Eating Greece Part 2!!!

Part 2: Palouki  

Lovely Ellen with me in the guise of a tramp

 Yassas everybody! (Attempt at sounding Greek is now bordering into becoming offensive)

Hope you all had a good old fashioned lazy Sunday yesterday. I most certainly did… except for training legs – complete killer. Actually since exercising my lower body more I’ve had a lot more lazy Sundays based on the fact that I can’t physically walk anymore and I now spend a good deal of my time lying down, waiting for someone to bring me green tea and occasionally sobbing ‘my thighs….’

Anyway, you didn’t click on this page to hear about my sore groin and if you did thank you, I’m flattered but this isn’t that kind of blog. Hopefully you’re here because you’re interested about what me and my freckly friend Ellen got up to on the second half of our trip to Greece along with the bunch of the lovely things that I managed to stuff into my facial gullet during this time. If you’re not interested in that then please feel free to just have a browse around, maybe you’ll find something you like… Guilt free cookie dough per say? Naughteeehhh (not really though). Also if you haven’t read part 1 or would like to, it’s right here.

Right then, on with the Greek goodness!

Pre-warning there were both some huge food highs and lows over the three days we spent on the coast. Think the ride Stealth at Thorpe Park. 

Day 1 (or 4 if you’re counting the whole week)

Our final morning in Athens was started with an early fuel up of porridge (I am going to have to join an oats anonymous group as soon as possible) before making our way to the bus stop to begin the 4 ½ hour ride to Amaliada. This seems like quite long time I know but after travelling around Europe last year and spending an entire night crammed into a tiny, humid, sweaty train carriage with a bunch of irritated Croatian people and children that didn’t understand the concept of sleep, this bus journey really wasn’t too challenging.

Although, we must have looked really touristy (we did have a map and phrase book on display – the shame) because everybody of Greek Nationality kept offering us tons of advice, directions and guidance throughout the trip. Actually over the course of the entire holiday, I think all of the Greek people we encountered were extremely kind, courteous and helpful. Snaps for Greece.

However, despite being an easy ride the timing of our journey did mean that we missed lunch and I had to resort to snacking on some salted pistachios in order to stay alive. Luckily though we soon arrived and were greeted at the bus stop by our host’s mother Helen who was just the epitome of a lovingly loud and expressive Greek mum. She drove us back to the apartment in Palouki and explained a little bit about the area’s history/culture en-route (she was a fully qualified tour guide would you believe?) and by the time we pulled up to where we would be spending our last few days in the country, we were pretty clued up.

As you can see the apartments looked as if they had been stolen off of a post card and we were beyond smug. There were oranges growing in the garden along with lemons literally the size of my head… or maybe my head is just the size of a lemon; either way there was all of the citrus. I did in fact sample an orange and it tasted like what I would expect the blood of the xenomorph out of Alien to taste like – Sharp! Sadly my mouth rejected it.

We decided that it would be a great time to explore the area and trekked the 20 minute walk down to the beach to find a taverna to grab some dinner. This plan seemed to make wonderful sense in our heads except for the fact that we didn’t take into account that it was off-season and hence everywhere was pretty much abandoned. After a long day of travel and not eating a lot, the hanger began to set in but luckily I calmed myself by taking some pretty pictures. Simple things for simple minds they say.

Back at the apartment I went for a shower and whist doing so Helen brought over some bread from the local bakery along with a plate of homemade Easter Cookies also known as Koulourakia – an egg/butter/flour based fluffy biscuit. They were delicious! I had one of them immediately after my shower which set me into a great mood. Everything would be fine we had cookies! However,  our lack of other food supplies and isolated location meant that dinner had to consist of a bowl of my leftover porridge oats brought over from Athens (because I couldn’t leave them there like a normal person) followed by some plain whole-wheat linguine (also from Athens). I was getting poverty meal flashbacks from University all over again. After eating we went to bed, ready for an early start the following day.

