Spicy giant beans soup served with country-style sausages

Instead of the commonly used for this traditional Greek soup, haricot beans, try the giant beans to give extra flavour to the recipe. Serve along with some sauté country-style sausages and you'll have a super filling and delicious Winter-time dish

Black-eyed beans with fennel in very light tomato sauce

This very simple but tasty and so nutritious dried pulses recipe can be served as a first dish, warm salad or a vegetarian meal. The fennel gives this a distinctive but elegant flavour and aroma to the recipe and, when in season, you can enrich the dish adding a leek cut in thin rings

Lentils, potatoes and peppers stew with or without meat

A very filling, nutritious and tasty recipe for the whole family! Very versatile too since instead of potatoes you can use rice or adding 1 cup of pumpkin cubes when in season, giving extra flavour to the dish. Beside the meat version it can be cooked without any sausage in and then you have a great vegetarian recipe. In this way it is also ideal for those who fast this time of the year

Baked giant beans with cod fillet and red peppers in light tomato sauce

Take advantage of this nutritious and tasty pulse to create a delicious dish for the whole family. Baked giant beans are very popular in the Greek cuisine and beside cooking them plain they can be accompanied with meat or even fish as is the case with today's recipe

Lentils and fennel salad with green olives and citrus dressing

Simple, but very tasty, refreshing and nutritious salad which can be served lukewarm or cold but also to enjoy it as a light meal. The ingredients suit each other very nicely and the orange & lemon dressing give that extra kick to the dish. It is a great accompaniment to various grilled fish or squid and cuttlefish recipes

Traditional chickpeas stew with celery and orange in light tomato sauce

Hello everybody! I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve and an even a greater New Year's Day either you stayed at home celebrating with family and friends or at some place out, full of noise, cheers and music! Another year is gone and sometimes it feels a bit sad but we should see this change from its positive side. As another opportunity for new plans, dreams and efforts which will make us and our beloved happy:-) But enough with this! No need to tell you things that you have already thought! Besides, this is a food blog, so lets get back to normal business! After all that rich in flavour, aromas and calories food during the Festive season we all, more or less, had, lets get things easier, simpler and lighter. Lets take a look in this traditional dried pulses recipe which is full of flavour! "Revythada", as we call it, is a tasty type of stew with chickpeas and its origin comes from Sifnos island. There are various versions of chickpea stews and soups around the country but when you hear about "Revythada" your mind goes mainly to the traditional dish from this beautiful island. In today's recipe the stew is enriched with the flavour of orange and it is cooked in a light tomato sauce making it even tastier and fuller in taste

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Homemade yellow split peas gnocchi with ground meat ragoût

Lets finish this "dried pulses week" with a really delicious and more meaty recipe so to please those who no matter what,can't live without any meat for too long...:-)) It is true that homemade gnocchi demand some of our time but they are worth it and this version with the yellow split peas (the Greek Fava) gives you the chance not only to put some pulses in your life but also to try out something different than the classic gnocchi. The rich ragoût sauce really compliments the recipe and the two together are perfect!

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Easy and fast baked chickpeas "burgers" with spinach and herbs

Now these fluffy "burgers" not only can become a super delicious and nutritious meal for the whole family but, also, a great idea to persuade the children to eat dried pulses... They can be served as they are, along with some rice pilaf and a salad or to become the main thing to build up some luscious burgers at home 

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Potted spicy fava beans in tomato sauce

This recipe can be served as a main meal but also it is a great idea for a meze dish to share. It is not complicated at all to prepare and just a few simple ingredients are enough to create this nutritious recipe. Everything comes together nicely and the hot pepper gives a more interesting flavour 

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Spicy potted lentils with Winter root vegetables

Lentils, another tasty and nutritious pulse which can be cooked in so many ways and my personal favourite! Today's recipe is totally different than the classic Greek lentils soup giving us the chance to try something really delicious. The root vegetables used in this recipe are some of the most popular of the Wintertime and definitely help the dish to become so rich and filling! You can always substitute turmeric with the curry powder of your preference for a more spicy flavour

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Aromatic chickpeas stew with black olives

Great idea to cook this super nutritious and tasty pulse! The chickpeas are so versatile and why not have them as a stew in a light tomato sauce and enriched with the distinctive flavour of black olives! Feta cheese and fresh crusty bread will complete this meal in the best way!

