indian style burrito

here's what's up. i just made the best leftovers, and am so excited!! i know i just put up the recipe for dahl earlier today, but i'm gonna show you how i used it to make the best dinner evveerrr - what i call an indian style burrito. simply delishhh.

sooo goooood  : )

indian style burrito. what the hell? well, i substituted the tortilla for a pita pocket (also less calories), the salsa would be the dahl (thus why i left it cold) the veggies would be like the lettuce or the tomato, and the eggs are like the meat/beans. it's just epic.

so, here's how you do it!

you will need:

1/2 a whole wheat pita pocket

2 tbsp leftover dahl

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp olive oil

splash of low sodium, low calorie chicken broth

1/2 a green pepper

1/4 a zucchini 

1/4 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 or 2 eggs

1/2 tsp butter/margarine

step 1:

dice zucchini and green pepper, finely chop onion and crush garlic.

step 2:

in a medium sized pan set to medium heat, add oil. when hot, add in the garlic and onion. cook stirring constantly until onion is translucent. then add in spices and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

step 3: 

add in zucchini and green pepper. add a little chicken broth, and cook for 10 minutes. at this point, get a separate, smaller pan and prepare it for your eggs. set to medium heat and add in some margarine/butter. 

step 4: 

when veggies are soft, crack your eggs into a small bowl and whip them. if you like, you can add milk to make them fluffier. add eggs into small pan and scramble them. 

step 5: 

once eggs are cooked, take the pita pocket and open it. add a layer of dahl. (i left it cold, but you can heat it up if you want)

layer of dahl

step 6:

on top of the dahl, add a layer of eggs.

layer of eggs

step 7:

add the curried veggies on top of the eggs. voila!

layer of curried veggies.

note: if you open your pita pocket and the sides are particularly thin, be careful while adding the dahl, it will cause one side to become soft. you can add in any veggies you want, i just had the green pepper and zucchini handy.

i will definitely be having this again tomorrow, either for dinner or for lunch. it turned out SO GOOD!! so people, you now have another reason to make the dahl - so you can experience the awesome indian style burrito.

roald dahl

i've always loved indian food: the curries, the spices and the spiciness! not to mention, indian food can be super healthy. in fact, according to health.com's article, World's Best Superfoods, indian sits at a comfortable 5 out of the 10 healthiest ethnic cuisines in the world (who sits at 1? you guessed it. greek). this is mainly due to the spices found in indian cooking, such as turmeric, ginger, cumin and cardamom.

spices featured heavily in indian cuisine

the majority of these spices have cancer fighting properties and anti-inflammatory properties. research is being done on turmeric and garlic, as evidence suggests they can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease (rates of the disease in india are 4 times lower than those in america). indian cuisine also heavily features chickpeas, beans and lentils as super, super healthy alternatives to fatty meats for their large vegetarian population.

so, since i love lentils so much (tasty and really healthy), i decided that i should test my curry-ing skills and attempted to make dahl, a spicy lentil curry. i wanted to change the recipe to make it healthier by adding lots of veg. so let's call this eva's super-healthy-vitamin-and-mineral-and-iron-rich dahl. so, here's the recipe!

you will need:
~ 1 1/2 cups of lentils (i used red and i put in a bit extra, but any kind will do)
4 cups water 
1/2 an onion
3 cloves of garlic
3 tsp curry powder (or to taste - i used a lot)
1 1/2 tsp cumin (i know, there's cumin in the curry powder, but i like it so i added extra)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp chilli flakes (i added extra cause i like it spicy)
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garam masala (or to taste)
1 tsp olive oil
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
4 celery sticks
1 large green and red pepper (i used 1 1/2 of each cause i had some from the day before)
1 small/medium pack frozen spinach

 red, black and green lentils

preparation:
get a tray or large plate, pour the lentils out and sift through them for rocks or twigs.
chop onions fine, dice veggies, crush garlic and take spinach out of the freezer.

step 1:
in a large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. when ready, add in garlic, ginger and onions. cook, stirring often for 5 minutes until onions are translucent
step 2:
once onions are translucent, add in all spices and cook for a 2 more minutes, stirring often.
step 3: 
add in celery, green and red pepper and tomatoes (with liquid) and stir together. cook for 10 minutes.
step 4:
once veggies have softened a little, add the water and the lentils. turn the temperature down to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
step 5:
add in the frozen spinach and cook for 10 more minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. if needed, add more water.

to serve:
i served the dahl on the leaves of  iceberg lettuce, but it can also be served with brown rice or naan.

dahl served on lettuce leaves

side note: this dahl recipe makes TONS, and it freezes really well. i kept half for the week, and froze the other half for later.

soupa trahana

this is one of my favourite greek soups. it's simple, hearty and perfect for a cold, rainy fall day. this is the first time i've made this on my own, from my yiayia's (ya-YAH) recipe. i have to say, it didn't turn out too bad! i did change a couple things from the original recipe. i used low-sodium, low-calorie broth, i used skim milk, i added more tomatoes, and i only used a bit of feta. while i could have gone with a low-fat feta, i felt that a really good quality cheese was just worth it to splurge.

trahana soup

now, τραχανά (trah-hah-NAH). what the hell is that, you ask? to be honest, i'm not reaaallyy sure. it's some type of cracked wheat thing, but all i know is that it's super super tasty! you can find it at any mediterranean specialty shop, along with some really good feta. we brought back 5 pounds of the trahana made in my mum's village, Desfina, (english wiki site here) but somehow i forgot it at home. sad. so, instead, i went to Minerva's Mediterranean Deli on west broadway. 

