Grab-and-Go Greek Egg Cups

If you saw my smoothie post a few weeks ago, you know that I have been on a bit of a diet lately. Part of this diet is eating a bigger breakfast so that I can wait until later to eat a light lunch and later to eat a normal dinner. Well, those smoothies are fantastic, but I’m a little smoothie’d out. My first couple weeks of my diet was all fruits and veggies, the healthiest of the healthiest, but I needed something savory! So I present to you Grab-and-Go Greek Egg Cups:

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I’ve expressed my love affair with Greek food before and today it continues. Feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cucumbers… so many fresh flavors and bright colors! This is, however, my first experience with quinoa. Learning how to say it was a challenge, but it was surprisingly easy to make and I knew I wanted to learn because I know this newly popular “superfood” is packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants.

Greek Night!

I love Greek food. I can’t get enough feta cheese, basil, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes… mmm! So the other night I decided to satisfy my hankering for some of that delicious Greek food with 3 recipes. One is htipiti, a feta spread that is great on veggies, pita bread, or crusty bread. The next was a favorite from when I was growing up: my mom’s Greek mahi-mahi. Then I finished it off with an easy pasta salad.

Htipiti (feta spread)

First, the appetizer. Htipiti is a favorite of mine. Its embarrassingly easy but always a crowd pleaser. This recipe only makes a cup, so plan accordingly.

8 oz feta cheese

2 1/2 T olive oil

2 T lemon juice

3 pepperoncini peppers, chopped

1 t garlic, minced

1 t fresh oregano, chopped

1/2 t crushed red pepper

fresh cracked black pepper

Just combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth! Serve with fresh veggies, pita bread, or pita chips.

Greek Pasta Salad

1 ox box penne pasta

15-20 Kalamata olives, sliced

5 sundried tomatoes, chopped

10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

8 fresh mint leaves, chopped

4 roasted red peppers, sliced

7-8 pepperoncino peppers, chopped

juice and zest of 1 lemon

4 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to instructions and allow to cool to room temperature. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Greek Mahi-Mahi

As I said before, this was a favorite of mine growing up. I made it with big Mahi-Mahi fillets I found at the farmers market, but I know my mom often used tilapia instead. The mixture that goes over the top is amazing and the fish stays perfectly moist.

4 mahi mahi or tilapia fillets

olive oil

salt to taste

1 can diced tomatoes

6 oz feta cheese

1 T capers

1 clove garlic, minced

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

fresh cracked black pepper

First, preheat the oven to 375. Brush the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake 15 minutes.

While the fish is baking, mix together remaining ingredients. How amazing does this bowl of goodness look?

After 15 minutes, pull the fish out and spoon the tomato mixture over the top.

Put back in the over for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with the pasta salad and veggies with htipiti… Delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!