Carrie: ICBC Spinach

Once upon a time, I tried to make spinach and feta turnovers-basically, spanakopita. It worked alright that time, but I had a hell of a time trying not to tear my phyllo dough. I tried again for ICBC Spinach and ran into the same problem. My turnovers were also a little bland this time, probably due to my constant issue of underseasoning food. But if you're a fan of spanakopita and you want to make life harder on yourself, this is the way to do it.

Spinach and Feta Turnovers
(Recipe from Pinch My Salt)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 package frozen spinach, drained and squeezed dry
4 ounces crumbled feta
1 egg, slightly beaten
dash of fresh-grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt
20 sheets phyllo dough
1/2 cup of butter, melted

In a small skillet, saute onion in butter over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, cook for 30 more seconds and remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, combine spinach, feta, egg, onion and garlic, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Stir until well combined.
Remove one sheet of phyllo from stack (cover the remaining sheets with a damp cloth to keep from drying out) and lay it on a work surface. Brush entire sheet with a thin layer of melted butter. Place another sheet on top, brush with butter and repeat two more times (you will have four sheets stacked with a layer of butter on the top sheet). Cut this stack in half lenghwise with a knife.
You now have two long rectangles of phyllo in front of you. Place about 2 Tablespoonfuls of filling on the bottom right side of one of the rectangles. Fold the bottom left corner up and over the filling so that the bottom edge is now even with the right side. Continue folding up and over until you end up with a triangle. Brush triangle with melted butter and place on a baking sheet.
Repeat this procedure with the other phyllo rectangle.
Repeat steps again using the rest of the dough.
Bake in preheated oven, 375 degrees, for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Yields: 10 turnovers (in theory)

Wednesday Night Dinner Goes Greek

For Wednesday night dinner, I went Greek and made chicken souvlaki, tzatziki sauce, and a Greek salad. It was delicious and Vanessa and I both agreed it was one of our favorite dinners yet. I used a simple Rachael Ray recipe to make the souvlaki as well as her recipe for tzatziki, threw together a Greek salad, and Vanessa used her mom's recipe for breaded eggplant chips. It was a great team dinner this week too as I prepared the souvlaki, Alaina made the tzatziki, and Vanessa made the eggplant chips.


Chicken Souvlaki Sticks by Rachael Ray
* 16 bamboo skewers
* 3 lemons
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves [I used dried oregano]
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 16 chicken tenders, about 1 1/2 pounds
* 2 cups Greek style yogurt
* 1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and grated
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes.

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Combine the zest and juice of 2 lemons, oregano, red pepper flakes and olive oil in a dish. Paste the garlic by mashing it with coarse salt then add 3/4 of it to the marinade, reserving some for dipping sauce. Add chicken tenders to the marinade and season with salt and pepper, turn in marinade to coat, let stand 10 minutes. Thread tenders on damp skewers and cook 7 to 8 minutes, turning once, until firm and juices run clear.

While skewers cook, combine yogurt with juice of remaining lemon, remaining clove of garlic, grated cucumber, cumin and salt, to taste. Divide the dip among 4 ramekins.

Serve 5 skewers per person with dipping sauce alongside.

A couple differences to the dipping sauce recipe. We added some feta cheese and only used half a lemon.

Greek salad
romaine
tomatoes
carrots
red onion
kalamata olives
cucumbers
feta cheese