Greek Country Salad

When I was a teenager, I worked as a waitress at a small, busy coffee shop in a town called Port Jefferson, Long Island.  The owner, George spoke mostly Greek, but I went along and was a quick learner.  There are so many stories from this place and I learned so much from George and his family, but ultimately this is where I discovered Greek food (& coffee).  Waitressing at the coffee shop was hard work, but I loved it and I loved my lunch breaks! This is where this salad comes in.  On the lunch menu there was a traditional Greek Salad, but also the "Country Salad"  which was a chunky, lettuce-less salad, heavy on the feta and dill and so good. Heres my version from memory:

What you'll need to serve 4:

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced small
• 3-4 Persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber
• 1/2 cup feta cheese. crumbled
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• salt & pepper(light on the salt, the feta is salty)

This simple salad is perfect alongside grilled, lemony chicken or pork. Its a MUST when you grill lamb chops!    Its also a great lunch salad served with a toasted pita.

Enjoy Godesses!

xo & a pinch

Kelly  

Strawberry Salsa

I think there is universal agreeance (yes, its a word) that sweet & salty food are simply irresistible. The combination of juicy, sweet fruit and salt, lime and cilantro is perfection, and on a tortilla chip, totally addictive.  This time of year, we usually chop up a big batch of mango salsa as an addition to our Cinco de Mayo festivities.  To me, the mango is the sweetheart of all fruits.  I just cant say enough wonderful things about the sweet, pretty mango. But strawberries have been having a tough time lately.  They made it to the ever shameful dirty dozen list.  Poor strawberries... happens to the best of us.  Don't believe the hype and just hunt down some organic berries.  This salsa is too special to pass on.  Its kind of like a fresh strawberry daiquiri on a chip. Strawberry Fields Forever!     

Chop up the following:

• 1 pint of strawberries, hulled   
• 2-5 plum tomatoes, cored (discard the wet seeds with a spoon)
• 1 (medium) red onion 
• Bunch of cilantro 
• Salt & pepper
• Lime, juice

Try to chop the berries and tomatoes to be about the same size.  Combine all ingredients and enjoy with tortilla chips.

Salud!

xo & a pinch,

Kelly

Weeknight Skillets: Light & Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Pam's favorite Italian meal is eggplant parmesan.  So, this quick & healthy version has her in eggplant heaven!  One night, Pam was flying home from God-knows-where on a business trip.  We did our quick usual check-in texts covering her ETA (12AM), random food thoughts (weekend eating plans) and what I was eating for dinner (this eggplant). Long story short, at about 1:00 in the morning, Pam crept up onto my porch to collect a Tupperware of this delicious mess for a very late-night dinner!

Make this when you want something quick, easy, light, vegetarian and Italian, or when your travel-weary best girl needs a healthy dinner after a long flight.

Heres what you'll need:

• 1 large eggplant, cubed  
• olive oil, about 2 tbsp
• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
• 1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella
• parmesan, grated for topping
• fresh basil, 5-6 leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.  In a large skillet over medium high heat, add a generous swirl of olive oil.  Add cubed eggplant. Season with salt & pepper.  Let cook for 8-10 minutes until slightly softened and browned a bit.

2.  Add garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, tomatoes and season again with salt & pepper. Let simmer for 10-12 minutes until eggplant is soft and tomatoes are cooked.

3.  Using a teaspoon, dollop ricotta around the pan, swirling slightly into the sauce.  (don't completely stir it in).  Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top and put skillet into the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted. 

4.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Top with torn basil leaves and grated parmesan. 

(5. pack into a Tupperware and place in a secret, yet obvious place on your porch and go to bed, hoping for cool weather and exclusively carnivorous neighborhood wildlife!)

xo & a pinch,

Kelly