sweet trahana from minerva's

anyways, at minerva's they have sweet trahana (made with milk) and sour trahana (made with yogourt or traditional buttermilk). i literally just stood there for 10 minutes trying to figure out which one to buy. before this, i didn't even know there were 2 types!? well, i'm going to save you those 10 minutes of your life by telling you to get the sweet one. i'm not really sure why they call it sweet, cause it's not sweet at all. so, without further ado, here's the recipe!

you will need:

5 cups water

1/2 cup milk (i used skim)
1 cup stock (i used no soduim stock, the feta adds all the salt you need)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (i used canned cause that's all i had, and i added extra)
4-5 handfuls of trahana
chunk of feta
step 1:
add water, milk and stock into a large pot and bring to a boil
step 2:
once boiling, add in tomatoes and trahana. cook for 30 minutes, stirring often to avoid trahana sticking to the bottom or sides of the pot

30 minutes into cooking process

step 3:
crumble in the feta cheese and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often.
step 4:
serve in a bowl, add extra feta cheese on top if desired

enjoy!

accidental vegetarian

i have come to the realization that i have turned into an accidental vegetarian. while i realize this is an almost impossible task for a greek, explained so famously by Aunt Voula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, i fear it may be true.




how did this monstrosity happen, you ask? well, it all started during my first grocery shop (ever). i was almost finished my shop, when i headed to the meat section of the store and picked up a little package of chicken. as my eyes set upon the price, i almost fainted. $8.00 for a pack of chicken that would last me 3 days?! sacré bleu! while in shock, i placed it in the cart and quickly walked away. scary.

as i wandered aimlessly throughout the rest of the store trying to make sense of this madness, i stumbled upon tofu. the whole world seemed to glow and a string quartet piped up in my head as i reached for a large pack of tofu (enough to last me 6-10 days), for only $2.00!!

now, don't get me wrong, i love my meat (pass me the chicken wings and steak, pleaaaaasee!) but it's so expensive! and as a student, i need to save money where ever possible. yeah, i didn't really need that comfy pillow from ikea, or that warm sweater from h&m, but it just makes more sense to get my protein from a less expensive source.

now, tofu has it's ups and downs. for one, it sucks if it's not seasoned correctly. and when i say correctly, i mean heavily. two, it will never replace a steak or some ribs.

on the upside though, it does contain less calories and fat than meat. while that's not why i choose to eat it, it's never a bad thing! also, you can use tofu in place of meat in many meals. for example: chilli. you can use a soft tofu and crumble it in or, as an alternative to plain tofu, companies have come out with great soy products that look and taste similar to meat. my favourite is Yves Veggie Round Grounds - they look like ground beef, but are veggie friendly. in fact, during the summer i convinced my mother to add it to our yemista - nobody could tell that it wasn't meat!

i don't think i could ever completely give up my steak, chicken wings, roast lamb and ribs. for now though, i will not be eating as much of it as i used to. now, just because i use tofu in some recipes doesn't mean you can't simply replace it with chicken or extra-lean beef. you will find recipes with meat on my blog, although they may be few in numbers, they will be on here!

the elixir of life

this my friends, will change your life. a nescafé frappé: foam-covered iced coffee drink made with instant coffee and milk. i know, i know, it doesn't sound like much, but when you're out in the 40 degree heat, these drinks will literally save your life. oh, and if you're up for it, you can substitute the milk with baileys, something i have yet to try!

monemvasia, greece: relaxing at a kafeneio enjoying a frappé glyko me gala
(glee-KOH meh-GAH-lah)

i usually prefer my frappé glyko me gala (sweet with milk) but after drinking that everyday - sometimes even twice a day - for a month, it can make you sick. so, now i prefer them metrio me gala (medium sweet with milk). here's how you do it!

items needed to create this masterpiece

you will need:

a shaker (i used a nescafé one, but you can use a water bottle)

instant coffee (again, i used a nescafé one for frappés, but any kind will do)

sugar

milk

ice cubes

water

a glass

a straw (very important!)

step 1: 

add 1 or 2 teaspoons of instant coffee into your mixer, and then add half that amount of sugar (less or more, depending on how sweet you like it).

it should look something like this

step 2:

add just enough cold water to cover the mixture, and shake the hell out of it. once you feel the mix becoming foam, you know you're good.

step 3:

pour mix into a glass. at this point, i add the milk into the empty mixer and shake it a bit to get any extra coffee left. pour the milk into the glass. if you want, you can just add the milk in step 2. if you don't want to add milk, just skip this step.

step 4:

add in ice cubes and put the straw in the glass. enjoy!

ena frappé glyko me gala

introduction of a food geek

hello and welcome to my cooking blog! 

here i will be chronicling my experiences as i learn to cook for myself during my second year of university. the goal: delicious and nutritious food. the temptation: kraft dinner and beer. can i resist?

you should know that i am a food geek. meaning, i love food. especially good food. i love eating (anorexia? no chance here). unfortunately, that's all i've done till now - eat. i eat at restaurants and i eat food my mum makes. but, i don't eat food that i make. why? because, before now, i rarely have cooked anything by myself. the odd omelette or batch of cookies... nothing that could sustain any sort of life. i've only cooked meat with my parents around (even then, i refuse to touch it raw) and i haven't cooked a whole meal before. this year will be interesting!

throughout the year, i will be trying to cook healthy and nutritious food... don't blame me, it's the HKin talking! i'm still going to make my favourite dishes (a lot of them are unhealthy) but instead, i will try to find ways to prepare them in a lower fat-sodium-calories kind of way. wish me luck?

as for the cuisine, i'm greek, and i eat a lot of greek food.. so expect to find recipes for hummus, tzatziki and yemista on here soon! right now, i'm really into indian curries, anything with cumin, lentils or chickpeas! of course, italian and asian food is always invited too.

so, be sure to check back for some food that i have been cooking in my little kitchen in marine drive!

the amazing view from my unit in marine drive