Favorite Ingredient: Feta Cheese

I first tasted feta cheese at Greek House, here in Norman, Oklahoma well over 25 years ago. It was also the first time I had gyros, which by the way, are authentic Greek and the absolute best. Not heart healthy by any means. The gyros meat cooks on vertical spits and the resulting grease is used for the fries.  Oh. My. Gosh. Soooo good. But back to the feta. The gyros plate—a pile of meat, fries, and Greek salad—is garnished with a Greek olive and a cube of feta. It was love at first bite.

For years, eating at Greek House was the only time I ate feta. Here in the big middle of the U S of A,  good ole American processed was the go-to cheese for most families, although sometimes it wasn't really cheese. I'd long outgrown those orange slices when I came across these scrumptious white cubes of feta. At some point I came across it in the grocery store and put it in my cart. It's been a staple in my kitchen ever since and I'm always finding, and looking for, new ways to eat it. 

I usually buy Athenos Feta Traditional by the block because it lasts longer than the crumbled feta.  I also like the Athenos packaging because it's reclosable. When I want some, I'll slice an appropriately sized slice and break it into chunks to top almost any salad or soup. 

Here it is on my Spinach Steak Salad with lots of fresh cracked pepper. I think I made a red wine vinegar vinaigrette to go with this. It's a great garnish for soups as well, especially tomato and mushroom soups.

I switched from cheddar to feta as my go-to cheese garnish five or six years ago because I like the different spark of flavor it provides.  Today I found out on the Athenos facebook page that it does more than that. Here's what they had to say about switching to feta.

Changing your salad topping from cheddar to Feta gives you
1) 6 grams of protein
2) 1/3 less fat and
3) 30% fewer calories!

They didn't provide a quantity, for the cheeses, but 1/3 less fat and 30% fewer calories for equal portions sounds good to me.

A Brown Bag Salad

One Brown Bag Salad

When I want something healthy for lunch and end up grabbing a salad from a fast food place I'm always disappointed. The lettuce is mostly spine and rusty on the edges, carrots are pale and dried, and there are usually only 4-5 ingredients.  The tiny cubed croutons are prepackaged and practically melt in my mouth. The dressing is also prepackaged and no matter what flavor I get, too middle-of-the-road for my taste.  And after all that it's also way more expensive than I could have made at home.

I'm sure everyone would agree a salad is best when made with bright fresh crunchy vegetables with a variety of colors, flavors and textures. Here's the version I had for lunch today.

 3 leaves of romaine lettuce

8-10 large leaves of spinach

1 inch of zucchini

1 carrot

3-4 red radishes

3-4 button mushrooms

3-4 green onions

1-2 T Craisins

1 T slivered almonds

3/8" slice feta cheese

6-8 large crunchy homemade croutons

Janz Cranberry Honey Mustard Dressing*

I assembled this last night in a to-go salad bowl I saved from a store-bought salad. 

First a pile of torn romaine and spinach. I used a potato peeler to make paper-thin slices of zucchini, carrot and radishes. I sliced the mushrooms almost as thin. Next came green onions and almonds. Then I put the lid on it and put it in the fridge. 

This morning I added a thick slice of feta cheese and the craisins. I packed it with a separate bag of croutons and my own salad dressing. When I was ready to eat, I crumbled the feta, added croutons and poured on the dressing. 

I tossed it with the fork as I ate. The paper-thin slices of veggies are great for stabbing a and getting lots of variety in every bite. The craisins can soak up moisture and turn back into cranberries if I add them too soon which I why I add them at the last minute. 

*The dressing was made in an almost empty bottle of Cranberry Honey Mustard. I added some red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, a little garlic, and voila!

Larrupin!

Bacon Avocado Broccoli Salad

One day last week I was in the mood for some sweet bacon dressing so I made this salad. It's a salad that is usually made with spinach, but it worked with what I had on hand.

• Romaine (torn in bite size pieces)
  
• Red Onion (super thin slices)
  
• Avocado (thin slices)
  
• Hard Boiled Egg (thin slices)
  
• Broccoli (bite-size flowerettes)
  
• Bacon (cut, scissors work, in 1/2 inch pieces before cooking)
  
• Cheese (hard cheese mix, grated)
  

The assembly is pretty obvious except for the delicious, but totally unhealthy dressing! Basic ingredients for the dressing are oil (bacon grease), sugar and vinegar.
I sprinkled granulated sugar in the hot bacon grease and whisked it to dissolve it. When the sugar was melted I added cider vinegar. I'm not sure, but I think the original recipe called for about equal parts of oil, sugar and vinegar. Once this mixture is blended, pull it from the heat and finish the salad assembly.

I finished building the salad and drizzled the dressing on top after I had the base assembled. Then I garnished it with the bacon and cheese. It was yummy!

NHS Band Teacher Appreciation Salad

Janz Salad Basics

• Green Leafy Stuff
• Romaine
• Green Leaf Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Italian Parsley
  
• Bright Stuff
• Red Pepper
• Purple Onion
• Red Cabbage
  
• Strawberries
• Other Stuff
• Mushrooms
• Feta Cheese
• Hard Cheese Mix (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago)
• Garnishes
• Almonds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Homemade Croutons

To Assemble:

1. Tear all green leafy stuff (lettuce, cilantro, parsley) put in a salad bowl.
2. Slice cabbage, dice pepper, slice mushrooms and strawberries and crumbled Feta cheese into the salad.
   
3. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds & slivered almonds.
4. Break thick dry toasted seasoned French bread into bite-size croutons.
5. Drizzle with with vinaigrette and toss.
   

Janz Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. Balsamic Vinegar
   
3. Honey Mustard
   
4. Honey
   
5. Janz Seasoning Blend
6. Pepper
   
7. Tabasco
   

This is one variation of Janz Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette. I use the small jar in the photo to mix my dressings.

• Start with about an inch of extra virgin olive oil
  
• An inch of balsamic vinegar
  
• A generous squeeze of honey mustard. Maybe a couple of teaspoons...
  
• More honey, probably a tablespoon or so.
  
• Add your favorite herbs, basil, oregano, garlic... ground herbs mix best
• A splash of Tabasco

Put the lid on tight and shake well. I always hold it inside the sink just in case I have a mismatched lid and it leaks. I'd rather not sling oil all over my clothes, it never happens, unless I'm dressed for work and don't have time to change!

As to "your favorite herbs..." I've come up with my own blend of favorites that I call Janz Seasoning Blend. This is something I mix up every few months and use it in almost everything. It started out as equal parts of ground basil, oregano and garlic powder and now the ingredient list is as more or less follows: basil oregano, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, and marjoram. I usually use dried herbs and when I get it mixed and it smells right, I grind it into a very fine powder. I have a clean coffee grinder I use just for grinding herbs.

The fine powder seems to readily dissolve into a salad dressing. I also use it as seasoning for croutons. Before I came up with this seasoning concoction, I flavored homemade vinaigrette with basil, oregano, thyme... whatever herbs seemed to be right at the time. Let your taste buds be your guide if you don't have a favorite herb blend. Any leftover dressing can be refrigerated for your next salad.