Category: Snacks and light meals

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 ~ 2 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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Watermelon and feta bites

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
watermelon and feta bites

Watermelon and feta in bite size serving, drizzled with balsamic glaze

The pairing of watermelon and feta, usually served as a salad, is gaining in popularity and there is a good reason for that! The fresh, sweet crunch of watermelon and the salty creaminess of feta cheese is a perfect combination.

Although we have posted the requisite watermelon and feta salad (with grilled watermelon no less!), we thought it would be fun to serve this great combo as an appetizer.

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Grilled zucchini salad with corn and black-eyed peas

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Grilled zucchini salad with corn and black-eyed peas

A salad hearty enough to be a light meal

When we fire up the out door grill to make delicious things like souvlaki, grilled steak or cedar planked salmon we like to take the opportunity to grill even more, and vegetables are an obvious choice. Sometimes we like to simply serve grilled vegetables, and other times we use them to make something special, like this delicious grilled zucchini salad with corn and black-eyed peas.

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Pancakes and peach sauce

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Pancakes and peach sauce

Thick, buttery pancakes topped with syrupy fresh peaches in a sweet buttery sauce.

Do you object to butter? Do you aim to have the first meal of the day be one full of fiber, protein and all natural goodness? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then you best move along; this is not a breakfast for lightweights.

Funny thing is, our parents who are the inspiration behind Mia Kouppa would shake their heads at these pancakes and peach topping. They rarely cook with butter and would find a breakfast such as this one too decadent, too heavy, too buttery and too far from their typical breakfast choices of Greek-style hard boiled eggs, Greek yogourt or tomato and feta toast.

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Greek chicken and quinoa salad

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Greek chicken and quinoa salad

A healthy and delicious combination of chicken, quinoa and Greek flavours.

Sometimes a salad is a wonderful side to a meal, like our fresh and simple maroulosalata and our fennel salad. Sometimes a light salad can be a meal, as is often the case during the summer months when our garden tomatoes are ripe and our Greek horiatiki or village salad is on repeat 7 days a week. And sometimes, like with this recipe, a salad can be a hearty meal, one that you can happily serve to a hungry family, and one which is substantial enough to serve guests invited to dine with you under the summer stars.

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No-churn strawberry ice cream with chocolate chunks

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
No-churn strawberry ice cream with chocolate chunks

Chocolate and strawberry flavour in every cool and creamy taste

Years ago, probably 15 or so, one of us became obsessed with the idea of owning an ice cream maker. With young children at the time, we convinced ourselves that it was mandatory to serve them home-made ice-cream; domesticity and mothering at its finest.

Several months following the decision that our kitchen small appliances were lacking, there was a sale, and an ice cream maker was purchased. It came home, the box was opened and the instructions were quickly read. What was this? In order to make ice cream you first had to freeze the actual ice cream maker? Okay, so ice cream making would have to wait a few hours; actually 24 hours. No problem.

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Focaccia with tomatoes, olives and feta

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Focaccia with tomatoes, olives and feta

A focaccia full of Greek flavours

Want to taste a slice of Greece? This focaccia, topped with tomatoes, herb-infused olive oil, Kalamata olives and feta will help you get there! Not bad for an Italian flatbread!!

Focaccia is quickly becoming one of our favourite things to prepare and eat. Once you find the perfect dough recipe (and this one might be it), you have a blank canvas to work with! Top the focaccia dough with anything your heart and palate desires, and you can create a personalized focaccia to suit any taste.

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Deviled eggs

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Deviled eggs

The perfect appetizer; seasoned deviled eggs with a briny kick.

The summer months tend to make life seem simpler. Maybe it’s the longer days, the warmer weather, the fact that the school year is done, or the simple breezy summer dresses that make getting dressed, well, a breeze! Whatever the reasons, we find that summer entertaining always seems easier than hosting during the other seasons. If you’re fortunate enough to have an outdoor space, where food like souvlaki or grilled veggies can be thrown on the grill and you don’t have to worry about tidying up your house, all the better. But even if you entertain indoors, summer fare is usually lighter, easier and quicker; who wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking when there are summer cocktails to make and sip?

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