traditional Greek cinnamon cookies
These traditional Greek cinnamon cookies are golden brown circles of perfection. Just a bit crunchy with the subtle taste of cinnamon and oranges, each bite will have you wanting another!
So simple to whip up, Greek cinnamon cookies are my coffee’s best friend and I make them often. ‘Often’ because you can also mix up the dough ahead and bake your cookies within a week OR freeze portioned dough Continue Reading →
a perfect loaf of traditional Greek eliopsomo / olive bread
Eliopsomo (eeleeOPsomo), traditional Greek olive bread, combines two of my forever-favorites into one – bread and olives 🙂
This no-knead, slow-rise, authentically vegan recipe takes five of the most basic ingredients and turns them into heaven. In an effort to reproduce an authentic Greek bread baking method using clay covered bakers, I use a Continue Reading →
Traditionally Greek, authentically vegan, everyone’s favorite – dolmades!
Dolmades, or stuffed grape leaves, are one of the most iconic of Greek dishes. I can eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner!
Thing is, we’ve always had a bit of a running debate about the name in my family. My mom’s side of the family calls them dolmades as do most Greeks. My dad’s side, with his dad hailing from Smyrna, use the more Turkish name of Continue Reading →
traditional Greek stewed cabbage
One of my very favorite ways to eat cabbage, I often serve this traditional Greek ‘cabbage in a pot’ (λάχανο κατσαρόλας) over rice or, for carb-conscious friends, over cauli rice and it’s a hit every time!
The cabbage leaves are sweet and tender, the stewed juices are so flavorful, you can always feel free to tuck into a bowl all on it’s own with a big piece of crusty bread and go to town – can’t tell you how many times I have 🙂
It all comes together in one pot with a few herbs, spices and aromatics and cooks up in about Continue Reading →
traditional Greek rice pilaf
This platter of golden, fluffy, perfect pilaf is so simple to make and positively lovely to eat. Often served as the show-stopper at weddings back in the day when rice was very expensive, pilafi was a dish reserved only for the most special occasions. Even now, when rice is readily available and very inexpensive, this humble dish will wow you every Continue Reading →
Greek pita bread perfection!
Simple and quick with just a 30 min rise, you’ll love making your own pita bread! Once you do, store-bought will never taste the same 🙂
This recipe makes 8 pitas about 6-8″ in diameter so a good size. They can easily be rolled out smaller or larger to fit your purposes. Just make sure your pan fits your pita!
Remember, in case you’re not familiar with Greek pita bread, these do not open into a pocket like Middle Eastern or Syrian bread. These pita are meant to be wrapped around a filling or, and probably my favorite way, Continue Reading →
gorgeous, chunky, filling, fantastic fava bean spread on toast!
The avocado toast trend’s got nothing on this traditional amazingly tasty, incredibly simple Greek power breakfast: 5 minutes, 5 ingredients, one bowl, and done!
KouKOfava (κουκόφαβα) or fava bean spread originally hails from the island of Crete and is a positively delicious, incredibly nutritious and absolutely beautiful spread made from fava or broad beans. Each bite of fava bean spread comes with a natural boost of B vitamins, plant protein, minerals, anti oxidants and fiber. I absolutely LOVE it on everything but most especially, on toasted multigrain bread drizzled in olive oil. Koukofava – the breakfast Continue Reading →
traditional golden cake from Constantinople
Our dad’s mom, Yiayia Maria, would make this cake for us and we loved it, still do! It was a favorite of our grandfather’s who hailed originally from Smyrna (now Izmir in Turkey) and he preferred it to all other sweets. That tells you something right there because he had one, SWEET tooth 🙂
You can tell this cake recipe has it’s roots in Asia Minor from these key ingredients: white (fancy) flour, white sugar AND spiced almond milk. The Persians brought almond milk to Constantinople and the trick to using it in baking will change the way you use, and drink, almond milk forever more! Continue Reading →
traditional, no-knead, Greek skillet bread
One bowl, one pan, four ingredients and no kneading – no joke! This scrumptious traditional Greek bread recipe will make a home baker out of every one of you 🙂
The roasted garlicky-goodness, perfectly distributed in each bite of this beautiful loaf of bread, is perfection. And baking it in the wrap-around heat of a cast iron pan? Well, that makes it just that much more amazing. Yes, I am a fan! Continue Reading →
traditional Greek lentil salad
So much more than a simple salad, this complex (to taste, not prepare :)), layered, amazing combination of flavors takes the humble lentil to incredible heights!
