Category: Main dishes

Turkey and cranberry kataifi parcels

~ miakouppa ~ 3 Comments
Turkey and cranberry kataifi parcels

Roasted turkey and cranberry sauce packaged in buttery kataifi pastry

So technically speaking, this is not a traditional Greek recipe and it is not something that our parents ever made. In fact, for most large gatherings and holidays it was lamb on the menu instead of turkey, and if we were in the mood for poultry, rooster made an appearance. Our parents also never made cranberry sauce; in fact they only ever tried it when we started to make it ourselves. The North American festive holiday meal of roasted turkey, complete with stuffing, gravy and homemade cranberry sauce became our purview once we began to host celebratory dinners in our homes.

Continue reading “Turkey and cranberry kataifi parcels” →

Red lentil and bulgur wraps with a tahini slaw

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Red lentil and bulgur wraps with a tahini slaw

Vegan wraps filled with spicy red lentil and bulgur mix topped with a tangy vegetable slaw

There is so much going on here! These spicy wraps are exploding with flavour, nutritious ingredients and pretty colours. Inspired by a recipe we found on The Kitchn website, which credited Trader Joe’s as their inspiration, this is our version of a vegan wrap that we believe is going to become a favourite of yours.

We came up with this recipe last spring when one of us catered a lenten brunch for our church youth group. By making the wrap filling and the slaw the day before, the morning of the event, all that was left to do was assemble them. Delicious, and convenient!

Continue reading “Red lentil and bulgur wraps with a tahini slaw” →

Fried potatoes and egg (Τηγανητές πατάτες με αυγό μάτι)

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Fried potatoes and egg

Home cut french fries tossed with crumbled feta and topped with an olive oil fried egg.

Our dad is the egg guy of the family. Although our parents usually cook together, and can each manage to make any number of dishes alone, there are certain recipes that belong almost exclusively to each of them. Our mom is the Queen of rizogalo for example, and our dad is the one who often turns to eggs to feed hungry mouths. This recipe which combines home cut fries, feta and an olive oil fried egg is one that he would make for us relatively often. Simple, satisfying, and a pretty well-balanced meal.

Continue reading “Fried potatoes and egg (Τηγανητές πατάτες με αυγό μάτι)” →

Rice with mizithra and burnt butter (Ρύζι με μυζήθρα και καμμένο βούτυρο)

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Rice with mizithra and burnt butter

A simple and delicious rice dish with the nutty flavour of burnt butter and the salty goodness of mizithra cheese

If you’ve been following along on our Mia Kouppa trails over the past few years you will have learned a few things about us, and our parents. You would know that we are two sisters, who also have an awesome older brother, that we each have two darling girls, xeno (that is, non-Greek) husbands, and feathered and furry pets. If you haven’t been with us for very long, or tend to skip right to the recipe (that’s okay…we do it sometimes too!), then welcome! We’re so happy to have you join us!

Continue reading “Rice with mizithra and burnt butter (Ρύζι με μυζήθρα και καμμένο βούτυρο)” →

Spinach and feta pork roll-ups (Χοιρινό με σπανάκι και φέτα)

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Spinach and feta pork roll-ups

Pork roll-ups filled with Greek flavours!

Sometimes our parents like to get fancy. Lovers of food and cooking, to this day they still enjoy watching Greek and non-Greek cooking shows (Akis is a favourite) and perusing through recipes that they find in the local Greek paper or behind those daily calendars that they get from church or our local Greek supermarket. Of course, they don’t actually follow the recipes that they happen upon, because let’s face it, that’s not how they function. Instead they get inspired, and over the years have come up with some pretty delicious and even unexpected things. We remember their sudden interest in Asian cuisine and the resultant homemade egg rolls. We have no idea how or why they decided to make egg rolls, but once they did, egg rolls and their accompanying jarred plum sauce became staples at every family gathering. Their popularity resulted in our aunts and koubari and other family friends making egg rolls too and so there you had it; a buffet table filled with dolmades, moussaka, keftedes, and egg rolls. Of course.

Continue reading “Spinach and feta pork roll-ups (Χοιρινό με σπανάκι και φέτα)” →

Artichokes and peas in an egg-lemon sauce (Αγκινάρες με αρακά αυγολέμονο)

~ miakouppa ~ 3 Comments
Artichokes and peas in an egg-lemon sauce

A stew of artichokes, peas and potatoes in a rich and tangy egg lemon broth

This recipe is pretty intense. Not in preparation; you’ll see that it’s no more difficult than many of the other recipes we’ve posted. No…it’s intense in the feelings and thoughts it elicits. Some good; this dish is delicious and today we love to eat it. But some, less good; when we were kids we thought it looked and tasted like throw up, and cried when it was for dinner.

Continue reading “Artichokes and peas in an egg-lemon sauce (Αγκινάρες με αρακά αυγολέμονο)” →

Chickpea fritters with a lemon tahini sauce (Ρεβυθοκεφτέδες με σάλτσα ταχίνι)

~ miakouppa ~ 11 Comments

Chickpea fritters with a lemon tahini sauce

Vegan fritters made of chickpeas and fresh herbs, served with a tangy lemon tahini dipping sauce

Hungry people everywhere seem to be flocking, more than ever, to menu items which feature plant-based goodness and stuff-that-isn’t-meat-but-is-made-to-taste-and-look-like-meat.  Because of that, we think that this vegan recipe for chickpea fritters served with a lemon tahini sauce is going to make many of these hungry people, very, very happy.  Why?  Because these chickpea fritters are naturally beyond delicious.

Continue reading “Chickpea fritters with a lemon tahini sauce (Ρεβυθοκεφτέδες με σάλτσα ταχίνι)” →

Vegan stuffed eggplant (Παπουτσάκια νηστίσιμα)

~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

Vegan stuffed eggplant (Παπουτσάκια νηστίσιμα)

A vegan version of a classic Greek dish made with eggplant, lentils and olive oil mashed potatoes.

We wish you could all read Greek! Because if you did, you would realize that the name for this recipe is so much more wonderful in Greek.  The literal translation for παπουτσάκια (pronounced pa-poo-tsa-kia) is little shoes. How utterly adorable and perfect is that! And how much more charming than stuffed eggplant.

Read more

Beans and rice

~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

rice and beans edited-2

This post, and recipe for beans and rice is sponsored by Purolator Tackle Hunger.  We were compensated for our time, and all opinions in this post are our own.

Beans and rice

 

How wonderful is it when the stars align? That’s exactly what happened when we were asked to participate in the Purolator Tackle Hunger game day food drive, which partners with the Canadian Football League to help raise hunger awareness and collect non-perishable food items and cash donations for food banks across the country.  Since its beginning in 2003 the Purolator Tackle Hunger® program has helped deliver the equivalent of more than 13 million pounds of food to food banks across Canada.

Read more

Greek marinated chicken thighs

~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

Greek marinated chicken thighs

Chicken thighs infused with Greek flavours!  So delicious!

Thighs.  For many of us, the mention of thighs immediately causes us to think of swimwear shop changing rooms, gaps that are unattainable and hot wax followed by searing pain.  Well, we’re here to redirect your attention, because some thighs are better than others.

Chicken thighs are a good and generally accessible source of lean protein; although they do have more calories and fat than white chicken meat,  they tend to be more tender and flavourful.  Still, because of the caloric and fat content, you may not want to be eating chicken thighs every day.  So, when you do decide to enjoy them, a great recipe is important.  We’ve got you covered with this recipe for Greek marinated chicken thighs.

Read more