Day 2 (or 5)

Breakfast this day was some bread, more pistachios and another cookie. Call me Carbara Streisand. We were given a lift by Helen and her husband (who didn’t speak English but continued to talk to me as if I understood him – I didn’t) back to Amaliada where we caught a bus to Pyrgos before getting another to Olympia. The trip took a few hours and we made a smart decision after exploring the Olympic village a little to sit at a nice café and order lunch before heading to the ruins.

I opted for a simple chicken salad which probably contained the entire cast of Chicken Run, it really was huge! 1 1/3 mutant chicken breasts (I left the 1/3) a bed of green leaves, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, olives, feta, olive oil, lemon juice – it was all of the Greek good stuff on steroids and it left me quite full if I do say so.

Finally we made our way over to Ancient Olympia and started with the Archaelogical museum. We gazed in awe at the metopes from the nearby temple of Zeus depicting the 12 labours of Herakles (Hercules is the roman name – feel like Disney lied to me a bit there).  My favourite was the depiction of the Cretan bull, like so dynamic. We also saw the temple’s ex-pediments, one showing a battle between Lapiths and some horny centaurs, and the other showing a scene before the infamous chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos. Spoiler alert – Pelops crushed it.

Olympia just as good as it was 10000 years ago

Super impressed with how big it was...

We then spent the cool afternoon in the ruins admiring the Temple of Zeus (which used to hold one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – a 13m tall statue of the main man himself), the temple of Hera, the gymnasium and of course the ancient stadium.  I’ll admit that once or twice I did break out into ‘Zero to Hero’ but luckily Ellen was on hand to prevent me from going for the whole rendition.  After spending a good few hours in Olympia we headed back to the bus stop where we met an adorable pooch, whom I christened Gert.

just the cutest face in history!

Finally we made it back to Amaliada several hours later but unfortunately despite being a fairly substantial city we couldn’t find anywhere to eat. We picked up some things from a mini market with all of  the intention of cooking, however when we got back to the apartment St Helen had saved us the trouble and had left us a traditional Greek meal of stuffed peppers and tomatoes with rice, aubergine and courgettes along with some potatoes sautéed in olive oil. What a Godsend! We paired it with some of the greens we got in town and it was a brilliant way to end the day.

Day 3 (or 6)

So our last full day in Greece arrived and we hadn’t really planned anything, well what we had planned was a lazy day, so that’s kind of what we did. Breakfast consisted of some more pistachios, a huge apple, some Fage Greek yoghurt (had to whilst I was there)… and another cookie. I was on holiday, no judgement please.

We explored the beach again and were pleased to find some other forms of life this time. In fact I was so pleased that I gave chase to a speedo-clad man whom I thought could be a potential husband… but he got away.

By midday, we had made our way back and took Helen up on an offer she made to visit her local church. Considering it was the Greek Orthodox Easter Friday, we thought it would be a great chance to learn a bit more about the culture. When we got there Helen explained a bit more about traditions revolving around this holiday (which is a much bigger deal than Christmas for the Greeks). On Friday, it is believed to be the anniversary of the death of Christ (similar to Christianity); hence an effigy in the church is adorned with flowers and black ribbons to symbolize mourning. On the Saturday evening these ribbons would be replaced with red ones to show Christ ascending to meet his father and then the celebrations would begin.

Ooooh I love a good old knees up me!

In all seriousness though, it was a lovely thing for Helen to share with us and although not religious ourselves, we each lit a candle and enjoyed the sentiment of the holiday and how peaceful the church and its people were on this special day of the year.

After this we returned home and made lunch which featured tuna sandwiches with sweet corn and salad before simply chilling out, enjoying the weather, showering and packing for the next day. A game of Cards against humanity may have also slipped in there at some point because we’re terrible people and before too long we cooked up a simple supper of orzo, sweet corn, onions, tinned chopped tomatoes and peppers - the mini market’s finest – and we got an early night as we had to be up at six. Well, at least we tried to get an early night as by this point a lot of the other guests had arrived late and were celebrating the Easter holiday like any good Greeks would – loudly ;)

There is not too much to say about the next morning other than we got up early and headed off in a taxi to the airport. Before we knew it we were back in England and our little adventure had come to an end. The week went by far too quickly but I enjoyed every second, even when I lost my wallet. I was also very happy that Ellen got to experience one of her favourite places in the world and that I was there to do it with her.

