Gemista [Greek Stuffed Vegetables]

After eating a greek inspired salad for lunch, I thought it would be great to continue on the theme and assemble some greek food for tea.  Searching the internet, I finally found a recipe that I thought would appeal to my family and that would be authentic.  Interestingly enough, the blog was called Authentic Greek Recipes.

I printed out the recipe and got started.  A few hours later we sat down to eat...

Here is the list of ingredients that I used (slightly different to the original recipe):

8 large ripe tomatoes
2 red capsicums
1 medium round eggplant
12 tablespoons medium-grain brown rice
potatoes to fill in the gaps between the other veggies in the dish (I actually didn't count them all, I just used as many as I could fit)
2 large onions, finely chopped (I tried grating, but was not very successful and the fumes were terrible!)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bunch chopped (flat leaf) parsley
1 tablespoon (TBS) chopped mint
olive oil
1 teaspoon (tsp) salt

Additionally, here are the changes that I made to the preparation:

• I threw away all the eggplant insides (full of seeds).
• Before adding the rice to the tomatoes (etc.), I cooked it in an equal amount of water for 15-20 minutes.  
• Briefly blending the tomatoes (the only insides that I salvaged), I ended up with a simliar result as I would have achieved using a food processor.  By briefly blending, I mean turning the blender on and then off again almost immediately.
• Just prior to putting the filling in the veggies, I added a drizzle of olive oil to the filling.
• I oiled the whole dish and the potatoes.
• I did not add salt (or pepper) to the potatoes

The end result was that some people loved it, some people hated it, and some people didn't mind it.  My personal favourite was the stuffed tomatoes.

If you would like to make the recipe for yourself, here is the link to the original: Greek Stuffed Vegetables (Gemista).  Oh, and if you do make it, let me know how you like it by posting a comment! :)

From the garden:
Parsley
Mint

Note: The steamed cauliflower and broccoli were a familiar flavour to add to the different ones, they were not part of the recipe.

Cookies

The other day I made some Macadamia Cookies.  Here is a few photos of the finished product...

They were very yummy.  You can find the recipe to make these macadamia cookies here.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Roast Vegie Sandwiches

1 x 800gram sweet potato, sliced into 1/4" slices
4 tomatoes, sliced
3 medium zucchinis, sliced into 1/4" slices
4 large onions, sliced
1 1/2 tubs Garlic and Herb Tomato Paste

Cashew Sauce:
3/4 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chicken style stock powder
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
2 cups water (start with 1) to blend

Blend all "cashew sauce" ingredients.  Heat on stove until thickened.

Method:
Grill or bake the vegies (sweet potato, tomato, and zucchini), after painting them with garlic oil.  Fry the onion till soft.  Serve with bread of your choice.  We made foccacia-like bread, spreading the tomato paste on the bottom half of the bread.  We layered up the vegies, spread cashew sauce on the top half of the bread, and then put it together.

Optional: Eggplant (sliced into 1/4" slices, and grilled or baked)

Potato Salad Dressing

1 cup water
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 clove garlic
1/2 small onion
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Method:
Blend all.  Add chopped parsley and mint, and mix in with 2 litres of chopped and cooked potatoes.  Serve with salad and a savoury like Kale Slice or Ricotta Cheese Loaf.

Alternatively, you can use this dressing as a spread.

Very Mild Curry Powder

2 tablespoons coriander, ground
2 tablespoons cumin, ground
2 teaspoons paprika, ground
1 teaspoon fennugreek, ground
2 teaspoons tumeric, ground
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground

Method:
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Chilli Powder

1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

Italian seasonings:
1 teaspoon majoram
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary

Method:
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.  Use as a seasoning in stews or whatever you like.  Enjoy.