Farro Pilaf

Seasonal Recipe of the Pandemic
My new obsession is finding creative ways to use the miscellaneous leftovers in my fridge, which seem to be piling up at a fast rate. I guess it's because we are eating all our meals at home. Yesterday, I was looking for some ingredients to create a grain side dish and this happened and it was amazing! I got the idea to throw in an egg from my fried rice recipe and it really made it moist and delish. Here's my Mediterranean-inspired version, but get creative with whatever ingredients you have and make it your own. Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 cups cooked farro (I love the fast-cooking Faro from Trader Joe's, 10 minutes and done!)
1/2 cup full-fat feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 roasted red pepper, skin removed
1 tablespoon capers
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Procedure
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the faro and dump in everything else except the egg and the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until everything is hot — make sure you give the feta time to melt. Then add the raw egg and stir until it's all coated and the egg sets. Remove form heat, garnish with the scallions, and eat!

Greek Style Lamb Meatloaf

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Somehow I ended up with a few extra pounds of ground lamb so I thought it might be fun to do a little experimenting. I gathered up some classic Greek ingredients like mint, parsley, oregano and Feta cheese and mixed them into the lamb and deliciousness happened! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 pound ground lamb
1 large slice white bread, crust removed
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Pepper to taste (the feta provides salt)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Soak bread in milk until most of the milk is absorbed, then mash into paste. Sauté onion in oil over medium heat until fragrant and translucent. Add garlic to onion and cook one minute longer. Now combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. I use my hands for this. Shape into a free-form loaf and put on a sheet pan. Bake until internal temperature is 155 degrees, about 40 minutes. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. May be served with Tzatziki sauce.

Baked Smoked Paprika Chicken stuffed with Spinach and fat-free Feta Cheese with Greek Yogurt Sauce

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Those of us who cook at home each night know the value of a new chicken recipe. Personally, I could eat a chicken dish every day and almost always have some grilled chicken on hand to mix into my lunch salad. But that’s just me. Here is a very flavorful baked chicken dish, which seems real fancy but is easy and delicious. And legal on Weight Watchers! It makes 4 portions.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
4 pieces boneless chicken breast
1 pound fresh baby spinach washed and spun dry
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup fat-free Feta cheese
1 cup red onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
or
1/2 teaspoon dried ground rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of Splenda

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 375. Spray a sheet pan with olive oil spray coating. In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onions and garlic and cook till tender, 5-8 minutes. Add spinach and stir till spinach wilts. Squeeze in 1/2 a lemon. Take off burner, add Feta to filling, adjust seasoning and let cool. Cut a slit horizontally in each chicken breast. Take spinach filling and coarsely chop. Put a few spoonfuls of spinach filling in each breast. Place breasts on sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle on paprika, thyme, and salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or till done — it depends on the size of the breasts. Cheese should run out of inside of breast and be liquid. Serve with Greek Yogurt Rosemary sauce. To make the sauce, just combine Greek yogurt, cumin, salt, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and rosemary. Sweeten with a pinch of Splenda. Serve sauce on the side.

Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Olives, and Feta

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Here’s another great salad to serve at your BBQ from Dean and Deluca's Food and Wine Cookbook. Orzo is a great pasta which looks like flat rice. Remember to put a good shot of oil in the water, as it tends to stick while cooking.

Ingredients for Salad
1 pound orzo
1 pound asparagus, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 red peppers, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and diced
4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled

Ingredients for Vinaigrette
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/2 cup EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Steam or grill asparagus and set aside. Boil orzo in salted oiled water for 10-12 minutes till tender and drain well. In the meantime, make vinaigrette. Combine everything for vinaigrette but olive oil in a blender or a bowl and use a whisk to mix. Add oil in a slow, steady stream till emulsified and thick. Now combine Orzo, asparagus, peppers, onions, and olives. Drizzle in vinaigrette and taste and adjust salt and pepper. Watch the salt because Feta can be very salty! It's that simple. Garnish with some fresh chives.