There is an ancient custom in Greece called Xenia (governed over by none other than Zeus – Guy has fingers in a lot of pies) whereby hosts must always act hospitably towards their guests. I think it’s fair to say that the help and kindness we were shown for the entire seven days whilst we were away was nothing short of this. All the people we interacted with (particularly Helen and her Husband) were extremely friendly and accommodating, most definitely doing the tradition of Xenia justice. I think it goes to show that even though a lot of Greece is in ruins at the moment (both in terms of its historical sites and current economical crisis) the traditions and values of its people are still standing tall and will most likely do so for a very long time.    

Greece, both I and my taste buds thank you.

Until the next time,

Antio.

x

Carrot Cake Smoothie!

All the taste of cake (in a cup)

Hi sorry it’s been a while since I last posted, I ermmm am getting back into the swing of work life still. Can I use that excuse again? Yeah, why not.

Today, I am sneaking in a little recipe before I post the second half of the recap about my trip to Greece. Holding off on a ‘part 2’ post? I’m such a naughty blogger or maybe I’m just an unproductive blogger - either way I haven’t finished writing the second Greece post yet hence today’s recipe. Don’t worry though it’s a good ‘un I promise.  

I also think today’s treat is reasonably relevant for those of you living in the south of England at the moment as you may have noticed that (dare I say it and curse us all) the weather has taken a slight turn for the better recently…

Kind of …

Maybe not…

Actually we don’t really know but it’s not as cold as it was about a month ago and that we’re certain of. I’m going to try and take a little credit for this as I believe that Ellen and I may have pulled a greater heist than the Italian Job and managed to steal part of Greece’s sun. What? They have it all the time; they won’t miss it for a few weeks. You know, sharing is caring and all that.

Anyway, with slightly warmer weather comes the appropriate time to start making smoothies (note: It is always an acceptable time to make smoothies) and since we are still in spring and not quite into the height of summer yet, I thought it would be the perfect time to share an Easter throw back recipe featuring some more seasonal goodies (carrots) and a personal favourite food (cake) amalgamated together into a refreshing drink that tastes just like decadent desert (but in a cup). Yes it’s the carrot cake smoothie!

Extremely easy to make and ridiculously wonderful to glug, this smoothie will put a bunny-like spring into your step at any time of the day. It literally tastes like cake; sweet, rich and creamy but somehow refreshing at the same time. Plus, as carrot cake is my favourite species of cake, I have no shame in saying that I’ve been having this daily. Every day is the perfect day for cake flavour.

Not to go on about all of the benefits from the wholesome, healthy ingredients in this magical elixir but in particular those carrots are packed with a bunch of beta-carotene and will hence provide a big dose of Vitamin A to:

• Enhance your eyesight (our mum’s weren’t lying to us)
• Promote your immunity function
• Improve your skin
• Aid your digestion
• And maintain your heart health

Ooooooh benefits!

Grab a blender, steal your rabbit’s carrots and prepare for cakey goodness (but still in a cup).

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice

1/2 frozen diced (ripe) banana

1 cup of washed, diced (and maybe peeled) carrots (roughly 2 medium sized ones) Smooth operator tip: use frozen carrots for a cooler and thicker textured beverage.

3 chopped dates or 1-2 tsp sweetener of choice e.g. coconut sugar, stevia/truvia, honey, maple syrup or agave etc. I find the fruit enough for me but make sure you sweeten to taste.  

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ginger (a teeny bit)

1/8 tsp nutmeg (a tiny bit)

Optional (not really optional) toppings: some chopped walnuts and desiccated coconut

Smooth criminal tip: add in some ice cubes to thicken your drink up even more! You can also bulk out your smoothie with oats, nut butters, yoghurt or avocado for maximum creaminess.

Instructions:

This can be a bit tricky but put everything (except the toppings) into a high speed blender and blitz them till combined.

Smooth radio tip: allow the frozen banana (and frozen carrots if using) to thaw for 5-10 minutes before blending and also add your milk in first. It just makes life a little easier for your blender and we all want an easy life don’t we?

