Greek Food by Sam of Fitness, Food, and Faith

To celebrate all the amazingly delicious food I will be hopefully eating right now on my trip, I am happy to introduce Sam from fitness food and faith!.  Her blog is full of healthy recipes and great tips on how to live a healthy life. It is a must read! 

Hi Love, Julie fans!  Sam here from fitness food & faith.  I’m really excited to be sharing some of my favorite Greek food with you all while Julie is actually exploring the beautiful country.  My wonderful husband, Bennett, and I had our first date at the Houston Greek Festival and have fallen more and more in love over many Mediterranean inspired meals since.  Here are a few of my favorite healthy Greek recipes:

Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce

For the meatballs:

1.25lbs lean ground turkey

1 cup zucchini, grated and liquid squeezed out

1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1 egg

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 red onion, grated

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil cooking spray

Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl and mix well.  Shape into golf ball sized meatballs and refrigerate for about an hour.  Spray frying pan with cooking spray and cook over medium low heat until cooked all the way through.  Makes about 20 meatballs.

For the tzatziki sauce:

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Combine all ingredients and serve over the meatballs or on the side as a dipping sauce. 

Greek Quinoa Salad

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed thoroughly

2 cups water

2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives

1 cup feta cheese

1-1/2 T olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine the water and quinoa in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and let cook for 15 minutes (or until all water is absorbed).  Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, and cucumber.  Add quinoa and spices and mix well.  Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on top and add feta cheese.  Toss everything.

Thanks for having me, Julie!  Can’t wait to hear all about your fabulous adventures.

Feel free to swing by my blog and say hi anytime!