Glutton for nourishment

Now for all of you who REALLY know me, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE food. I find extreme joy in eating. In fact to a certain extent I am obsessed with meal time. Dining is one of my all time favorite most favorite things to do in the whole world. It's up there with travel and people watching. Eating out has quickly become one of my guilty pleasures in life, but now that well we're going to be on a super duper crazy tight budget I am now channeling the granddaughter of a restaurateur self to try to create tasty and fun dinners at home. I have now found another new obsession that ties in closely with food and that's reading blogs about food! I wanted to share a few of my new favorite dishes because I feel that if I can make one person have one great meal b/c of a recipe I shared that good food karma is going to come my way!

Saláta Horiátiki (Greek Salad with Feta, Tomatoes & Olives)

Nutrition

Per serving (about 6oz/182g-wt.): 200 calories (160 from fat), 18g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 7g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 4g protein

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks

4 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into bite-size pieces

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and roughly chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

4 to 6 ounces feta cheese, cut into cubes

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, feta cheese and olives and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

These next two recipes I got from my new favorite blog: Bitchin' Camero - there is a link on my page

The first recipe I got from my new favorite blog: Bitchin' Camero - there is a link on my page

SUMMERY BAKED TOMATOES

4 large tomatoes
2 ears sweet corn, shucked
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Cotija cheese (about 1 oz.)

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a baking dish. Slice the very top off of your tomatoes, then use a spoon to carefully hollow them out, making sure to save the inside for another dish (soup, sauce, etc).

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, zucchini, black beans, onion, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and spices until evenly combined. Carefully, spoon them into the tomatoes until over-stuffed. If you have extra filling, place in the dish around the tomatoes.

Top each of the tomatoes with breadcrumbs and generous grating of Cotija cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with a side of crusty bread, pasta or rice.

WHEAT BERRY GREEK SALAD

For the dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. dried oregano

For the salad
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 large cucumber, diced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (or 1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced)
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked grains, such as wheat berries ( I USED COUSCOUS)
1/4 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped black olives (optional)

Place all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until emulsified. Set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a very large bowl, drizzle with dressing and toss until thoroughly combined.