Tag: Gluten-free

Spetzofai (spetsofai) – Sausages with peppers and tomato

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Traditional recipe for spetzofai (spetsofai) - Greek sausages with peppers and tomato recipe.

Traditional recipe for spetzofai (spetsofai) – Greek sausages with peppers and tomato recipe

Σπετσοφάι. If you are looking for a traditional and simple rustic Greek recipe, this is it! Spetzofai (sometimes spelled spetsofai) is a humble food that is made with a few simple ingredients. This recipe is a shining example of how basic items, treated well, can produce something lovely!

Spetzofai (spetsofai) can either be served as a meal or as a meze. It goes amazingly well with ouzo, or ouzo based drinks like our ouzo lemonade. You should always try to serve it with some olives (our marinated olives would be perfect!) and cheese; feta or a nice sharp kefalotyri would be ideal accompaniments. And don’t forget the bread! A perfect spetzofai has just enough liquid that a nice piece of bread can soak it up and clean your plate.

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Strawberry rhubarb compote

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A delicious sweet and tart compote made from fresh strawberry and rhubarb.

A delicious sweet and tart compote made from fresh strawberry and rhubarb

Last year we planted rhubarb in the garden for the first time. We were drawn by the idea that rhubarb comes back, year after year. We like that sort of low maintenance growing. We were also excited about using the tart vegetable (more on that later!) in recipes, including desserts and jams. What we didn’t expect was just how much we would love it!

Rhubarb is a funny little thing. Its stalks kind of look like celery, except that they are red, or reddish. Each stalk is topped with a large, flat green leaf that is pretty, but inedible. Rhubarb sold in the market will never have the leaves attached because they are toxic. And although rhubarb is part of so many delicious recipes, don’t plan on having it au naturel. Rhubarb is tart, sour and inedible on its own, but combine it with sugar and strawberries like we do here in our strawberry rhubarb compote and the tartness is a sweet surprise!

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Greek potato salad with herbs

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

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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Egg salad with feta and dill

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A healthy egg salad made with feta, Greek yogourt, lemon and dill, perfect for sandwiches.

A healthy egg salad made with feta, Greek yogourt, lemon and dill, perfect for sandwiches

Our father has always said that if you have eggs in the house, you have a meal. He is so right! We rely on eggs pretty frequently, and not only for breakfast (although eggs fried in olive oil is one of our favourite ways to start the day). Eggs can be part of a pretty substantial meal at lunch or dinner; our eggs with loukaniko and potato is a hearty, classic Greek omelette that proves that you don’t need to get too complicated to create something great in the kitchen.

Eggs are quick and handy too. When we are particularly organized we keep a few hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator, available for anyone who needs a protein-filled snack or a breakfast on the go. Just be sure to identify the hard boiled eggs with a pencil marking on the shell to distinguish them from the raw eggs! We know, we know! There are other ways to tell the difference between the two, but really, who has time and energy for that?

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Easy roasted potatoes

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Easy roasted potatoes make a perfect side dish

Easy roasted potatoes make a perfect side dish.

Sometimes we spend so much time, and focus so much attention on the centerpiece of a meal that the sides take a back seat. We get it. One can get excited over a gorgeous maple glazed smoked ham, perfectly marinated souvlaki or a show-stopping prime rib roast. But guys, there is enough food excitement to go around! Sides are like the must-have accessories that take a simple black dress from wow, to WOW.

In terms of sides, there is probably no ingredient more relied on than the humble potato. Sure, broccoli is great (yes, it is great!) and rice is lovely, but potatoes are unbeatable. Talk about versatility! Whether mashed, fried, roasted or boiled, potatoes are everyone’s favourite – unless you hate potatoes in which case don’t waste your time here – hop on over to this page.

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Giant beans (gigantes) with greens

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Home » Gluten-free
A Greek recipe which combines giant beans (gigantes) with a mixture of greens.

A Greek recipe which combines giant beans (gigantes) with a mixture of greens.

Γίγαντες με λαχανικά. Have you met our parents? If you have, in person, then you have hopefully visited them in the summer and taken a stroll through their garden. They love sharing this outside oasis with family, friends and people they just met. A garden is a lot of hard work, but the payoff is priceless. The pride of growing your own food, knowing that it is as fresh and as clean as possible – well, there is nothing better. It also offers a perspective that you can’t really appreciate otherwise. A garden, big or small, gives you a glimpse into the work that our farmers and agriculturalists experience every day to keep us fed.

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Pan-seared Filet Mignon with Herbed Butter Baste

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Learn how to make the best pan-seared and roasted filet mignon with herbed butter baste.

Learn how to make the best pan-seared and roasted filet mignon with herbed butter baste

Spring is in the air and that alone is reason to celebrate! With the promise of new beginnings, warmer weather, flowers in bloom, there is the hope for a brighter and happier world. Spring is also the season for Easter, and regardless of how you celebrate, it offers an opportunity to gather with family and friends to eat, drink and be merry!

We have partnered with Canada Beef and are so excited to offer you an Easter feast idea that will elevate your luncheon or dinner table. Have you been too intimidated to try cooking filet mignon? Are you under the impression that filet mignon is tender, yet flavourless? Have you not considered beef to be the perfect centerpiece for your Easter table? Remember, this is the season of new beginnings. Let us convince you that pan-seared filet mignon using Canadian Beef tenderloin steaks, cooked to perfection, is exactly what you need this Easter holiday!

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Shrimp and rice

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Home » Gluten-free
A one skillet meal of shrimps and rice full of vegetables and herbs.

A one skillet meal of shrimp and rice full of vegetables and herbs.

Γαρίδες με ρύζι. We love shrimp. They are up there with eggs as an ingredient we always want to have on hand. Eggs and shrimp are building blocks upon which great, quick meals are made. It may not seem obvious, but a bag of shrimp in the freezer means you are only a quick defrost away from a meal that can be fancy enough for company, and simple enough to serve one in front of the television, watching Netflix. Shrimp are there for all occasions.

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Tahini honey cookies

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Home » Gluten-free
Simple, vegan and utterly delicious! Tahini honey cookies are our new favourites.

Simple, dairy-free, gluten-free and utterly delicious! Tahini honey cookies are our new favourites

Μπισκότα με ταχίνι και μέλι. If you have just stumbled across Mia Kouppa and are wondering what all the fuss is about, and especially if you are not sure that you should use precious ingredients on one of our recipes, we have a few things to say. First, welcome!!! We are so happy that you are here! Second, try this recipe for tahini honey cookies. Seriously. We know that this recipe will convince you that we are worth the risk.

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Baked feta with orange and olives

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Home » Gluten-free
Easy Greek appetizer of baked feta with orange and olives to serve with bread or crackers.

Easy Greek appetizer of baked feta with orange and olives to serve with bread or crackers

Appetizers, or as meze as we call them in Greek, that come together quickly and get devoured even more quickly are a success in our books. Our recipe for baked feta with orange and olives is that kind of recipe. Made with only a few kitchen staples (yes, feta and olives should be a staple in your home, as should oranges) this is a winner of a recipe.

Something pretty magical happens to feta when it gets warmed up. It doesn’t melt necessarily, but it does get sensuously soft and perfectly spreadable. The creamy creation can then be spread over crostini, it can be scooped up with pita bread, and it can even be eaten with a spoon – no apologies, no excuses!

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