Greek Night!

Last night we had a fabulous dinner, the theme Greek food! Falafels with traditional tzatziki sauce, Tabouli and Cucumber and Tomato Salad. My mom and I really enjoyed it and I was so glad Sarah came over because she LOVED it! Now, for Trav and Dad I can not say as much. There were actually quite funny throughout the dinner making silly faces, somehow I was not offended and my mom and I continued to crack up as we cleaned the kitchen. At one point we literally were almost on the ground laughing recalling their expressions and comments. I must say they have been great sports coming and trying my healthy dinners. Love you guys!

The Tzatiki sauce was a specialty because normally I would not serve something made with yogurt but my mom wanted me to make it just like at the restaurants and I think there are some great benefits to yogurt. I bought Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt, 6 oz, if you're gonna make the sauce go for the real thing!

Tzatziki Sauce
yogurt, 6 oz.
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
4 T dill
juice from a quarter of a small lemon
2 cloves garlic
Blend cucumber, dill, lemon juice and garlic together in a Cuisinart, then slowly and gently fold into a bowl with the yogurt because you don't want it to get runny. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let the flavors come out.

Now, the falafels do not exactly have a recipe. I began with a recipe for raw falafels from Juliano's Raw Cookbook that Bianca and I had previously made but did not have time to dehydrate them. If you have time and a dehydrator make these they are the best!! I added and extra can of garbanzos and about a cup of oat flour to the mix to get a thick enough consistency to make the patties, then I baked them at 425 for 30 min, 15 on one side then flip them. Be sure to check them to make sure they don't burn!

Now, I don't think this salad is Greek but it went well and it's a favorite at our house. Simple toss cucumbers, red onion and tomatoes with red wine vinegar and any oil you like. Sprinkle salt and pepper and you're good to go! The Tabouli salad is traditonally made with bulgar or couscous, but because we had multiple people at the table who are sensitive to wheat I used quinoa which is a great alternative. The salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

Tabouli Salad
2 C quinoa
1 C mint, chopped
1 C parsley, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced
juice of a half a lemon
3-4 T balsamic vinaigrette
Cook the quinoa as usual. 2 C water to 1 C quinoa, let simmer for about 20 min. In a separate bowl, combine all the vegetables. Once quinoa is finished cooking add to the bowl. Then toss with the lemon and balsamic. The salad is best served cold so chill for at least an hour before serving.

My family left for Lake Almanor this morning and Bianca and I will be joining them soon, so you might not here from us for awhile! We promise to have more next week! Happy 4th of July!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani