Quick pork ragu with zucchini and Parmesan cheese

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
A delicious and super simple recipe from Chefs Plate

A delicious and super simple recipe from Chefs Plate

Quick and easy meals like this quick pork ragu with zucchini and Parmesan cheese that you don’t even have to shop for?! Are you wondering what sort of sorcery we are talking about? Not sorcery friends, just meal kit delivery services, like Chefs Plate, a division of HelloFresh in Canada. If you have never treated yourself to a meal kit delivery service like Chefs Plate, let us tell you all the reasons why you should.

The concept is simple. You go online, find recipes that you think you would enjoy making and eating, click a few buttons and then voila! Like magic a box full of all the ingredients you will need shows up at your door in perfectly measured amounts along with a detailed and clear recipe card. Chefs Plate takes the stress out of cooking!

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Lamb sandwich

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
A delicious Greek lamb sandwich full of Mediterranean flavours

A delicious Greek lamb sandwich full of Mediterranean flavours

Σάντουιτς με αρνί. Most years Pascha is a huge celebration in our family.  Immediate family, extended family, friends who are like family gather together to eat, drink, laugh and be merry.  Many people means much food and you can read all about our usual Easter celebrations over here.  This year, like last, our plans were usurped by the pandemic and each of us celebrated at our own homes, with our husbands and daughters.  Different, but still lovely.  As a result, our usual entire lamb on a souvla was replaced by a leg of lamb and a couple of shanks on the smoker at one of our homes, and grilled lamb chops at the others.

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Tsoureki Paximadia or Tsoureki Biscotti

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Greek biscotti, or paximadia, made with tsoureki bread and dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

Greek biscotti, or paximadia, made with tsoureki bread and dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

Παξιμάδια τσουρεκιού. The common adage “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade” (or avgolemono soup) is pretty good advice. The sentiment can be extended to so many things, including tsoureki. If you have read the post that accompanies our tsoureki recipe you’ll know that although our recipe is now fail-proof and delicious, it wasn’t always so. We have survived many disappointing tsourekia, with some being too dense, undercooked, or simply blah. Having been raised in a household where “waste nothing” was a very important mantra, we could never just dump our tsourekia in the trash (except for the one we called “The Tsourocki”….read more about that disaster in the tsoureki post).

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Vegan moussaka

~ miakouppa ~ 8 Comments
A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

Νηστίσιμος Μουσακάς. Settle in guys, this is going to be a long one. No, not the post…don’t worry about that. If you’re here only for the recipes, you’ll be happy to know that this particular blog entry doesn’t come with any nostalgia, no family stories, and no personal anecdotes that some people seem to find annoying on food blogs. Also, some people love them and if you happen to be in that group of people, head on over to posts like Horta and How to dye really cool Easter eggs…and Thea Voula’s cheesecake. Heck, most of our posts come with a healthy dose of, well, US!.

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Potato salad with smoked herring

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A traditional Greek potato salad with smoked herring from Messinia

A traditional Greek potato salad with smoked herring from Messinia

Σαλάτα με πατάτες και καπνιστή ρέγγα. Our parents are from Messinia, a region found in the south western part of the Peloponnese. The capital is Kalamata and it is a marvelous part of the country. Soaring mountain ranges, fertile flatlands and forests, picturesque villages, citadels, vineyards and orchards are some of what make Messenia such a rich and glorious land.

Visitors have learned that there is much that this area has to offer and tourism plays an increasingly large role in the economy. Still, this fertile area is an agricultural wonderland and crops remain the most important industry for the region. Some of the main products are olive oil, Kalamata olives, oranges, sultana raisins and figs.

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Vegan apple cake

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
A wholesome apple cake which is vegan, fat-free, and sweetened with maple syrup.

A wholesome apple cake which is vegan, fat-free, and sweetened with maple syrup.

Νηστίσιμη μηλόπιτα. A classic Greek dessert is milopita, a cake loaded with apples that is perfect with a nice Greek coffee, or a tall glass of cold milk. We could have milopita every day of the week, it’s that good! Although our original recipe is great, we do like to have options and so we have come up with an apple cake that can be enjoyed anytime, by almost anyone!

During periods of Orthodox lent, or when we are baking for vegans we love, this vegan apple cake is a sure winner. And its got even more going for it! This vegan cake is full of apples, uses both regular all-purpose and whole wheat flour, it’s sweetened with pure maple syrup and it contains no fat. We often joke that some desserts are healthy because they contain a vegetable (carrot cake anyone?) or a fruit (strawberry shortcake friends?) , but in this case, it’s actually true!

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Vegan shortbread cookies

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Very simple shortbread cookies that are perfect for Orthodox lent.

Very simple shortbread cookies that are perfect for Orthodox lent.

With these vegan shortbread cookies, what you see is what you get! We have lived the disappointment of using cookie cutters to shape cookies just the way we want them only to find that they have flattened, spread, or risen while baking. Cut out flowers, kittens and firetrucks end up looking like blobs. Still delicious, but blobs. Not these cookies! These cookies come out of the oven looking pretty much the way that they went in. No surprises!

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Greek stuffed calamari

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Baked squid stuffed with rice and herbs and baked in a tomato sauce.

Baked squid stuffed with rice and herbs and baked in a tomato sauce.

Καλαμάρια γεμιστά με ρύζι. Greek stuffed calamari is a spectacular meal. If you have never had stuffed calamari we strongly encourage you to give this recipe a try. Calamari were made for stuffing. With their long, hollow (once cleaned) and supple body (which is technically called a mantle), you can easily fill them with an assortment of good stuff. In this Greek stuffed calamari recipe we use rice, some vegetables and herbs to create a wonderful lenten meal.

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Chocolate and orange cake

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
A vegan chocolate and orange cake served with an orange glaze

A vegan chocolate and orange cake served with an orange glaze

Νηστίσιμο κέικ σοκολάτας με πορτοκάλι. Do you sometimes feel that baking is for weekends, when you have more time to scoop, measure, mix and bake? That’s probably true if you’re thinking about making a samali which has a significant resting time. It may also be true if you’re planning to make bougatsa, given the phyllo folding that’s involved. But if you’re craving something sweet mid-week (which is frankly when we need it most) then pull out your apron, because we’ve got the cake for you.

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Octopus and pasta

~ miakouppa ~ 3 Comments
Greek recipe for octopus in a tomato sauce and small shaped pasta, baked in the oven.

Greek recipe for octopus in a tomato sauce and small shaped pasta, baked in the oven.

Χταπόδι με κοφτό μακαρονάκι.. There are certain scenes which are immediately recognizable as being part of the landscape and story of Greece. The white washed walls and bright blue roofs of homes in Santorini is one. The expansive aqua-blue sea and pink sand of Elafonisi is another. Donkeys carrying satchels of whatever the mountainous village has to offer. The Acropolis at night. The sunset in Meteora . The dozens of octopus hanging and drying in the sun as if they were freshly laundered button-downs, while the fishermen look on and nearby psarotaverna (fish tavern) patrons rest assured that the menu is certainly fresh.

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