Food for thought

in Food for thought -

Spring is finally here! So this food for thought is filled with colour, DIY and culinary inspiration- and a great read suggestion too!

Because of sun’s triumphant return, I’m left feeling more optimistic about the coming of spring and the promise of good weather (finally!). The days are filled with lots of work, but also baking and making things I’ve been wanting for some time now. Not surprisingly, a lot of them involve new plants and flowers and cheese (like this pie and a delicious labneh I’ve made for a collaboration that’s coming up, both of which I’ll be able to enjoy in just two days). Greek Easter is almost here and we’ll be celebrating this Sunday with friends- and while we do, I’ll be filled with bittersweet nostalgia over Easters spent back home with family and friends, in gorgeous warm weather, celebrating traditions in our own way. Have a great weekend y’all, hope it’s a great one whatever you do. [READ MORE]

Mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa

in All recipes, Savoury, Taste -

My latest food crush is these mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa. So much flavour, so many colours, never enough tacos!

Mushroom & prawn tacos with spicy pineapple & lime salsa

My Easter Lent adventure is coming to an end this Sunday; it’s been both hard and not a big deal and I’ve been kind of a good sport about my (almost) vegan diet in the last 50 days or so. There has been moaning, even despair at times (I have a flair for the dramatic more than I care to admit). Mostly there’s been a lot of delicious favourites and experimentation too featuring the following: pulses, tahini, fresh and cooked veggies, nuts and a fair amount of prawns. While I normally eat lots of fish, in the absence of it, I rediscovered how much I love seafood: I devoured this pasta a couple times and made delicious steamed mussels with lots of garlic and a hearty side of toasted bread; yet, the dish I enjoyed the most during this period are these tacos. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

Ignoring the very non-spring weather with some food for thought filled with brightness, goodness and a few inspiring gorgeous looking dishes. 

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend! March has been unexpectedly, pleasantly and exhaustingly full – so a few days with very loose plans and lots of cooking seem like heaven to me. I’ve made a first batch of Greek Easter cookies and they are already gone; next on the list is a couple chubby tsourekia, a big bowl of tzatziki and possibly a full on chocolate cake too. I literally can’t wait to spend hours and hours in the kitchen, dyeing eggs, playing with all sorts of lovely ingredients, tasting and testing. I’ll maybe also be making another pie– this time with lots and lots of cheese, in anticipation of Greek Easter, when Lent comes to an end and I’ll be able to eat my weight in all things dairy. Until then, sending y’all lots of wishes for a relaxing long weekend, filled with  loved ones, delicious food and all sorts of mischief. [READ MORE]

Hazelnut & raisin olive oil cookies

in Desserts, Taste -

These hazelnut & raisin olive oil cookies are sweetened by petimezi (grape molasses) and baked until soft and a little crunchy around the edges. 

Hazelnut & raisin olive oil cookies

Last Saturday, I had the great joy to once again take photos at Oliveology’s cooking workshop. It’s no secret I have a huge soft spot for Marianna’s shop; everything is so carefully selected and brought over to London after much thought, consideration and testing, always in pursuit of best quality products*. The workshops follow the same philosophy: they are relaxed yet informative, introducing Greek cuisine and tradition through tasting and hands on preparation. The recipes are created by Despina Siahuli (another big soft spot right there) and every dish I’ve tasted time and time again there is filled with the best ingredients, bursts of flavour, goodness and an ever so slight sense of nostalgia, with which I am only too familiar. On that day, the menu included some of the most delicious cookies I’ve ever had- which also proved to be entirely fool proof and filled with all the good stuff. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

Balancing between winter and spring, this Food for thought has a spinach pie to die for, great books, great words and penguins too!

Food for thought- spinach pie

Spring has made a timid yet quite powerful appearance in London in the last few days. The days are bright & the nights pleasantly crisp and in the afternoon the light lingers on a little longer. It’s such a welcome change after the unexpected snow and wind from a couple weeks back, yet the forecast for tomorrow is snow again!  I find quite hard to believe, as the living room is currently filled with blinding light and two of the windows are ajar. That’s the nature of spring, I guess; it exists somewhere between winter’s cold and gloominess and summer’s bright hotness. And the meals to be had also seem to be a back and forth between warming, filling soups and light plates made of few delicious ingredients. My sister is in town and we just made a delicious spinach pie (without feta, but still overloaded with seasonal greens), which seems like the perfect balancing act between today’s brightness and the expected cold.

Here’s a few things I’ve been looking at this week:

Wise & beautiful words from 21 inspiring ladies.