Think earthy, hearty lentils with smoky roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes with bright pops of lemon, red wine vinegar and fresh mint mixed with salty olives, peppery red onions and crisp fennel. There’s a whole lot going on in this rustic, traditional dish and you’ll love every bite of it 🙂 Continue Reading →
traditional Greek carrot cake
This is, hands down, the tastiest, most flavorful, most delicate carrot cake you will ever enjoy. Authentically Greek and traditionally vegan, this easy recipe is a winner every time. Yes, I love it very much 🙂
Like to know the secret to this simple carrot cake’s divineness? Traditional Greek carrot cakes do not use raw, grated carrots and instead go a wonderfully different way. The carrots are first boiled in just a bit of orange juice and water with a few whole cloves and a cinnamon stick. Right there you know this recipe is going in an amazing direction! The moist, dense and light crumb Continue Reading →
traditional Greek braised cauliflower
You have NEVER had cauliflower this good before! Braised cauliflower (kounoup-I-thi kapam-A) is indescribably delicious and this from a person who normally quite dislikes cauliflower. With basically 5 ingredients and about 45 minutes, you can enjoy one of the simplest, most wonderful dishes in all of traditional Greek cooking – can you tell I’m a fan yet?!
Oh, and BONUS: your kitchen, probably your whole house, will smell positively divine while this is cooking. In advance, you’re welcome 🙂 Continue Reading →
traditional stewed artichokes with fava beans
These tender, lemony artichokes with meaty, sweet fava beans in a golden, buttery, light broth make the most delicious, filling meal and in less than 30 minutes!
A very traditional Greek favorite, stewed artichokes and fava beans / aginares me koukia / αγκινάρες και kουκιά is one of the few recipes on The Greek Vegan where I recommend using canned/frozen veggies. They’re a big time saver of course and, the way this dish is prepared, you really lose nothing in terms of overall flavor. It’s just the perfect quick, healthy and yummy dinner on a busy night. Continue Reading →
golden, gluten free, Greek almond cookies
These beauties are as delicious as they are lovely and gluten free too! When wheat flour was less available, nut flours were used instead in both sweet and savory recipes. Nut flours have a long and tasty history in traditional Greek food culture and this cookie recipe is a wonderful example of baking with almond flour. Greek almond cookies are authentically sweetened with honey, easily substituted with agave nectar if you prefer, and lightly spiced with cardamom – just made for a cup of coffee or tea. You will LOVE these!
On our Dad’s island of Chios, Greek almond cookies were often flavored with an almond flavored syrup called soumatha (σουμάδα) and I’ve learned Greek Cypriots also have this tradition. Soumatha is also used to preserve cherries, a local fruit tree on Chios and more well known in Continue Reading →
Greek Pomegranate Sangria
This recipe will have you looking for excuses to celebrate – make a delicious batch to help celebrate the New Year or any time at all!
Here’s a good tip: get a large bottle of pomegranate juice – I use POM wonderful – when available. This way you have plenty for the sangria and for the pom molasses too. I get a large bottle for just under $10 here in Boston, much less expensive than buying the equivalent in small bottles.
If you choose, you can substitute simple syrup in place of the pomegranate molasses and it will still be delicious but do go for the extra pop of the pom molasses whenever possible – it takes no time at all 🙂 Continue Reading →
traditional Greek chickpeas and orzo
This dish is a favorite of our mom’s side of the family. Every one of the six siblings enjoyed it and made it regularly and now you can too 🙂
Chickpeas and orzo is a very traditional Greek meal, very filling and very delicately flavored. The secret to it’s creamy, ‘buttery’ goodness is to cook the orzo and canned chickpeas right into the dish, not separately and then added in to the rest of the ingredients as you might find in other variations of this recipe. By ‘stewing’ both the orzo and the chickpeas together with the veggies and broth as the dish cooks you get plump, perfect orzo and tender, meaty chickpeas. You can’t beat it! Continue Reading →
traditional Greek pumpkin sweet bread
This traditionally dairy free sweet bread (tsoureki) was made during the winter months when eggs and butter were less available, using autumn harvested pumpkins. Greek sweet breads are most often braided and have a moist, denser crumb than regular table bread as well as being just slightly sweet 🙂 This one is especially flavorful and amazing all on it’s own or slathered with your favorite jam. And don’t be afraid of making your own bread – it’s not difficult at all and this is a great recipe to start your homemade bread making career with! Continue Reading →
creamy, golden, delicious revithosoupa – traditionally vegan Greek chickpea soup
Revithosoupa / ρεβιθόσουπα is one of my very favorite meals. It’s ready in a quick hour and a half and is a staple of traditional Greek home cooks everywhere. And seriously, every time I make this dish the delicate, creamy broth amazes me with each spoonful!
