My Excellent Degustations

Greek salad is made of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green bell pepper slices, basil, lemon juice,  Kalamata olives and feta cheese. This salad is  seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano. It is dressed with extra virgin olive oil. This flavorful salad is best after being  refrigerated for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

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Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1

Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

• 3oz diced Feta cheese
• ½ of the English cucumber
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 of 1 Green bell pepper
• 1/3 of a medium red onion
• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp oregano plus extra for serving
• 1 tbsp chopped basil

Instructions

1.  Take off some strips of the English cucumber skin. You can completely peel off the cucumber if you prefer.
2. Cut the half of the English cucumber lengthwise.
3. Slice the cucumber into about ¼ inch slices. Place in a large bowl.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the cucumber.
5. Slice the third of the onion into quarters then thinly slice the quarters and add them to the bowl.
6.  Slice the third of the green bell pepper into quarters and slice each quarter thinly. Add it to the bowl of vegetables.
7.  Slice the kalamata olives and add them to the bowl.
8. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
9. Add oregano, basil and lemon juice then mix everything with a spoon.
10. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix again.
11. Place the Salad in a serving dish.
12. Add Feta cheese on top of the vegetables.
13. Sprinkle with oregano if you like and the remaining olive oil.
14. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine.
15. Enjoy.

This is a dip originated in Levant cuisine. It is made mostly of baked eggplants, Tahini, garlic, lemon , olive oil and various seasonings. Baba Ghanouj is  eaten in middle Eastern countries . It is also found in India and many other countries. The recipe vary from one country to another. It is creamy and yummy, so get your Pita bread or chips ready and dip in! 

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4

Author LDS's Mom

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp Tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for serving
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• ½ tsp cumin
• Finely chopped parsley for serving(optional)

Instructions

1. Bake the egg plants in a 400°F preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool for a little bit until you can handle it.

2. Open the eggplant with a spoon, and spoon out the inside into a bowl.
3. Take out some of the seeds and discard them(optional).
4. Use a folk to mash the eggplants until it's creamy with some texture.
5.  Add salt, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and Tahini. Mix all the ingredients and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Place the Baba Ganouj in a serving dish.
7. Make a circular indentation with the back of a spoon and drizzle with olive oil.
8.  Sprinkle Parsley on top.
9.  Enjoy.