My Little Taste Of Greece

Lately I have been travelling around the country via my kitchen ! I asked my Husband where He wanted to go this week and he said Greece.. no sooner than He said Greece was I off and running looking for some lemons, garlic, olive oil and Oregano... Basically staples in the Greek kitchen.
There are so many lovely dishes from Greece, these are just 4 I decided to try. I hope you like them.







 Spanikopita

1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic
1 large bunch of fresh spinach ( or frozen )
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 egg
2/3 cup goat milk feta cheese
1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
Phyllo dough
melted butter

Sauteed Onions, garlic, spinach

First start by thawing out your phyllo dough in the package it comes in till it reaches room temperature.
Saute onion till soft, add garlic, salt and pepper. Add spinach toss around till onions and garlic are mixed with wilted spinach, cook 2 mins, add lemon zest and dill, let cool slightly.
Meanwhile prepare your phyllo dough, lay sheets out on flat surface, cover with a damp cloth as phyllo will dry out very quickly. Melt butter and set aside.
Once Spinach mixture has cooled slightly add egg, dill and feta, stir till all combined.
Start by laying one sheet of phyllo and crushing entire sheet with melted butter, add another sheet directly on top and repeat butter process, do this step until you have 5 layers of phyllo brushed with butter. Do This twice, so now you will have 2 sets of 5 layers of phyllo brushed with butter.  Evenly distribute the spinach mix at the end of both sheets leaving room at the edges for folding.  Fold sides over spinach mix to seal them up, then roll your pastry tightly to form a log. slice half way through in 2 inch intervals to make it easier for cutting once baked, use left over butter and brush logs with butter. Bake at 375* for 15 - mins or until tops are golden brown and crispy.

Yellow Rice

2 cups parboiled or basmati rice

4 cups water

4 tbsp vegetable soup base

1 tbsp turmeric

1 cup diced mushrooms

1 red pepper diced

1 onion diced

1 carrot grated

3 garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 375*

Saute onions, carrots, peppers, mushrooms till tender, add salt and oregano, turmeric and garlic, saute 2 more mins. Add to large casserole dish, add 2 cups rice and 4 cups water and vegetable base, stir till all combined.  Cover with lid or tinfoil, bake 30 mins, then stir at 30 min. point and remove lid, cook remaining 15 - 20 mins. until rice is done and fluffy.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

4 lemons

1 roaster chicken

6 garlic cloves

1 small onion

1 small bunch of parsley

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Chop onions, garlic, mix with salt and pepper juice of 2 lemons and 3 tbsp olive oil.

Rub all over chicken generously. Stuff chicken with remaining lemon wedges and parsley.

Bake at 375* for 45 - 60 mins until chicken is done and brown yummy and crispy !

Cucumber Tomato and Feta Salad

1 small cucumber peeled and cubed

3 plum tomatoes cubed

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/2 cup diced yellow pepper

1 cup crumbled goats milk feta

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together until all is coated in lemon juice, finish off with some fresh parsley or dried oregano

I hope you enjoyed these recipes and decide to try these fro your families one day !

Love Sierra

20 Minuite Jam

Ok so I love Jam, but I do not love Jam from stores, never really have. I find it WAY too sweet, and some have WAY too many preservatives in it, and not to mention things that just don't need to be there; i.e food colors.  Personally I love the look of REAL natural Jam, especially a fruit blend Jam, every batch is a different color, its refreshing and satisfying seeing the "fruits" ( tee hee ) of your labor come out the way they were intended.
Did you know that you do not need to use artificial pectin, that a simple granny smith apple or really apple for that matter will do. Adding one apple to your jam batch will give you enough NATURAL pectin to set up your batch of jam.  This is why I love making homemade Jam and preserves. Its so simple and super tasty. Adding apple gives you alot of base flavor, ever wonder why sometimes jam is heavy tasting, way too sweet, or too sticky, its because, there is like 4 .. really 4 - 6 cups of sugar in a  regular batch of Jam, that blows my mind ! The sugar is needed to activate the synthetic pectin, ... so `They`say but you see when you remove the artificial pectin, and add a apple or two you are not only reducing the sugar dramatically you are enhancing your Jams flavor, quality, nutritional value and making a lighter tasting Jam. Apples in Jam do a world of wonder !
I never make huge batches cause this style is so easy, I simply make enough for a month or so, usually never lasts that long, we end up eating it on bread, buns, oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, ice cream and anything else we can find ( tee hee ) .
Oh and I think I should mention, that heavy tasting Jam comes from not having a balance in it, every thing sweet needs a bit of zing to balance it out, add some lemon, lime, or orange zest to your Jams to brighten the flavor, you will be surprised at what a tablespoon or two can do to  your jam... Just try it ... Trust me :)