Serve in your favourite mug, cup, glass or jar and sprinkle on any toppings you desire.

Drink and be grateful for spring… and cake.

Talk again soon ;)

   

 Fact of the day: Mel Blanc, the voice behind Bugs Bunny reportedly didn’t actually like carrots.

That’s basically sacrilege. 

Eating Greece!!!

Part 1: Athens 

Hi guys,

So I’m back from a wonderful week in Greece with my close buddy Ellen (a.k.a. The freckle of my life) and am pleased to announce that whilst we didn’t break any plates or yell ‘Opa!’ at any of the locals, we most definitely absorbed all of the Greek culture in the same way that baklava will soak up a slick of honey. I thought I’d run a bit of a recap about our seven days in this lively country and also focus on  some of the Greek Cuisine I managed to stuff into my face. That does mean no recipe for today but as this post will be in two parts, I’ll jam one in before putting out part 2 – that ok with you? We good? Good. Ok then without any further waffling (mmm waffles) let’s get on with what we did (and mostly ate) in Athens! Think of this as a Feed me Seymour Friday post but on a Monday…

…and featuring a lot more food.

Oh and its Greek food.

From Greece.

???

Let’s begin!

Day 1

As with a lot of things in life, the beginning events of our trip did not get off to the best of starts. An early Sunday morning (5:45 am) flight tempted us to decide that sleeping is over-rated and for the weak and hence we stayed up all of Saturday night.

It turns out I am weak and sleep is highly preferred if not essential.

We arrived at Gatwick airport around midnight and the next 5-6 hours were spent surviving off of coffee, nuts and fruit. As a result, I pretty much transformed into a squirrel on crack – a bit like Scrat out of Ice Age. To add to the fun of being oh so very tired, the strict hand luggage measures meant that we had to get rid of some of our toiletries so they would fit in the airport’s plastic bags and to say that these bags were probably only big enough to hold Donald Trump’s imagination paints an accurate picture of what little we had to work with. Honestly, they were tiny; I had bigger bags under my eyes.

During this predicament I was also confused for a woman (despite the beard) multiple times by the same guy. He even had the male chauvinistic audacity to call say ‘love, that won’t all fit in’.  Love!? I’ll give you ‘love’ sunshine, a load of love straight from my Doc Martin towards your jaw line!

*takes a few moments and eats a banana*

Any-who, once we got on the plane all was good, an attractive guy accidentally coughed in my face (my idea of a holiday romance) and I managed to get some sleep.

The view from our apartment balcony :)

When we arrived in Athens, for a brief moment everything seemed set up to go perfectly in the sense that the weather was ideal, the scenery was beyond picturesque and we managed to find our apartment without any problems.

Happy faces - so innocently unaware...

Unfortunately somewhere between arriving in the county and reaching our destination, I managed to either lose my wallet or get pick-pocketed by a crafty snitch monkey - logic or rather my lack of suggests it was the first option. A few hours of trying to get our phones to connect with a network, frantically using Facebook to ask the family for advice and sorting out cancelling my cards with the bank meant that come evening all I really fancied doing was eating (surprise, surprise) and napping. So that’s what we did and it was one of the best naps I’ve ever had. We cooked up some tuna pasta with whole wheat linguine, tomatoes, sweet corn, spinach, peppers and onions and it was nice enough to put me into a good coma for the night.     

Sometimes, basic bitch is the way to go with dinner.

Day 2

After a brilliant night’s sleep, we awoke and had breakfast at the apartment and if you know me, breakfast always makes me happy no matter what predicaments have occurred the day before. The evening prior we visited the local mini market and picked up some things for the week in order to help us not spend all of our money on eating out at every meal. I picked up a bag of oats which also had some cheeky dried blueberries, cranberries, goji berries and small shavings of dark chocolate mixed in. Cheekeeeeeh! I had this for a fair few of my breakfasts during the trip and topped it with either strawberries or plums (or both) because fruit is all of the health. There was also Green tea at the apartment. Praise!

