Borlotti bean soup

September 16, 2022September 23, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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Healthy vegan borlotti bean soup made with fresh beans

Σούπα από φρέσκα φασόλια. Greeks who immigrated from Greece in search of a better life, the way our parents did, worked hard to learn the language of their new country. Most did this without formal schooling or structured classes. Many, like our mom, learned to communicate by watching television and by listening to co-workers or people on the bus or the salespeople in shops. This, while also learning to adapt to a new climate, new social contexts and expectations, and the newness of no longer living under the protective wing of family. When we think about it, and we think about it often, we are so impressed and so proud of our parents, and the countless others like them who leave a life they know behind and come to a new land to enrich it, and themselves. These are brave and inspiring stories.

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Greek potato salad with herbs

May 24, 2022September 22, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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A Greek potato salad made with fresh herbs and a light lemon vinaigrette.

We were well into our teenage years before we realized that North American potato salads were typically rich with mayonnaise. Our parents used mayonnaise quite sparingly in their cooking, and in fact one of the only recipes we remember which used lots of mayo was the classic Russian salad. Beyond that, mayonnaise was something we saw spread on pieces of white toast sandwiching a slice or two of bologna at our non-Greek friends’ homes.

We grew up with potato salads, like this Greek potato salad with herbs, which were fresh tasting, light, mayonnaise-less and easy to bring along to a picnic. With the warmer weather fast approaching and our herb gardens growing, now is the perfect time to make this family favourite.

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Roasted cauliflower and kale salad

January 18, 2022September 23, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments

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A delicious plant-based salad starring roasted cauliflower, chopped kale and with a wonderful vinaigrette

Do you have people in your life that hate cauliflower? Despise kale? Shun away from salad on most days? Then this is the recipe for them! Our intention is not to sound flippant. On the contrary, with all due respect, we think you should serve our roasted cauliflower and kale salad to these cauliflower, kale and salad haters. It’s fun to see their face transform from cringe to shock as they take a bite and realize that cauliflower, kale and salad aren’t that bad after all.

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Easy chicken noodle soup

January 11, 2022February 1, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

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A perfect, easy chicken noodle soup! The only recipe you need for this classic soup!

When one of us first got pregnant we had an urgent need to achieve a few motherly goals. We were convinced that we could not reach the status of Mama without knowing how to a) knit, b) sing at least a dozen lullabies, in Greek, English and French and c) make the perfect pot of chicken noodle soup. The knitting was easy – our dad whipped out his old knitting needles (yes, that’s right…our dad) and showed us knit and purl, and we were on our way to making baby a blanket. Lullabies were easy too; out of tune perhaps, but easy. As for the soup, our parents convinced us that the only chicken soup recipe we needed was avgolemono soup. In fact they told us that we didn’t even need the recipe – our job was to rest and care for baby, and they would make us soup by the gallon if we wanted them too.

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Red cabbage salad with apple

January 3, 2022September 22, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

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A delicious and beautiful side salad made with red cabbage and apple.

We’re only a few days into January and we’re already exhausted by the fact that we’ve got so much riding on this year. In addition to all our work, blog, and family goals, we have our own personal goals too. We join the masses who, when the clock chimes midnight, commit to healthier living. We’re not unhealthy in general. We don’t smoke, we don’t drink excessively, we don’t eat dessert every day…but we know we can do better. Maybe we could take the stairs instead of the elevator. Maybe, when we finally get into bed, we can go to sleep instead of scrolling through Instagram. Maybe when we eat koulourakia, we can stop at two instead of seven. Or maybe, if we eat more salad, we don’t have to do any of that!

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Easy pumpkin soup

November 12, 2021February 3, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments

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An easy and creamy pumpkin soup using canned pumpkin

A few years ago and a couple of days before Thanksgiving, we had an incredible urge to bake a pumpkin bread. Off to the grocery store we ran, only to find that many other people had pumpkin craving. No word of a lie, we visited at least 7 grocery stores and came up empty handed. That year we settled on apple cake; hardly a sacrifice, but not the pumpkin bread we were hoping for.

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Kale, quinoa and apple salad

September 7, 2021September 22, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments

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Kale, quinoa and apple salad is the perfect Fall salad

Those of you who grew up in Greek households would probably not be surprised to learn that quinoa didn’t feature prominently (at all) in our childhood diets. In fact, it was only while in university, exposed to so much, that we learned of this ancient Incan food. That was long before the United Nations declared 2013 the “International Year of Quinoa”. One of us was exploring a downtown health food store, an activity which felt other-worldly. At that time, natural health food stores and organic food was something that only the most eclectic concerned themselves with. We were by no means eclectic. We were simply curious, fascinated, and hungry.

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Peach, tomato and feta salad

August 17, 2021February 7, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

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Peach, tomato and feta salad is a refreshing and delicious summer side or light meal.

This is great summer salad! The colours are reminiscent of a flirty summer dress (or a Hawaiian shirt) and the taste is bright, sweet, salty, crisp and absolutely perfect.

Typical fruit salads are great, but we also love to have fun with ingredients. Some of you may not have thought to combine peaches with tomatoes or to serve feta in the same bowl as sweet fruit. But, if you’ve been around these parts long enough you know that feta pairs beautifully with the fresh tastes of summer, like watermelon! You can see that combination in action here, and here.

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Spinach, arugula and strawberry salad

July 2, 2021September 19, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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A delightful summer salad made with baby spinach, fresh strawberries and tossed with a slightly sweet vinaigrette

Σαλάτα με σπανάκι, ρόκα και φράουλες. What a delightful salad this is! When we’re in full blown strawberry season, which in Quebec lands between June and October, we prepare this spinach, arugula and strawberry salad often, like every-few-days often.

We first had this salad, or something similar, at a friend’s home. In the center of the table, surrounded by all sorts of grilled meats, dips, potatoes and other salad sat a large bowl of green and red. It was the first thing to go, and almost everyone returned to get a second helping of the salad which was made with spinach and sliced strawberries. Since then we’ve seen variations at various gatherings, including those which we host.

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Potato salad with smoked herring

April 23, 2021September 19, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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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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