Apple Strawberry Peach Jam

3 cups cut up washed strawberries
2 apples diced washed and peeled
3 - 4 peaches diced washed and peeled ( depending on size )
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
zest from 2 oranges

Combine everything in a large stock pot, and bring to a boil, once boiled, simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
If you like a chunky jam leave it as is, if you like a less chunky jam, while your jam is simmering take a potato masher and mash the fruit every so often to break it up, most of the fruit does that naturally through the cooking process, but you can mash it to your liking.
Once Jam has reduced, and the majority of the liquid has evaporated, or jam has come to your desired texture, take off heat and allow to cool.
Store in glass jar or Tupperware, lasts for 1 - 2 months.. if you can keep it around that long :)

Diced up fruit ... Yum !

Simmering fruit, I used a masher to get a semi chunky Jam

Jam on toast ... Yum again !

You can try this with any fruit you want, Jam no longer has to be intimidating, or time consuming.. Take 20 mins. out of your day, diced up whatever fruit you have on hand, add a big or citrus zest sugar and water and get r done !  I promise you will be shocked and possibly a little addicted to a healthier yummier easier hand made Jam !





Love Sierra



The Perfect Oatmeal Cookie !

Ok so I love oatmeal, I love all things oatmeal ! 
I especially love Oatmeal cookies, these are my Oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies !
This is a wonderful recipe, its soft, chewy, tender flattens out like a lace cookie, its just perfect ! 
You can adapt it to use what you havee on hand, thats why i like it so much, you can add raisins, walnuts, pecans, really anything you want.





Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix together your butter and sugars until creamed, add eggs and vanilla till combined, stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts.  Stir in flour baking soda, salts and oats until all mixed thoroughly.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet or parchment paper lined baking tray, bake for 13 mins at 325* after done let sit on tray for 2 mins before moving to cooling rack.

Variations

• Try adding 1 cup of chopped trail mix
• Add 1 1/2 cups of raisins and 1 tbsp of cinnamon
• Try 1 cup od chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of peanut better and use only 3/4 butter instead
• Use 1 cup of dried cranberries, 2/3 cup walnuts and  3/4 white chocolate chips
• Try 1 cup mixed dried fruit, 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 cup chocolate chips for a perfect fruit nut n chocolate oatmeal cookie

Oatmeal cookies are so great, they are healthy, tasty and can be adapted to whatever you have on hand, thats why I love this recipe.

Try em out on your family, I know you won't have just one !

Love Sierra

Pancakes anyone ?

Who doesn't love pancakes ?
I make alot of pancakes, especially for my children. I like that they freeze perfectly and are a perfect healthy snack when made right. I make big batches when its pancake day, then freeze them for easy access.  What I also like about pancakes is that they are so versatile, you can add any fruit, use any flour, pretty much add anything you want to them.  You can make them sweet, savory healthy and just plain ol' yummy !

• Try adding fresh or frozen diced fruit to your pancake batter or try dropping it onto your cooking pancake on the uncooked side, so when you flip it the fruit will show through on the other side.
• Experiment with toppings, use warm applesauce, powdered sugar, drizzle honey, or try using fresh fruit instead of syrups.
• To make your pancakes healthier, try substituting the flour for whole wheat instead of white, or add in 1/2 cup or oats or bran for added fiber.
• Cut the sugar in half in your recipes, you really don't need that much, especially when using a sweet topping.
• To add a natural sweetness, add grated apple, pear, carrot, sweet potato, or any fresh fruit instead of sugars, it makes for a healthierer pancake

Below are my families best requested pancakes for breakfast, I always have some on hand either in the fridge or frozen for a quick easy breakfast or snack.


Apple cinnamon Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cups milk
1 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated apple

Combine all ingredients together until mixed, do not over mix, let sit for 10 mins before pouring onto hot griddle.  Add some oil to your skillet and cook on medium to low heat for 6 mins or so or until browned nicely flip and do the same until cooked through, these pancakes are a bit dense, so you want to cook on a lower heat to cook through, on a higher heat will burn the outside and under cook the inside.  Serve with warmed applesauce, maple syrup, powdered sugar or a fresh apple topping.
* Sometimes if I am out of apple I use pear in place of grated apple.