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Baked giant beans with Winter veggies in tomato sauce, served with country-style sausages

This is truly a delicious, rustic-style and so hearty Wintertime meal! Inspired by a traditional recipe coming from Central Greece you will see how nicely balanced are the various flavours and how the giant beans "need" really the sausages to elevate the classic dish to something special! A rich red wine is the most appropriate to serve next to this dish

DRIED PULSES WEEK: Black-eyed beans "stifado" cooked with sweet shallots in light tomato sauce

I admit that I have not honoured dried (and fresh) pulses as much as they deserve so far, so I decided that it is time to pay more attention to them. So, this week is dedicated to various dried pulses which are so tasty and super nutritious! In Greece they are quite popular and we cook them in soooo many different ways! Not to mention that they've been always a staple in the Greek cuisine and especially in the old days for so many people when meat was not so easy to buy... The recipe today is inspired by the classic (meaty) "Stifado" recipe thanks to the small sweet onions involved in the recipe. It is an easy dish to prepare which is, also, ideal for the vegetarians and the vegans

Braised fava beans with fennel

Such an easy vegetarian recipe to put together but so tasty and nutritious at the same time! With a few simple earthy ingredients you will create a dish full of aromas and taste

Baked giant beans with spinach and herbs

If you like the giant beans then this is a nice alternative recipe to enjoy with the family. It is filling, very nutritious and tasty!

Oil-free lentils soup for Good Friday

For the Greeks around the world this is the Holy Week and this weekend the Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated. On Good Friday one of the most common dishes people might have is the lentils soup. Usually cooked in the classic way but without any oil in and in some cases not even tomatoes are added. Here today we have a different version of this soup but still very filling and tasty
 

 

Chickpeas and cod fillet with rosemary

Two most nutritious ingredients, fish and dried pulses, get together to create a really tasty recipe! Cod and chickpeas cooked together giving us a different idea of enjoying them! Simple method, simple ingredients but with a great taste!

Potted giant beans with mixed vegetables

A delicious recipe for something different using this nutritious and very tasty dry pulse, the giant beans which are so versatile! Nice idea to have a hearty and filling meal without the need of any meat involved

Spicy yellow split peas purée (Greek Fava dip) with smoked herring

Fava dip is an easy dish to make and its bright yellow colour is a pretty addition to any table. It can be served as an appetizer, meze or a side dish. Fava goes particularly well with dark leafy greens, salty dishes and various fish. It should not be confused with the meaning of the same word in other countries though. In Greece, "Fava" is nothing else than the yellow split peas and not the broad or fava beans ("Koukia" in Greek). To prepare fava is not something complicated. Despite being a staple dish in traditional Greek tavernas, most of the yellow split peas are often imported. The Greek fava exists but it is slightly more expensive with the best variety coming from Santorini island. A special kind of fava bean is growing in this beautiful island, without irrigation, for over 3500 years! This variety is a bit rare to find outside Santorini and it is rather expensive but there is also a cheaper variety of Greek-grown fava coming from Corinthos area and nowadays it is available at most supermarkets. Fava dip used to be served in the traditional tavernas along with a simple tomato ragoût and finely chopped hot pepper. The secret for a successful fava dip is to mash in the pot, while slowly cooking, and not in a blender. This recipe can be served as a meze to share but also as a main meal

Harricot beans with cabbage

Simplicity at its best with this traditional recipe. A very tasty Winter-time dish to enjoy the beans with the family. Super healthy and rather light it can be cooked any day in the week and have something different than the classic recipes with dried pulses