MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - GREEK MEATBALL BOWL WITH TZATZIKI, RICE AND FRESH VEGGIES - 4 SERVINGS

This came from a food blog called Umami Recipes. I found the original here. I have been very interested in similar meals. My dear other half, when I showed him the ingredients, said he would give it a try. 

Greek Meatball Bowl with Tzatziki, Rice & Fresh Veggies

4 servings

For the Greek Meatballs:

500g (about l pound 2 ounces) ground beef or lamb, or a mix of both (we used ground turkey)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or almond flour for gluten free)

1 egg

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup cucumber (grated and it is important to squeeze out all the excess water)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh dill (chopped)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Bowl Base:

2 cups cooked fresh Jasmine, basmati or cauliflower rice

For the Fresh Veggies:

1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)

1 cup cucumbers (sliced)

1/2 cup red onion (thinly sliced)

For Garnish (Optional)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil drizzle

Lemon wedges for serving

Make the meatballs: 

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, egg, minced garlic, red onion, parsley, dill, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix well until evenly combined. Roll into small meatballs (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Cook the meatballs:

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the meatballs for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and fully cooked through. 

Alternatively, bake them at 400°F (200°C), flipping halfway through.

Prepare the Tzatziki Sauce:

In a small bowl mix Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Assemble the Bowl:

Divide the cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each with meatballs, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and red onion.

Drizzle and Garnish:

Drizzle with tzatziki sauce, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges for an extra burst of flavor.

Notes: for a lighter option, swap rice with quinoa, farro or mixed greens. 

Add Kalamata olives or roasted bell peppers for more Mediterranean flavors.

Make it dairy-free by using a plant-based yogurt for the tzatziki.

What did we think? Gregg said he thought it was excellent, that he would definitely enjoy this again. A keeper! It was very good and was a refreshing meal for a hot, muggy day. I thought I would enjoy it but didn’t realize how much. 

There was enough for another meal and it tasted even better than the day before. The flavors probably had a chance to become even more flavorful. It also helped that we were able to enjoy the meal with very little effort the second time.

It was hubby's idea to add the pieces of fresh pineapple to the bowl. Being pineapple lovers, I thought it was a great addition. 

Tzatziki is a favorite of ours.

We forgot the feta cheese, olive oil and lemon wedges for the garnish, but we didn’t miss them. 

Below is the full address of the recipe's website, if you prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link at the beginning.

https://www.umami.recipes/recipe/6boZC0ApXBK1rrerpjyd

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section and I will do my best to answer.

Thanks for looking, have a great week and

Bon Appétit!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - GREEK ORZO SALAD - SERVES 4

Another salad this week, this time with an Orzo pasta. There are variations of Orzo recipes on this blog, all very good.  I am happy to have found this one at Living Lou, hosted by Lou (Louisa Clements).  The original recipe can be found here.  Another for our favorites folder.  It was delicious!  Light and refreshing and perfect for summer days.  

It is also vegetarian.  You can add a protein but it is perfect as the main course as is.  I am thinking of adding garbanzo or black beans next time to round it out.  I also really love those Kalamata olives in this (already one of the ingredients).  You can change things around to include your own favorites.  

Thank you very much Lou!  If you want to read Lou's tips on this recipe, I highly recommend visiting her blog.  She also has great recipes not only to go with this one, but there are many others I would like to try later.

Greek Orzo Salad - serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 10 minutes 

Total time: 20 minutes 

I am adding the above times of Lou’s basic guideline.  It always takes me longer as I pace myself, it may take you shorter, just saying.

You can make this the day before but if you do, add a little olive oil and mix in before stirring, just to loosen the pasta up a little.  This is Lou's suggestion.

For salad dressing:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar (we used rice wine vinegar)

1 clove garlic, grated

½ tsp salt

½ tsp dried oregano

For pasta salad

1-½ cups orzo

3 Persian cucumbers, or half a regular cucumber, chopped

1 225g package cherry tomatoes, halved (this works out to 7-7/8 ounces for us in the U.S. according to a a conversation chart online.  I bought a small container of cherry tomatoes and added them until I thought it was enough, which turned out to be the whole container.   Use however much looks good for you.)

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 tbsp minced red onion

½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Get all ingredients measured out and ready to go.

In a measuring cup, whisk all ingredients for the dressing together.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, add orzo and cook according to package directions. 

Drain and toss with half of the dressing while still warm. Allow to cool.

Stir in cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, minced red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta followed by remaining dressing.

Serve and enjoy!

Full website address for those who prefer to cut and paste is:

https://www.livinglou.com/greek-orzo-salad/

The only changes I made today is in using a red sweet pepper instead of the green one.  Neither of us are too fond of the green.

Absolutely loved the salad dressing in this.  In another dressing I saw later, they added the lemon zest.  We both liked the sound of that.

Gregg suggested adding hot red pepper flakes, which sounds good.  However, I am sticking to without for now.  He will add the flakes to his plate at the table as a garnish.  I must be going through my ‘no heat added, thank you’ phase.  I just liked the recipe as is.  

We did substituted Japanese Rice Wine Vinegar instead of the White Wine Vinegar.  It suits our tastes perfectly.  Not sure how it would alter the taste from the White Wine Vinegar, which would be more in keeping with the Greek theme.  I don't use it often enough for me to buy a bottle when we are happy with what we have already in stock. We have used the rice wine vinegar several times in other recipes, and the results have always been very yummy, as was this one.

Because there are 4 servings to this meal, we will have the leftovers tomorrow. As much as we both enjoy putting something new together, it is always nice not to have to fuss to put a nutritious meal on the table the next time.