Banana Pancakes with Strawberry topping

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tablespoon white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Combine all ingredients together until mixed thoroughly, do not over mix.

Heat skillet to medium heat, add a bit of oil and pour into pan, cook for about 4 - 6 mins on one side then flip and continue to cook til done. Serve with fresh bananas, maple syrup, strawberry topping, or powdered sugar.

Fresh Strawberry topping

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries cut up

1 tbsp water

1/2 cup sugar

Add all ingredients into sauce pan and cook on medium - high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and continue to cook for 10 - 15 mins, or just until sauce thickens and reduces to a nice syrup, serve warm or ice cream, pancakes or anything else to make a yummy fresh quick topping.

* Sometimes if I am out of apple I use pear in place of grated apple.

You can do this with blueberries, raspberries, just about any fruit you want.

Carrot cake pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg, cinnamon and ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups  grated carrot

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly, do not over mix.
Let sit for 10 mins before cooking.
Heat skillet to medium heat, adding a bit of oil, pour into skillet and cook 3 - 5 mins on each side. Serve with maple syrup, warmed apple sauce, or powdered sugar or drizzle honey for a touch of elegance.

* I love these pancakes, i love how healthy they are for my family, sometimes I substitute the carrot for sweet potato, squash or pumpkin for added veggie for my girls. They love it and have no idea they are eating sweet potato or pumpkin pancakes :)  These freeze very well.


Try experimenting with pancakes for your next breakfast, you won't be sorry, i hope you enjoyed these 3 recipes, and try making your own very soon. Enjoy !

Love Sierra

Taco Salad

Taco Salad with a side of my strawberry tomato salsa



So around here we do tacos alot. I try to keep them interesting and find new ways to re-invent the taco.
Well the other night I decided to go on a limb and make my first taco salad for my family. I have never made the taco salad before, frankly because I never knew how really. I took the time the other day to prep my kitchen and went full steam ahead.. The result was amazing, I made a fantastic taco salad that my family enjoyed plus I also made a Fresh tomato strawberry salsa too ! Who knew it would be so easy, this whole time I was missing out ! I hope you can take the time to try these one day too.

What I love about tacos is that you can be so creative, here are some tips to keep your tacos interesting so your family will keep coming back for more :

• Switch your meats up, you can use beef, ground chicken, ground turkey even fish.
• Throw some beans into your tacos like white or red kidney, navy or black beans for added fiber and a nice creaminess
• Use lettuce leafs as your " taco" a great lettuce to use for that would be romaine, Boston bib, or even radicchio
• Add some veggies to your meat mixture, use bell peppers, spinach, celery, grated carrot, onions or even mushrooms
• Instead of the store seasonings try making your own, experiment with flavors, you can do tacos from around the world when you experiments with spices.
• Make your own salsas, they are super easy and tasty and you can add just what your family likes

Sierra's Taco Salad

1 lbs ground meat
1 can white kidney beans
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion minced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
6 tortillas
2 tbsp oil
* toppings i.e lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream

Heat skillet to medium high heat, add a bit of oil to pan, start to saute up meat until almost cooked, add in garlic, onion and spices, cook until meat in cooked through and onions and garlic and soft and tender, add in kidney beans and turn heat to medium low and continue to cook until beans are tender and mixture is done.

Tortillas shaped into cups

Brush all 6 tortillas with oil on both sides, fold tortillas on one side and curve bottom to make a "cup " and put into muffin tray to help keep the " cup " shape.  Bake at 400* until crisp but not too crisp just about 8 mins or so.
Once the shells are done, you can begin to form your taco salad.
I layered my Shell with Caesar salad dressing, then grated cheese, then my meat mixture, then topped it off with some salsa and served it with the lettuce on the side and more salsa on the side.
( I kinda love salsa ) But you can serve yours anyway you want.





Tomato Strawberry Salsa



Fresh Tomato Strawberry Salsa

4 plum tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 green onions
1 cup mixed sweet bell pepper ( i used red yellow and orange )
1 cups fresh sweet strawberries
1 garlic clove
1 tsp salt / black pepper
Handful of fresh parsley

Cut up veggies into small chunks add to your food processor or blender and pulse till chunky or your desired texture... and Voila !  Amazing Tomato strawberry salsa !


Salsa is very versatile, instead of strawberry you can add peach, mango even apple or pear, be creative and use what you and your family likes, I promise once you make your first one, you won't stop !



Love Sierra