Sauté onions in olive oil till translucent, add spinach and wilt it down, add the garlic and stir for just a few seconds on medium heat.
Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk and stir. Add all the spices and lower to a simmer, cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the chick peas, stir and turn off heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4: 190 calories, 760 for whole meal.
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Rating: 4 out of 5.
This is the first time I made anything with garam masala spice mix. It was very fragrant and tasted delicious. I mixed in two cups of leftover spaghetti that had some rao’s sauce already on it. that added about 135 calories per serving. It would also be great with a side of rice.
1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion chopped in medium pieces 1 lemon, pitted and sliced in small pieces 2 c spinach
1 bag frozen peas (14 oz) 1 c Smart Ground Original Veggie Protein Crumbles 2 oz. white wine
3/4 c orzo
Directions:
Sauté onions and lemon in oil till onions turn light brown, add spinach and wilt down, add crumbles and peas and stir occasionally to prevent sticking for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Deglaze the pan with white wine and turn off.
In the meantime cook orzo according to package directions and drain. Add to the vegetable mixture and serve.
Serves 4: 350 calories, 1400 for whole meal.
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
Well, this was an experiment and I would do it a bit differently next time. I think that the flavors are very good together, but it needed some sauce or liquid to make it more palatable.
Next time I will top it off with some tomato sauce, or the tahini sauce from the gnocchi and mushroom recipe.
Melt butter in a sauce pan and sauté the trahana for a couple of minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil then let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Serve it with lots of crumbled feta cheese, salt and pepper.
Makes about 6 servings: 100 calories per cup 600 for whole meal Calories for feta cheese: about 70 per ounce
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Rating: 3 out of 5.
I have never had trahana before, so I did not know how to cook it, so I read some recipes online and decided to go with something simple. Also there are two kinds of trahana, one made with milk (sweet), one made with yogurt (sour). I have the sweet kind. It’s an ancient pasta from Greece made to preserve milk and yogurt. Combined with wheat flour or semolina it is dried and formed into irregular crumbs. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it tasted OK. I asked my mom how she would cook it and she said in Greece they made it the same as they made chicken with orzo. That would be roasting the chicken, then adding water and tomato sauce to the pan, garlic and olive oil, then adding the pasta. I think the next time I make it I will just add it to a soup recipe.
1/2 stick of butter 1 c 2 1/2 minute* farina (cream of wheat) optional 1/4 c pine nuts or 1/4 c slivered almonds
1 c sugar 1 c milk 1 c water
cinnamon for topping
*Do not use instant farina, it has a different texture and will not cook up the same way. Almost all farina sold in Mediterranean markets are good to use.
Towel placed under lid to absorb steam after cooking
Directions:
Melt the butter in a heavy pot and add farina and nuts. Stir constantly over a low to medium flame until the farina and nuts lightly brown. Watch carefully, you don’t want to burn it. Turn the flame off.
Warm the milk, sugar and water together in a separate pot or in the microwave. Warming it prevents the farina from having to cool down and then heat up again.
Pour the liquid mixture into the farina pot, it may splash, so be careful, and turn the fire back on. Stir constantly over low flame until the farina gets really think. Turn the flame off.
Put a towel or a couple paper towels over the top of the pot and put the lid on, that will absorb some of the steam while it is cooling a bit. Then uncover in about 10 minutes and spoon shape the “cookies” onto a tinfoil or wax paper and allow to cool.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if you like it. Store left overs in the refrigerator.
Makes 28 cookies: 78 calories each with the nuts, 70 without Makes 4 servings: 550 calories per bowl with nuts, 494 without Total calories: 2204 with nuts, 1977 without
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
So simple to make. The “cookies” are a traditional favorite in our family, everyone loves them. Instead of making cookies you can just scoop some into a bowl and eat it hot, it’s really just breakfast cereal. The Greeks call this halva, not to be confused with the sweet sesame type you can buy in stores.
You can make it with semolina too, but I find 2 1/2 minute farina to be perfect. You can also shape it in a mold, or just pour it out into a log and slice it to serve.
I love to eat it with lots of cinnamon on top, but anyway you serve it, it’s so good.
If I have some the second day I do warm it up in the microwave to take the chill out.