New books worth checking out- and this one too.

Writing music for a true crime podcast.

Teenage girls on social media.

The best scones in England! I think a trip to Cornwall is in order…

1.5 million penguins have just been found and it’s the best!

House plants for your kitchen (that first photo!).

Eating this on repeat- it’s heavenly!

* Lots of fresh greens, dill, nutmeg, salt and pepper- all wrapped in layers of think filo pastry. It is as good as it sounds. 

Yellow split pea dip (fava)

in Small bites, Taste -

This delicious, velvety smooth yellow split pea dip (fava) is one of the best Greek dishes; give it a try, it will surely become a favourite!

Yellow split pea dip (fava)

I am a sucker for the seemingly simplest dishes; the ones that require only a handful of ingredients, no complex techniques, no gimmicks, no fuss whatsoever. I gravitate towards simple food when in need of lots of flavour and, more often than not, when comfort food is required. Many such dishes are staples of Greek cooking (a cuisine deceptively plain, filled with humble ingredients); It’s these I long for when I last expect it, when I’ve almost forgotten about them. Like fava,  a dish my mother cooks almost weekly, by heart, barely measuring ingredients, merely repeating what she’s done time and time again. Resembling hummus in looks and texture, yet quite different in ingredients and preparation. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

Food for thought filled with lots of love for all women, moms and mother figures out there, delicious vegetarian recipes and words of wisdom. 

Food for though- coconut croissant

Happy Friday everyone! Yesterday was International Women’s Day, which prompted a lot of thinking, debating with friends and reading. Most of all, it gave me  the opportunity to really think about all the amazing women I’ve been inspired by and looked up to. Some of them are part of my life (my sister, my family of friends, my university professors, ladies I collaborate with) and others part of me forever (my mother and grandmother); and then there are also those who I have never actually met, but make an impact all the same: inspiring food bloggers and photographers whose work and kindness I admire and aspire to, poets and activists, comedians and writers who make me feel so damn proud to be a woman. Here’s to loving each other (especially when the going gets tough, even when we sometimes don’t like each other), being vulnerable and tough, supporting and ambitious, generous and creative. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

And… for this Friday’s trick… I’m bringing Food for Though back! I so loved that little compilation of all things random or not, from all over the web. 

Food for thought- Stuffed sweet potatoes

And then suddenly things got really busy. I felt I had little time to go through articles properly, to really read and think about them so that I could share them with y’all. As a result, Friday’s post somehow slipped through the cracks. But then I realised I was missing it. And from what I’ve heard and read, some of you did too. So it’s back.

The UK has been going through a kinda spectacular bleak midwinter phase. Even though it’s March already (what?!), there’s lots of snow, lots of wind, lots of layering and lots of comfort snacking happening around here. Soups are all the rage in the last couple of weeks (this one is my favourite yet) and also big bowls of rice and quinoa with all the trimmings. [READ MORE]

Smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs (and a giveaway!)

in Savoury, Taste -

This delicious and filling smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs lives almost exactly between winter and spring.

Smooth pea & spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger & fresh herbs

Winter had made an unexpected and very prominent come back to London this week. The days are very cold, deceivingly sunny and filled with beautiful snow. It seems like the seasons are at odds with each other: spring is attempting an early take over, gifting us with persistent brightness, while winter is firmly standing its ground with temperatures below zero and bitter gusts of wind. I love it all the same. The days are longer already, the snow is as always a sight for sore eyes and the cold nights beg for warmth and comfort. These may come in different forms (I love a fragrant hot toddy, a warm bowl of morning goodness and of course a slice of seasonal delight) but soups are almost always my go to. [READ MORE]

Earl Grey breakfast quinoa with tahini & jam

in Breakfast, Taste -

A delicious, warming and filling Earl Grey breakfast quinoa with tahini & jam for those sunny yet cold last days of winter.

Earl grey breakfast quinoa with tahini & jam

The last few days have been somewhat hard, somewhat dragging more than I would have liked. I love winter- and even when I don’t, I’ve learned to at least (pretend to) keep my cool and tolerate it as best as I can. Yet these last weeks before the official arrival of spring almost always get me. Temperatures are still low and the days are still a little gloomy, a little dark, with the occasional deceiving blasts of sunlight, which only intensify the longing for spring. And early mornings, dark and quiet, that’s when I may get blue the most. And yet, those are the best promise for the day about to start. And mine almost always starts with a great breakfast. [READ MORE]