Zesty Cook » feta cheese

Not Your Typical…. Sheperd’s Pie!

zesty — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:20:37 +0000

Sheperd’s pie without beef?

A neat concept. Will it work? Sure why not?

What about using lentils as the base for the sheperd’s pie and adding some onion, corn and black beans? Doesn’t sound terrible does it?

We need the middle vegetable layer? How about broccoli, spinach, carrots and cauliflower? Topped with some feta cheese…. now we are talking people now we are talking.

Don’t forget the top… whipped potatoes. The classic. Well done with a nice crust.

How does this look?

I will tell you one thing… well maybe two. This little pie tasted a whole lot better than it looked. Great combination of flavors and texture and honestly nobody missed the beef. Everyone at the table had seconds which means it was more than edible.

It was damn good!

Ingredients

1 19 oz can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1 19 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, frozen
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup baby spinach
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 Tsp. Oregano
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
4 medium Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper

Method

Prepare a 9 *13 pan with a little butter to prevent sticking. Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and start sauteing the onion. Give it about 4 minutes to become translucent.
Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Add lentils, black beans and corn and begin to saute. Just long enough to warm them through and have the flavors combine.
After 3 minutes, toss in the spinach and let wilt.
Pour the lentil and bean mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with a spoon.
In the same pan, let’s flash fry the frozen vegetables and hit them with a little flavor. Throw them back in the hot pan, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and oregano. On high heat let them cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
Remove form the pan and pour over the lentil base.
Add the feta cheese layer on top.
Now spoon over the cooked mashed potatoes and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle with black pepper.
Cook for about 35-45 minutes until golden brown. I like to turn it on broil for the last few minutes to create that crust.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This would be a great place to use some fresh vegetables from your garden. I used frozen vegetables which definitely was the weakest link in the dish.

Have a super Wednesday! I am working on a fun project and will be sure to share with you on Friday what it is all about. Hint…. It is something you can buy and use in your home everyday and it is created by me. Fill you in on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Simple Barbecue Salad Pizza

zesty — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:12 +0000

A simple crust and simple toppings made for a fresh summer pizza without all the grease and without the summer.

This dough recipe comes from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. I really enjoyed this recipe as it turned out really well. For me pizza is all about the crust! Toppings are good but I am a huge fan when it’s light on the toppings and sauce but heavy on the crust.

If you are interested in a new whole wheat pizza dough, I highly recommend this recipe. It is very simple and produces a great texture. I opted for a thin crust and placed the pizza directly on the grill for a little crunch. YUM!

Ingredients

Dough

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 Packets (1/4 Ounce Each) Active Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tsp. Salt
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

Pizza Toppings

Basil Pesto ( Love this! )
Pine nuts
Mozzarella Cheese
Tomatoes
Arugula

Method

Place water in large bowl – sprinkle with yeast.
Let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).
Brush another large bowl with Olive Oil.
In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil and salt. Stir in flours until a sticky dough forms.
Transfer to oiled bowl (brush top of dough with oil).
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Turn dough onto a well floured surface and knead until smooth.
Preheat Barbecue to Medium-High on one side.
Prepare in shape of pizza and begin to assemble pizza dough.
Spread pesto and then some cheese.
Add toppings from above except arugula
On the BBQ, place pizza on the side with no heat and close the lid
Time varies depending on the thickness of your crust (12-20 minutes).
Add arugula at the very end with some more feta cheese.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to use indirect heat for the pizza so that the barbecue acts like an oven and doesn’t burn the pizza before it is cooked. Indirect heat refers to putting heat on one side of the barbecue and placing the food on the opposite side.

Have a super weekend and hopefully we get some warm sun… this cold air is killing me.

Take care

zesty

OMG Greek {Wrap}

zesty — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:07 +0000

Happy Friday and salut to you. I was kind of excited to wake up this morning and start writing this post for you. I made this little sandwich wrap on Wednesday night after work and I have been thinking about it ever since. Remember on Wednesday I posted about the slow cooked braised beef and served it with the roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Well I had two pieces of beef left over for the following day – and this is what I came up with.

I sliced the beef into pieces and warmed it back through in the frying pan but not without kicking it up a notch. A drizzle of honey, pinch of oregano and a squirt of fresh lemon were the extras that made the pan. After the beef was finished getting somewhat caramelized on the outside ( thanks honey) and moist and tender on the inside, I removed it from the heat and gasped at it for a few minutes.

Ok, I am ready to continue. I warmed up a couple of pitas in the oven, grabbed some tzatiki, some feta cheese and baby greens. The wrap was ready to assemble. As I starting laying out the wrap I could almost taste the flavor combination and was certain I would need two of these fellas for sure. Not too often do I say OMG after I take a bite of something but this wrap was a guaranteed 9/10.

Ingredients

2 Leftover Sirloin Steaks slow roasted, chopped
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 Tsp. Oregano
Juice of half lemon
Tzatiki sauce
Pita bread
Baby greens
Feta cheese

Method

Preheat frying pan and warm beef with a little olive oil. As it is searing, add the honey, oregano and lemon juice. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes over medium heat stirring often.

Grab the pita bread and toss it in the oven to warm it through, maybe 3-4 minutes.
Assemble the wrap – smear some tzatiki sauce, beef, feta cheese and baby greens.

Run to the table and eat
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: In this particular case, I didn’t want the pita bread to get crispy. To prevent that you can rub a little water on the bread before placing it in the oven. This will act as a steaming mechanism and keep the bread from getting crunchy.

OK, I am going to head out here and prepare for the day. I hope you have a super friday and a good weekend. Not sure what is on the go this weekend but I will be back on Monday with something to EAT. Enjoy the weekend!

Take care

zesty