Who wants to use their oven during the summer months? I know
I sure don’t like to! During the summer months and especially after workouts, I
simply crave crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching fruits and vegetables. There’s no better, fast
and easy recipes than a few of my summer staple Greek recipes! The ‘Traditional
Greek Salad’ (below) is excellent for using up fresh summer produce you can
find at your local farmer’s market or your very own garden!
These are quick and easy recipes, not to mention super
healthy, tasty and refreshing! Great for athletes too! I’ll provide the
nutrition information below!
Traditional Greek Salad
This is my summer staple salad that my husband and I always take to
parties and BBQ’s. It’s always a hit!
In our household, we simply ‘eyeball’ how much we
want to add, so these are simply approximations. Feel free to add more or less
of the ingredients OR add other fresh ingredients not listed!
Servings: Approximately 10, 1 cup servings. It typically fills a 2.5 quart bowl.
Ingredients:
4-6 Vine Tomatoes, diced with seeds removed (see photo- I slice the tomato in quarters and then peel out the seeds)
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 medium to small green pepper, diced
1 medium to small red onion, diced
One 6 oz. can of large pitted black olives, halved (may
purchase already sliced)
One 4 oz. package of reduced fat feta cheese (may come in 6
oz. pkg, can also purchase flavored)
½ cup to ¾ cup Greek Dressing (We use ‘Lite Gazebo Room
Greek Dressing’ (Pennsylvania company), if you cannot find a Greek Salad
dressing, you can make your own using olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and Greek
seasoning, which you can purchase pre-done OR make your own using oregano, parsley,
onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper)
Directions:
Dice all vegetables, add cheese and then pour
dressing on top and combine.
Tips to enjoy-
The salad typically keeps well refrigerated for about 3
days. It tastes best the next day, after marinating. Enjoy it on its own for
lunch or as a side. Before adding the dressing, you can use the filling for
Greek Quesadillas, which is super quick and easy to prepare! You could enjoy
the salad wrapped in a whole wheat pita or tortilla! We often will make chicken shish kabobs,
marinating the chicken in the Greek dressing and then barbeque. You could enjoy
the chicken on its own with the salad as a side OR add the salad and chicken to
a pita. I have also added whole wheat pasta to the salad to stretch it and add a little more sustenance to it.
Nutrition Info:
In a nutshell, per serving there is approximately 107
calories (based on a ‘full’ fat dressing, not the 'lite' dressing I use), 4 grams of Protein, 6 grams of
Carbohydrate and about 8 grams of Fat (more monounsaturated). A good source of
vitamin C and A, calcium and potassium! If you would like more details on the
nutrition information, please feel free to ask.
Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
If you have never tried Tzatziki sauce before, you must! It’s
delicious, particularly with Greek dishes. It goes wonderfully with the chicken
shish kabobs and Greek quesadillas I mentioned above! It makes a nice summer
dip for pita chips or vegetables. You could also add it to the pita Greek wrap
I mentioned previously.
Makes- approximately 1.5 cups
Servings- approximately 24, 1 Tbsp serving
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups Non-fat Plain yogurt (could use Greek yogurt for a
more creamy texture and added protein! You could also use more or less depending
on how much you wish to make)
1 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. fresh Dill, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional- Add finely shredded cucumber
Directions: Simply combine all ingredients. Sauce tastes
best after it has chilled for a few hours or the next day.
Nutrition Info:
Per 1 Tbsp serving there is approximately 14 calories, 0.9
grams of Protein, 1.3 grams of Carbohydrate and 0.6 grams of Fat. Good source
of calcium. If you would like more details, feel free to ask.
These recipes and suggested combinations are great for
athletes, as they’re a great source of well known antioxidants (vitamins A & C), as well as phytochemicals found in the vegetables, dill and garlic (garlic's phytochemical, may strengthen the immune system),
Calcium and the much needed electrolyte, Potassium! Add the chicken shish kabob and you have
lean source of protein! If you’re vegetarian, you could add on some chick peas
(garbanzo beans) or your other favorite bean. They’re also simply great summer recipes that
won’t get your house overly warm! Great for those watching their weight, since
they’re low in calories, fairly low in fat (a good source of healthy fat, especially
when using olive oil!) and full of rich nutrients!
I hope you enjoy! Here’s to a Refreshing and Happy Summer!
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