Healthy Food Recipes

Ingredients :

·         2 c. cooked white rice

·         1 lb. ground lamb or ground beef*

·         1/2 c. finely chopped scallions

·         1/4 c. currants

·         1/4 c. pine nuts or chopped almonds

·         2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped (optional)

·         1/2 tsp. salt

·         2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

·         2 tbsp. olive oil

·         1 1-lb. jar grape leaves

·         1/4 c. lemon juice

·         1 10.5-oz. can beef broth

·         1 c. water

·         3 lemons, cut into wedges

How To Make :

·         Cook rice according to directions on package.

·         Place lamb or beef in a large skillet. Cook meat over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to break up into small pieces.

·         Remove meat from heat. Drain off fat and set aside.

·         In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, meat, scallions, currants, nuts, mint, salt, parsley, and olive oil. Stir gently with a spoon.

·         Drain grape leaves in a colander. Carefully rinse the grape leaves in cool running water. Drain on paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut stems off leaves.

·         Place 1 tsp. meat mixture on a grape leaf and fold. Repeat until all filling is used. 

·         In a large saucepan, arrange the rolls in layers, seam-side down. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of lemon juice over each layer.

·         Pour any remaining lemon juice, the beef broth, and the water over the dolmádes. Place a heavy plate or baking dish on top of the dolmádes to hold them in place while cooking. Cover saucepan and cook over low heat for 1 hour.

·         Remove from heat and allow to cool. Carefully remove the plate and drain off all cooking liquid.

Ingredients :

·         1/2 head iceberg or romaine lettuce

·         2 tomatoes, quartered, or 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

·         1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

·         1/2 green pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips

·         5 scallions, thinly sliced

·         1 c. (about 6 oz.) feta cheese, broken into chunks

·         12 to 16 black Greek olives

Dressing:

·         2 tbsp. red-wine vinegar

·         1 clove garlic, finely chopped

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1/8 tsp. pepper

·         1/2 tsp. oregano

·         1/3 c. olive oil*  

How To Make :

·         Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl.

·         Add tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, scallions, feta cheese, and Pour dressing (recipe follows) over salad and toss.

·         Serve on chilled salad plates. Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.

·         Slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly.

Ingredients :

·         2 lb. fresh spinach (or 2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed)

·         1/4 c. olive oil

·         1/2 c. chopped scallions

·         1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley

·         2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill, or

·         1 tbsp. dried dill weed 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 c. (about 6 oz.) finely crumbled  feta cheese

·         1/2 tsp. salt

·         1/4 tsp. pepper

·         dash of nutmeg

·         3/4 c. (11/2 sticks) butter*, melted

·         1/2 lb. (about 14 sheets) phyllo  pastry, thawed  

How To Make :

·         Preheat oven to 350ºF.

·         Remove large, tough stems from spinach leaves. Wash spinach leaves in cold water to remove all dirt and sand. Using your hands, squeeze water from spinach and dry on paper towels.

·         Chop spinach into ø-inch pieces. (If using frozen spinach, place thawed spinach in a colander and squeeze out excess moisture by pressing spinach with the back of a large spoon.)

·         Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add scallions and cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add spinach and cook 3 more minutes.

·         Remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

·         Stir in parsley, dill, eggs, feta cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and set aside.

·         Butter a 913-inch baking pan. Place 1 sheet of phyllo pastry in pan.

·         Brush sheet well with melted butter, then put another sheet on top of it. Continue adding sheets, brushing each one with butter, until there are a total of 7 sheets.

·          Spread spinach filling evenly over phyllo. Trim off dried edges of phyllo with scissors or sharp knife. Then fold excess phyllo over the Place 7 sheets of phyllo pastry over the spinach, one at a time, brushing each sheet well with melted butter before adding the next.

·         Trim off excess phyllo with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. Brush top of pie with melted butter.

·         Place pan on middle oven rack and bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden. Cool 5 minutes before cut-ting into squares.