Simply prepared with simple ingredients, revithosoupa – accent on the THO – is a hearty, healthy dish that will warm you through. And this delicious (gluten free!) authentic chickpea soup with carrots, celery, sage and thyme cooks up all in one pot for easy cleanup! Continue Reading →
traditional Greek tahinosoupa
Traditional Greek tahinosoupa is quick, simple, colorful, utterly delicious and of course, authentically vegan! Served hot or at room temperature, tahini soup is a light, wonderfully flavorful dish that’s just the thing for summer and it’s ready in 20 minutes – including prep! Continue Reading →
lalagia – traditional donuts of the Peleponnese
Lalagia (Λαλάγγια) are the donuts of the Peloponnese! You can grab a bag of these ridiculously addictive authentic fried dough snacks in probably every bakery in all of Messinia and in many Greek markets in the US/Canada too. Whether you enjoy them as a savory or sweet treat, warm from the stove or days later, you’ll soon understand why they’re so popular!
What sets lalagia apart from other Greek fried dough like loukoumades or fried bread (ladopsomo/tiganopsimo) is that the recipe uses olive oil in the dough. Adding this one ingredient makes all the difference and produces the most wonderfully light, crunchy sticks that can be formed into all sorts of shapes. Lalagia are traditionally a Christmas-eve treat and children are often told the rather odd shapes scare off any evil spirits working up mischief on the night before
chocolate date nut bites
This recipe came from my Yiayia’s leftover date/nut baklava filling to which she added a spoon or two of carob powder for us kids as we hovered over her mixing bowl. Don’t laugh but I was eating a Kit Organics bar one day when in a rush to eat something not totally terrible for me and had the most wild tastebuds-deja vu that I had eaten this before. The taste memory was foggy at first and then it came flooding back over me – individual spoons of that incredible date nut baklava filling. Well, ladies and gents, here it is for you all in bite form – addictively positively wonderful in every way. Continue Reading →
bulgur salad
So incredibly simple to prepare, you’ll be floored by how amazing this traditional Greek bulgur salad tastes! Similar to the Middle Eastern dish tabouli, and in Cyprus actually called tambouli, – this dish is a flavor packed, nutritional powerhouse. Light, fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables, a simple dressing of just lemon juice and olive oil all mixed with hearty bulgur (pligouri/πλιγούρι in Greek or cracked wheat), bulgur salad is another fantastic example of traditional Greek salads that make an amazing meal!
Some packages of bulgur will recommend that you boil your wheat but there’s really no need. The traditional prep of bulgur is to soak and not boil the grains for about an hour. Once soaked, you can leave the bulgur aside for 24-48 hours until your ready to use it – a nice window Continue Reading →
traditional Greek sesame cookies
Sesame cookies (σουσάμι μπισκότι) are a light, tender, cake like, nutty, just lightly sweet, positively wonderful treat and they’re enjoyed all over Greece. You’ll find these in bakeries in every region of the country and, of course, throughout the Greek diaspora.
These cookies are enjoyed especially during the lenten season as they are made without olive oil and appropriate for even the most strict fasters. So good and so easy you’ll love them year round – and less than 45 minutes from start to finish! Continue Reading →
saragli (rolled) baklava
Saragli (accent on last syllable) or rolled baklava is a style of baklava that come from the Greeks of Constantinople. This recipe calls for the traditional Greek walnut filling but feel free to use the chopped nuts of your choice. You will go NUTS over these 🙂 🙂
Super simple to roll – a half inch diameter wooden or metal dowel is perfect for rolling your saragli. Just be careful not to roll too tightly as a light touch works best here. And try scoring your rolls on a diagonal, that way the cut pieces have a little more visual interest when plated as above. If you cut each roll approx 4 times you’ll get 4 perfect pieces and 2 end pieces. Growing up, the end pieces always went to us kids because they’re not quite as pretty but no worries – they’re every bit as tasty!
Continue Reading →
revithia sto fourno / baked chickpeas
Revithia sto fourno, baked chickpeas, is something everyone MUST make at least once – it’s just that good. Using only five of the most ordinary of ingredients, this positively perfect authentic, rustic peasant dish is a cinch to make for the modern home cook.
Two big time-savers include subbing in canned chickpeas (good quality, of course) for dried and making your caramelized onions up to 4 days ahead. Fresh chopped rosemary, olive oil and salt/pepper round out your shopping list for this one so seriously, give it a try – YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. i promise! Continue Reading →
