Part whole wheat flour bread with honey

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Part whole wheat flour bread with honey

A quick and easy bread made with a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, and sweetened with honey.

It was incredible to see, all over social media, the hoards of people who had become sourdough bread experts during the pandemic related lock-downs and quarantining. Incredible! Impressive! Inspiring! Many of these loaves were works of art, and the artist (that is, home bakers) were appropriately proud of their accomplishments, and their improvements, loaf after loaf.

As far as the sourdough craze goes, we remain bystanders, fully admiring the fruits of other people’s labours. Although we may one day try our hand (again) at sourdough making, for now we’ll stick to the easier method of dry yeast and very little effort.

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Mia Kouppa Nativity Fast Meal Plan – 2020

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Mia Kouppa Nativity Fast 2020

A FREE downloadable meal plan, new lent-friendly recipes

and an invitation to help support the ALS Society of Quebec

Download your FREE Meal Plan and FREE Recipe Collection here:

MiaKouppaNativityFastMealPlan2020-3Download
MiaKouppaNativityFastRecipes2020-1Download

Please enjoy our Free Meal Plan and Additional Lenten Recipes, and DONATE to TEAM MAKOS to help support the ALS Society of Quebec. Read more about this below. To donate click the link:

https://www.imakeanonlinedonation.org/slaquebec/campaign/macollectedefonds/defi/d4bd03ab-bea9-4be3-9b68-74e258123e9a

November 15 marks the beginning of the Nativity Fast for Orthodox Christians, a period of fasting which prepares us for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on December 25th.  This is one of four major fast periods observed during the ecclesiastical calendar and although there is an important focus on abstaining from certain drink (wine) and food (meat, dairy, eggs, fish and oil) there is equal emphasis, if not a larger emphasis, on prayer and almsgiving.

Almsgiving is the giving of alms; money and physical gifts offered to the needy or the poor.  It is meant to change the giver, encouraging us to detach from physical comforts and excesses, and it reminds us that giving is a social act, which places us in a relationship with others.  It is an act of solidarity with those who are struggling, and can be a show of support to those who are facing seemingly insurmountable odds and life challenges.

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Chicken fingers

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Chicken fingers

Battered, fried and incredibly flavourful and moist chicken tenders

As you may know, each of us has 2 daughters and although they are now teenagers and adults (when did that actually happen?) memories of them as little girls are as vivid as if they happened yesterday. The adorable frilly dresses. The pony tails and animal shaped hair clips. The innocent wonder of eyes gazing into the world, full of curiosity. The sweet, darling voices asking for one more book before bed.

But let’s be honest, we also remember the temper tantrums in the mall. The permanent marker all over the bedspread. The defiance, the whining, the sibling rivalry. The refusal to eat anything green or the insistence to eat only a handful of items, over and over again. One of those things, asked for regularly, were chicken nuggets or fingers.

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Almond and pear cake (Κέικ με αμύγδαλα και αχλάδια)

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Almond and Pear cake

A perfect fall dessert of delicious almonds and fresh pears.

If you’ve been here with us for a while, you may have read about our parents’ glorious and bountiful garden. Although our growing season here in Canada is limited, they make great use of the time we have and grow almost any vegetable you can imagine – and even some you can’t! But vegetables aren’t all they tend to.

Walking towards their garden from the house you’ll pass an array of fruit trees. When we were teenagers, we tried valiantly to convince our parents to install a pool in their back yard; they certainly had the room. We imagined pool parties, with poolside loungers scattered near the flowers and tomatoes, perhaps with the tall stalks of green beans providing shade, and snacks. We weren’t asking for much.

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Grilled bread with olive oil and oregano (Ψωμί στη σχάρα)

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Grilled bread with olive oil and oregano

Thick cut country bread grilled with olive oil and oregano flavour.

Just when you thought bread couldn’t get any better, along comes this. If you have ever eaten in a Greek restaurant, either in Greece or elsewhere, you would have likely been served a basket of bread like this; thick cut slices of country bread brushed with olive oil and kissed with oregano, grilled so that they are at once crispy, toasty and yet still soft and able to sop up all sorts of deliciousness.

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Feta-stuffed meatballs with olive and cucumber salad and roasted sweet potatoes

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Feta-stuffed meatballs with olive and cucumber salad and roasted sweet potatoes

A quick and delicious Mediterranean recipe from HelloFresh

One of our favourite things to do when we travel (remember travelling?) is to visit local grocery stores and markets. We could spend hours walking up and down the aisles, discovering new and exciting food and ingredients that we don’t necessarily find at home and which are new to us.

But even when we are at home, we actually enjoy grocery shopping. The browsing, the choosing, the inspiration that comes when we are surrounded by the building blocks of culinary delights. What we don’t enjoy is coming home with bags full, and then having to put the groceries away.

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Spanakopita inspired deviled eggs

Spanakopita inspired deviled eggs
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Spanakopita inspired deviled eggs

Deviled eggs made with spinach, feta and ricotta

Sponsored by Egg Farmers of Canada

Every day is special; of that there is no doubt! Whether it is a birthday, an anniversary, the first day of college or the first day of retirement, life is full of small and grand moments that beg to be celebrated.

These days we find it especially important to look for the positives. There is no denying that our world has changed, at least temporarily, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed and blinded to the beauty of the everyday and the goodness that surrounds us. But, it’s especially during trying times that we need to shift our focus, and zero in on the positive; not to ignore everything else, but to be reminded that hope and heroes exist!

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Rice with fide (Ρύζι με φιδέ)

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Rice with fide

A classic and traditional Greek side dish of rice cooked with fide

Frugality. Simplicity. Versatility. These are definitely values that homemakers of years gone by looked for in recipes that they would prepare for their families. You can be sure that women in villages all over Greece, and our mom when she came to Canada, would often make this side dish of rice with fide to serve their families. More economical and easier than this is hard to come by!

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Baked feta wrapped in filo dough (Φέτα σε φύλλο κρούστας)

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Baked feta wrapped in filo dough

Feta wrapped in filo, baked and then drizzled with honey and sesame seeds

Have you ever had a cheese ball appetizer? Neither have we! Although we think that they sound pretty good, we’ve never gotten around to trying one, and you can be sure that our Greek parents never served such a thing either.

We think that you can forgive us for not experimenting; we already have a slew of cheesy appetizers to choose from when we want to indulge. Whether we opt for halloumi fries with a citrus mint dipping sauce or a baklava baked brie, there is no shortage of cheese mezes to compete with unknown cheese balls.

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Fried eggplant with tomato sauce (Μελιτζάνες τηγανητές με σάλτσα ντομάτας )

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Fried eggplant with tomato sauce

An incredible Greek side dish of fried eggplant which is then baked in a rich tomato sauce

We know that eggplant is a divisive fruit (yes, eggplant is botanically a fruit!) and that there are camps of people who love them, and others who hate them. We happen to be lovers of the aubergine and are thrilled when our gardens start to offer this versatile, hearty and delicious purple gift.

We have already posted several eggplant recipes, and here we are finally sharing what may be one of our favourites. In this classic Greek dish, which can be served as a side or just as easily as a meze or light lunch, eggplants are fried and then baked in a rich tomato sauce. This is a dish best served with a nice loaf of fresh bread for dipping; the sauce is to die for! You can even layer the eggplant and sauce between two slices of bread and make yourself an eggplant and tomato sauce sandwich. Sound strange? Have we ever steered you wrong before?

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