1 tbsp butter 1 onion chopped 1 container of baby bella mushrooms sliced 1 container of white mushrooms sliced 10 sage leaves (fresh) cut in ribbons 1 tbsp olive oil 1 c arborio rice
1/2 c white wine 2 c vegetable broth
1 15 oz.can of pumpkin puree
grated rind of one lemon juice of one lemon tabasco sauce
pumpkin seeds raisins
Directions:
Sauté onions and mushrooms in the butter till tender and browned. Add the sage for just a quick minute, add the oil then the rice and stir for about two minutes to bring out the flavors. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stir constantly. Lower the heat to medium. Add the broth about 1/3 a cup at a time, Stir continuously till broth gets absorbed and rice mixture looks thick, then add more broth and repeat, about 4-5 times, until all broth is added and mixed in. Stir constantly, slowly.
When you are done and the mixture is thick and creamy looking, add the can of pumpkin, stir until pumpkin is mixed and gets warmed. Turn off fire.
Add the lemon juice, rind and tabasco sauce, stir till mixed in. Salt and pepper to taste.
When serving top with about a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon of raisins.
Serves 4: 384 calories per serving, 1536 for whole meal.
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
This risotto is a great fall recipe and it is delicious. The sage adds to the flavor of the season without overpowering the delicacy of the rice. The pumpkin seeds add a perfect crunch.
1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion chopped 1 green pepper chopped into medium size pieces 2 bags of frozen shiitake mushrooms sliced (or any fresh mushrooms) 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 c white wine 1 c tomato sauce (i like rao’s) 2 c water 2 bags of frozen butternut squash 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp caraway seeds 1 tsp paprika
1 can of beans drained and rinsed (i like this with black beans)
Directions:
Sauté onions, peppers and mushrooms* in the olive oil till tender and lightly browned. Add the garlic for just a quick minute then add the white wine to deglaze the pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the beans. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes until veggies are soft. Take out the bay leaves. Turn off the heat and add the beans, stir and serve. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4: 283 calories per serving, 1132 for whole meal.
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
This is a hearty meal for a cool winter evening. It makes a lot of food and is fine served plain, but a side of rice or a cup of pasta would also extend it and add some extra calories.
*When using frozen mushroom I put the mushrooms in the pot first, until they start to water up, then I take that mushroom water and use it in place of the water in the recipe. Of course, if there is not enough mushroom water add water to make two cups later. After you have drained the mushrooms, add a little more oil and the onions and peppers and sauté all.
1 tbsp coconut oil 1 c chopped pumpkin 1 yukon gold potato cut in cubes 1 onion chopped in large chunks 2 cloves garlic 2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger 1/4 c white wine
1 bag frozen broccoli 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed 1 tbsp red curry paste pinch of cinnamon pinch of ginger 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp curry powder 1/2 c tomato sauce 1/2 c coconut milk 2 c water
2 tbsp shredded coconut 2-3 tbsp fresh basil cut in ribbons salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sauté onions and potato in coconut oil in a large dutch oven or sauce pan till just browning. Add pumpkin and stir, wait about a minute, add garlic and chopped ginger and stir till flavor is released, about a minute or so. Add white wine to deglaze the pan.
Add broccoli, beans, spices, sauce, coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Potatoes should be soft when pierced with a fork. Turn off flame and add shredded coconut, basil, salt and pepper.
Serves 4: 305 calories per serving, 1220 for whole meal.
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
The first time I made this I did not put as many spices in it, only red curry paste. Afterwards I added the other spices and it made all the difference. I also use Rao’s Arribiatta for the tomato sauce.
4 tsp baking powder 4 c flour grated orange or lemon rind 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 egg yolk 1 tsp sugar
Directions:
Whisk four eggs and sugar in a large bowl till yellow and creamy looking. Add oil and mix again.
In a separate bowl mix the baking powder with one cup of flour, the orange rind and salt. Add to the egg mixture. Gradually add in the remaining 3 cups of flour and if it gets too hard to stir, mix it with your hands.
Take a heaping tablespoon full of dough into your hands and roll it into a ball then into a coil shape, fold and twist and place on a cookie sheet.
Mix the egg yolk with sugar and brush on top.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 25 cookies: 154 calories each.
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Rating: 5 out of 5.
These cookies are a real family favorite. They are dry and hard and perfect for dunking in a cup of tea. My mom makes them with butter instead of oil and about a cup less flour. They are much softer that way, so your choice.
Drawn to Food 
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