If you are looking for a low carb and low fat dish that is yummy this is your dish! Greek style green beans with potatoes and chicken is healthy and easy to make. My mom would make this at least a couple times a month when I was growing up. For the most part she would just do it without the meat but on occasion she threw in the chicken too.

I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe but you can use bone in light or dark chicken meat, whatever you prefer. Be aware that the light meat will become dry if you overcook it. If you are using light meat, I suggest that you take it out after 30 minutes of cooking and set it aside until the green beans and potatoes are done and then nestle the meat back into the pot 5 minutes before you turn off the heat.

Note that you can also make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat and using vegetable broth or water for the liquid. If you do this, you will need to add an extra 1/2 cup of vegetable broth or water since you won’t have the extra natural chicken juices to contribute to the dish.

You just need:

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken part of your choosing)
• 2 pounds green beans, cleaned and cut in half if long
• 1 pound potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 piece cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

1. Add olive oil to pot and heat over medium to medium high heat.
2. In the meantime, salt and pepper both sides of your chicken and then set the pieces into the pot to brown, turn and brown the other side.
3. Throw onion, garlic and tomato paste into pot, season with salt and pepper. Stir it all together to incorporate tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Add chicken broth and tomato sauce and throw in the piece of cinnamon stick. Stir, bring to a boil.
5. Once it boils, turn down heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add green beans and potatoes, season again with salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to boil again, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for an additional 30 minutes.
7. Uncover, stir, taste one more time to see if you need any extra seasonings and cook, uncovered, on medium heat for 15 minutes.
8. Turn the heat off, let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
9. Goes well with crumbled feta on top and a chunk of crusty bread, if you have it.

Kali Orexi!

If you like Greek yogurt then there is no reason to go buy it, you can easily make it at home. It’s just 2 ingredients! What makes yogurt Greek? It’s all in the straining.

If you want a thick Greek yogurt you can actually buy plain regular yogurt and strain it through a mesh cloth or a special yogurt strainer concoction. That being said, it is much more satisfying if you make your own from scratch, and pretty easy!

Greek yogurt has a lot more protein per serving since it’s denser and regular yogurt tends to have more calcium since the whey isn’t strained off. If you do strain your homemade yogurt to make it “Greek” then make sure to save the whey (the liquid that is strained off) and use it in milk base soups like potato, broccoli cheese or chowders. It gives them wonderful flavor and a kick of calcium!

One time when I made it I thought I’d do the “upside-down guarantee” test (like Dairy Queen and their upside-down blizzard guarantee) to show that it’s so thick it doesn’t fall out of the cup. You too can do this at home :)!

You just need:

• 8 cups milk, I prefer whole or 2% but you can use skim too, if you prefer
• 4 tablespoons plain yogurt (store bought or some of the last batch you made :))

Steps:

1. Heat milk in large pot on medium-low to low heat, until temperature reaches 180 degrees (test with thermometer).
2. Once it reaches 180 degrees, take it off the heat and let stand until it cools to around 115 degrees.
3. Take two cups of the cooled milk and stir into the 4 tablespoons of yogurt to dissolve, then pour it back into the large pot and stir well.
4. Now divide the mixture into smaller glass containers, or keep it in the pot, and cover.
5. Place covered containers/pot in warm place for 8-12 hours. I put mine in the oven (don’t turn on the heat or anything) with the oven light on.
6. After this time, refrigerate the yogurt for 4 hours before straining it.
7. Now take the yogurt (which at this point is regular yogurt and you can eat it like this if you want) and put it in a yogurt maker/strainer or in 2 layers of cheese cloth over a large bowl and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. The more you refrigerate it while it’s straining the thicker it will get.

At this point you can eat it as is, or with a drizzle of honey, or use it to make tzatziki :).

Kali Orexi!

Greek Yogurt/Regular Yogurt

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Course Snack

Cuisine Greek

Ingredients

  

• 8 cups milk I prefer whole or 2% but you can use skim too, if you prefer
• 4 tablespoons plain yogurt store bought or some of the last batch you made 🙂

Instructions

 

• Heat milk in large pot on medium-low to low heat, until temperature reaches 180 degrees (test with thermometer).
• Once it reaches 180 degrees, take it off the heat and let stand until it cools to around 115 degrees.
• Take two cups of the cooled milk and stir into the 4 tablespoons of yogurt to dissolve, then pour it back into the large pot and stir well.
• Now divide the mixture into smaller glass containers, or keep it in the pot, and cover.
• Place covered containers/pot in warm place for 8-12 hours. I put mine in the oven (don’t turn on the heat or anything) with the oven light on.
• After this time, refrigerate the yogurt for 4 hours before straining it.
• Now take the yogurt (which at this point is regular yogurt and you can eat it like this if you want) and put it in a yogurt maker/strainer or in 2 layers of cheese cloth over a large bowl and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. The more you refrigerate it while it’s straining the thicker it will get.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and thought, “I’d rather get 3 or 4 appetizers instead of a dinner”. Well, join the club. Sometimes it’s just more mouthwatering to order several starters that sound good and eat them with a glass of wine, a margarita or a beer. I think in the American culture it has been ingrained that if you don’t eat a plate of food, and sometimes along with an appetizer and dessert later, then we haven’t had a complete meal. The mindset is so different then in the Mediterranean. For instance, in Greece, just ordering a few appetizers (called “meze” in Greece, meaning small dish), or a souvlaki me pita with some horta (greens) and eating it family style with a few friends over a drink would suffice for an evening meal. Pair that with sitting at a table overlooking the water….ahhh, it’s like heaven. People need to get back to clean eating and not overeating.

Take for instance the food in the picture above, that I took in Greece in 2015. It is a plate of fried potatoes, tzatziki (cucumber yogurt dip) and some eggplant in oil (lathera-dishes made in Greece that incorporate A LOT of olive oil and vegetables of some sort-very yummy, especially when you dip some good hot and fresh bread into the juices!). Add some feta cheese with it (which I believe was in another plate on that table) and you got a satisfying meal for 2-4 people.

Again, just a few simple appetizers shared with some of your favorite people is enough to satiate the palate, the mind and the heart. You definitely will feel better later on when you go to bed with your belly feeling just right rather than saying “oooohhhh, why did I eat so much”. I know you have been there…many times…I have too!

Although it’s good to watch your calories, a general rule I have is to make healthy choices and eat more of those then unhealthy ones. You get more bang for your buck with healthier options. You feel more satiated and your body feels good, and you know your are nurturing your body…especially if you eat a lot of olive oil :). Healthy doesn’t mean tasteless! What are your thoughts on simple meals? I’d love to hear from you!