and intimidating hip thrusts.
• Camels are sassy wobble humps.That’s a bit of a bold generalization but at least one camel fitted this description enough to leave a lasting impression.

Look at the way he’s working that corner away from the rest of the camels (who were on the other side of the road sheltering from the rain like sensible organisms). Nothing says sassy like saying ‘watch meehh cheeew mah straaaaaw’ to a bunch of strangers as they drive by. This guy (dubbed Bruce) took the cheek to an even further level by deciding to saunter across the road and block our path, presumably after one of the other camels told him to stop being a tart and called him back to the herd.

•  Sea lions get hangry… Oh so hangry.

All it takes is a few small pieces of hacked up fish to turn the most puppy-faced sea lion into something that makes the prospect of diving with sharks just that little bit easier, consisting of 60% mouth, 30% eyes and 10% ‘Give me the fish sue!’

• Wolves prove that it’s possible to look both murderous and beautiful at the same time (unlike Edward Cullen who just looked angsty and pale).

I would like to think that this is how I look first thing in the morning but I would also like to think that I am related to Michelle Obama and have the ability to dance like Michael Jackson.

These things are not true.

• This thing is unimpressed by general British Weather.

'Please end me'

Despite that fact that it did rain on and off over the course of our two days away, it still by no means dampened our spirits. These puns though…

Anyway, it comes as no surprise that over the course of the weekend the girls and I did a fair bit of snacking. Yep, as part a road trip snacking was mandatory (it’s actually a law I think… or should be at least) but just like I resisted the urge to smear the outside of Katy’s car with banana skins to further attract Longleat’s monkeys, as a group we managed to refrain from just eating fast food for the duration of the 48 hours away from home. How did we do this? Well, in all honesty it wasn’t too hard, we just packed a whole lot of food before leaving including: fruit, nakd bars, sandwiches, crackers, peanut butter, and some healthy baked goods that I had fun making the day before. Scrummy food + saving a little bit of money = all of the thumbs up. Also, this meant that come Saturday night, none of us felt guilty or too full for a treat of some hot and juicy burgers (I had one topped with chilli, we duelled and I won).

One of the baked goods that I brought along for the journey was the chocolate orange black bean brownies below. Honestly, these are one of my favourite things that I’ve made to date and despite the ingredients being completely unconventional, they taste amazing and as a result they unsurprisingly didn’t make it to the end of the trip.

I’ll be the first to say that I cannot take credit for these beauties. The recipe is based upon the black bean brownie recipe used by the queen of healthy baking - Chocolate covered Katie. They are dense, chewy, moist, gooey, rich, sweet and everything else you could want out of a life partner. What’s also great about these brownies is their versatility; simply swap out the orange extract for vanilla to achieve a more traditional brownie taste or use peppermint extract for some festive treats you’ll consider killing Santa over. High in Protein and much lower in unhealthy fats found in traditional brownies, these chocolate treats are full of wholesome ingredients that are great fuel for your body. They’re also vegan as well so that means that everyone can enjoy them. Brownies for everyone! Wooooo!

I’ve linked the original recipe to Katie’s blog below if you’d like to check it out (do, it’s incredible, you’ll love it, I promise this girl can bake anything) as well as links to Longleat and Monkey world’s websites in case you’re planning a little trip of your own any time soon.

Have a fantastic start to the week tomorrow and as the chimps at Monkey World would say:

Hoot! Agghhh! EeeeeAaaaaaa! Ooooooooooo! (I hope we talk again soon/get the hell away from my yoghurt pot – same difference).

Bye.

Chocolate Orange Black Bean Brownies

Makes: 8-12 brownies

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans (drained and thoroughly rinsed)

¼ cup cocoa powder

½ cup oats

1/3 cup truvia or granulated sweetener of choice e.g. xylitol, coconut sugar or even regular sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce or apple baby puree

2 tsp orange extract

½ tsp baking powder
Optional - a tiny pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness even more

Optional add-ins – chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, orange peel, honestly anything mixed into a brownie tastes good! Except haddock, don’t mix in haddock.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (I used fan oven which gets slightly hotter than a conventional one but all appliances will vary).

Combine all of the ingredients (bar any add-ins) in a food processor and blend until well combined.

Stir in your extras (if using) and then spread out into a baking dish lined with baking paper or greased with oil/butter/cooking spray.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, remove and allow to cool (it will firm up some more as it cools and transform into a dense, chewy and fudgy treat from the angels).

Enjoy!

Original recipe: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/

Longleat Safari Park: http://www.longleat.co.uk/

Monkey World: http://www.monkeyworld.org/home.php