Greek Zucchini Pie

I tested this dish with a few different ingredients as the base and decided that a basic quiche-like custard tasted the best and brought a great smooth texture to the pie. But, this is no quiche. The flavors in this pie and its classic combination of zucchini and dill are light, flavorful and filled with summer. Though it is baked it makes the perfect accompaniment to any grilled Greek style meat or really any grilled meats at all. Don't let my use of phyllo dough for the crust scare you off either. Just a few sheets placed in your baking dish and you are good to go. I promise it is simple to prepare. I hope you enjoy.

Greek Zucchini Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. zucchini, grated (about 5 cups)

2/3 cup onion, diced

6 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup dill, chopped

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 sheets Phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 350'

Grate the zucchini with the shredding blade in your food processor or with a box grater. Place the zucchini in a clean cotton kitchen towel and wring well to release all of the moisture.

Preheat a large saute pan that has been coated with olive oil spray on medium heat. Saute the zucchini and onions until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Season with black pepper while cooking. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, dill, nutmeg and feta cheese in a large bowl. Season with black pepper. Add the cooled zucchini and onion mixture and stir to blend well.

Lightly brush a sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil, season with black pepper and place in the bottom of an 8" by 8" casserole dish. It will be long enough to hang over the edges on two sides. Place a second sheet, which has been brushed with olive oil and seasoned with black pepper over the first, making sure the bottom is covered completely. Using the same method with the last two sheets, place them in the opposite direction in the casserole dish so that they drape over the other two sides and all four sides have flaps. Pour the zucchini mixture into the crust, fold the flaps up around the edges of the pie and lightly coat the flaps with olive oil spray. Bake for about 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

9 Servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 200.6
Total Fat 15.3 g
Saturated Fat 7.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.3 g
Cholesterol 180.0 mg
Sodium 222.9 mg
Potassium 290.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 1.3 g
Protein 7.5 g

Moussaka Lamburgers Crowned with Creamy Feta Dressing

Switching gears this week, I would like to present a very different burger. This lamb burger is based on the classic Greek flavors of moussaka. Moussaka is a classic Greek casserole made of ground lamb, bechamel sauce, cheese and eggplant. Though one of the main ingredients of moussaka, eggplant, is not included in the burger it would be the perfect accompaniment to it simply served grilled with a bit of olive oil on the side. Seasoned with a touch of cloves, nutmeg and mint, and blended with lemon, tomato, red wine and garlic, these burgers have the zing of warm, aromatic flavors tempered with the delicate sweetness of lamb. I have also prepared a special topping to dress the burgers. Borrowing from the classic bechamel sauce used in moussaka, I have opted to change it out to creamy Greek yogurt, feta cheese and have echoed many of the warm spices from the burgers. A delicious combination that is both big in flavor and light on carbs. I hope you enjoy.

Moussaka Lambugers Crowned with Creamy Feta Dressing

Ingredients:

Creamy Feta Dressing:

6 ounce container plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. mint, chopped fine

1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped fine

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Lamburgers:

1/2 cup onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp. garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup tomato, finely diced (no salt added canned is okay)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 cup red wine

1 lb. ground lamb (80/20 if available)

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp. dried mint

1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped fine

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 egg

vegetable spray

Begin by preparing the Creamy Feta Dressing. Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and blend well until combined. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or more to marry flavors.

Lightly coat a small saute pan with the vegetable spray and place on medium high heat. Saute the onion, garlic and tomato until translucent. Season with black pepper if desired. Carefully add the wine off the heat and return. Bring to simmer and reduce until there no longer is any liquid.

Let cool.

Place the ground lamb in a large bowl and add the cooled onion mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Blend well to distribute evenly throughout the meat. Form into four patties.

Coat a cast iron grill pan or other heavy bottom pan with vegetable spray. Place on high heat and preheat until screaming hot and beginning to smoke. Grill burgers for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Serve with a large dollop of Creamy Feta Dressing and optional grilled eggplant.

Nutrition Facts

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 354.9

Total Fat 22.8 g

Saturated Fat 10.8 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.4 g

Cholesterol 133.6 mg

Sodium 317.1 mg

Potassium 144.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate 10.9 g

Dietary Fiber 1.6 g

Sugars 3.0 g

Protein 23.2 g

Mini Spanakopita

I love spanakopita and have made them in a smaller size that can be served as a nice hors d'oeuvre with drinks for New Years Eve. It is healthy, filled with spinach, but a little on the salty side because of the feta cheese and kalamata olives. If you want to reduce the salt due to dietary concerns you can omit the olives. These are delicious little flaky triangles filled with a burst of big flavor.

I also wanted to wish all of my readers a Happy New Year. May the coming new year bring us all good health, much happiness, great prosperity and peace. Please have a safe night and party with those you love! Thank you all for your wonderful posts to me and great words of encouragement. I look forward to creating new healthy recipes that leave us feeling good about ourselves in 2010. All I can say is, expect the unexpected! I hope you enjoy.

Mini Spanakopita

Ingredients:

1 - 10 ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted with all water squeezed out

3 Tbsp. scallions, chopped (about 2 large scallions)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1 tbsp. dried dill

pinch nutmeg

1 egg, lightly beaten

12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted according to package directions

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 375'

In a large bowl mix the spinach, scallions, feta cheese, parsley, dill and nutmeg until evenly blended. Season with black pepper if desired. Add the beaten egg and mix well to combine.

To work with phyllo dough place the dough on a sheet pan and cover with a lightly dampened clean kitchen towel or paper towel to keep it from drying out,. Lightly brush a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter and fold in half from top to bottom. Place a heaping tablespoonful of the filling on the bottom, leaving about a 1/2" border. Lightly brush the rest of the dough with butter. Picking the phyllo dough up from either the left or right corner, fold over to the opposite edge to make a triangle. Continue folding the triangle by folding it up, to the left and to the right until you reach the top. Lightly brush the top edge with butter if needed and fold to seal. Place on a sheet pan, seam side down and lightly brush the top with butter and season with freshly cracked black pepper. Repeat process to use all phyllo and filling.

Bake on the sheet pan for 20 to 25 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown and crispy. Remove and cool on rack.

This can be served with a simple dipping sauce of plain yogurt blended with the juice and zest of one lemon, a dash of dill and seasoned with black pepper. It is a wonderful optional compliment to the spanakopita.

Nutrition Facts

12 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 112.7

Total Fat 6.8 g

Saturated Fat 3.1 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g

Cholesterol 31.0 mg

Sodium 247.0 mg

Potassium 152.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate 9.9 g

Dietary Fiber 1.0 g

Sugars 0.2 g

Protein 3.3 g