We sorted out our bus tickets to Palouki for Wednesday (after about two hours of searching for the right place to buy them – nailing tourism) and then we went out for Lunch in Plaka at a place called Diogenes. After raving about Souvlaki in last week’s post I decided to see how this dish was served traditionally and hence ordered a very simple chicken souvlaki with potatoes, courgettes, peppers and carrots (in lots of olive oil and lemon juice) – Yum! It was simplicity at its best and surprisingly filling considering the portion was quite moderate. Plus it wasn’t too expensive either so, triple win!

After lunch we visited the acropolis museum before braving the ancient acropolis itself and managing to see all the ancient structures including the magnificent Parthenon dedicated to Athena, the Erechtheion dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon (said to be the housing place of the mythical fountain bestowed upon the people of Athens by the God of the sea himself), the theatre of Dionysus, the temple of Athena Nike and of course the grand entrance - the Propylaea.

Athena's pad

 

A piece of driftwood Me at the entrance of the acropolis

 

A view of the site from Areopagus Hill (the hill of Ares) - of which the climb nearly resulted in broken ankles/death

We then explored Plaka a little more, caught a glimpse of Hadrian’s Library because when we tourist, we tourist hard before returning our tired feet back to our apartment in Attiki and creating what can only be described as a carb-bowl featuring more linguine, spinach, roasted sweet potato and a sauce made of tinned tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, onions and oregano. Complete carbinal sin and I wasn’t even sorry.

A nice bit of street art in Plaka

Give me those carbs!

Day 3

On our last full day in Athens, we woke up (as you do in the morning) and I had the standard porridge and fruit breakfast. The fact that I actually went abroad and bought oats only reaffirms that I have a serious addiction/problem. I just love the stodge!

Anyway we visited the temple of Olympian Zeus with its lovely Corinthian style columns well as Hadrian’s arch before heading back into Plaka to find somewhere to eat. It wasn’t long before found a great restaurant with an outside seating area; it seemed rude not to try and make the most of the sunshine as physically possible. 

Zeus' crib

The waiter told us that as it was approaching Easter (a big holiday for Greek Orthodox followers) traditionally people didn’t consume meats and dairy etc until Easter Sunday instead relying more on vegetables, grains and fish – true Mediterranean style. We could of course have had whatever we wanted off of the menu regardless but I decided to go full on Greek and sample a culinary favourite, calamari stuffed with rice and vegetables served alongside some paprika potatoes, mixed leaves and an aubergine salad. It was probably one of the best things I ate this holiday and despite being Ellen’s idea of a nightmare on a plate – she doesn’t like whole seafood #hecklethefreckle - it was my idea of heaven.

Yep, the squid came whole

 

Wait are we in Greece or LA?

After this brilliant meal, we explored the beautiful National Gardens with its seemingly abandoned ‘zoo’ and escapee tortoises before going back to the apartment, getting all jazzed up and then returning to the restaurant Diogenes for a full three course Greek extravaganza! We snacked on olives with bread and tzatziki to start with before I attacked an entire grilled Sea Bream with steamed vegetables whilst Ellen took down the souvlaki and finally we shared a piece of apple pie and a traditional piece of Greek walnut ‘pie’ (it was more like a kind of cinnamon spiced carrot cake minus the carrot) all alongside some ice cream.

Loving the fish, this holiday

The sweetest thing since that picture of a tiny pig in boots

I am definitely a pudding-kind of guy but as the walnut pie/cake was saturated in honey, it was a tad bit sweet even for me. If you get off on a sugar rush though, then this is the dessert for you. We took a final stroll around the streets before getting some views of the Acropolis all lit up against the night sky. It was the perfect way to end our brief but thorough visit to this brilliant city and despite being assaulted by a stray cat during dinner, I’m quite sure that Ellen would wholeheartedly agree.

I should definitely be a professional photographer ... 

However, even though our time in Athens was over, it was by no means the end of the holiday. Our next destination would take us to a much more rural setting (literally the middle of nowhere) where we’d encounter the ruins of Olympia, a completely abandoned beach and wonderfully loud woman bearing cookies… cookies! But I’ll leave that for the next post.

See you next time or as the Greeks would say Antio! (Disclaimer: My Greek sucks. Greece will testify this). 

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