Greek Yogurt Breakfast Tart

One of the great things about working with a gaggle of 20-something women: the magazines that clutter the break room, nurses' station, and nursery. Some people use trashy television to decompress--for me, it's the glossy page.  I never finish the love quizzes or follow any of the make up advice, but I usually find inspiration in the recipe section--and yes, I am that person who rips the recipe page out of the back and keeps you from finishing the article about some woman's harrowing experience with credit card debt or a baby switched at birth. And that, my friends, is where we found this guy:

The good people at Better Homes & Gardens came up with this Greek yogurt tart with a cornflake crust.  It's quick, painless, and you can do the whole thing in one bowl (which is a big plus for the queen of leaving dirty dishes around).  This crust is DELICIOUS and I will definitely use it again for no-bake fillings.  The filling itself ends up tasting like set vanilla yogurt, as the gelatin robs the Greek yogurt of its creaminess--so this is definitely tasty but not a gamechanger. Next time, I will probably add some cream cheese or goat's cheese to keep the creaminess (maybe even use the filling from this pie), but this would be a great addition to any brunch gathering as is.

Greek Yogurt Tart with Cornflake Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c crushed cornflakes, which took me about 3 c whole corn flakes (Arrowhead Mills makes a gf/sf version)
• 1/3 c butter, melted
• 3 TBS packed brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 c water
• 1 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt (FIBBYDY)
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/4 c honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 medium orange
• 1/4 c orange marmalade (optional)

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Combine crushed cornflakes, melted butter, and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Press into the bottom and up the sides of tart pan with removable sides (if you don't have one, any tin pan will do, it just won't look as pretty). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

2. Put water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water, let stand for 5 minutes. Microwave on high for 20 seconds (stir at halfway point), or until gelatin is dissolved.  In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, honey, and vanilla. Whisk in gelatin/water until completely combined. Pour mixture into cooled crust. Chill for at least 4 hours, but overnight is preferable.

3. When ready to serve, peel orange and heat marmalade until just melted. Cut orange however you'd like and decorate the top of tart. Drizzle or brush marmalade over oranges. Serve and enjoy!

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Carrot Chickpea Raisin Salad

The end is here! I'm off nights and back to the world of the living. Praise. The. Lord.

This night shift was especially tough on my diet-- the combination of weird hours, dark nights, and cold weather is enough to send a woman straight to the all-gluten, all-sugar, everything-processed section of the grocery store. Basically, I was what needed to be cleaned up on aisle 9.

So now that it's done we're in full-on detox mode, which means more vegetables and less SGS. Never fear--I still have to post some quality cookies, muffins, and cakes made during my interlude as a vampire-- so it won't all be healthy. In the words of my dear friend, Mel (Kef name forthcoming): Never that.

Carrot Chickpea Raisin Salad

                                                                                     Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 medium onion, cut in quarters

1 bay leaf

1 cup carrots, shredded

1/2 c raisins

3-5 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 pinch cumin

1 pinch coriander

1/4- 1/2 c spring onions, finely chopped

 Assembly:

 1. Drain chickpeas and throw out water from can. Throw the chickpeas, quartered onion, and bay leaf in a pot that will fit them all without squishing them too much. Boil on medium heat for 20-30 min, until they are tender but not overcooked. Once tender, use a strainer to drain the chickpeas. Throw out onion and bayleaf.
 

2. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, carrots, and raisins and drizzle with the oil to taste.
 

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve the salad room temp or cold.

Thanks to Tastespotting for bringing us this one!

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Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Take-Out Shrimp Fried "Rice"

There's no run-up to this one: last night I made the most delicious imitation ever-- shrimp fried "rice" that uses my favorite culinary chameleon, cauliflower, instead of rice. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list-- this dish is actually quite easy and would be great for a cozy dinner party on an ugly winter night. Enjoy!

Thanks to Tastespotting for bringing me this recipe

If you have two frying pans, you'll need both. If not, just make the cauliflower and then the vegetables.
Ingredients 
--1/4 c water 

--3 TBS fresh lime juice (to taste)

--2 TBS green curry paste (international aisle)

--1 TBS + 1 tsp honey or agave

--1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

---

--3 c cauliflower, grated (about 1 large head)
--2-3 TBS coconut oil (or whatever oil you like)
--1 c carrots, diced
--1 c onion, diced
--3-5 garlic cloves, minced
--1 c shrimp, chopped  
--2 large eggs, beaten lightly 
--1/4 cup spring onions, chopped 
--1/4 cilantro, chopped

Assembly
1. Grate the cauliflower, using a hand grater if at all possible (even I did not use the food processor this time!). Keep in a separate bowl.
2. Mince and dice and chop all the the other ingredients (carrots, onions, garlic, shrimp, spring onions, and cilantro).  Keep each separate.
3. In one pan, heat 1 TBS oil over medium heat.  Add the cauliflower, spreading out in as thin a layer as possible.  Cook for at least five minutes, or until it begins to brown.
4. In the other pan, heat 2 TBS oil.  Add onions and cook until fragrant and translucent, 2-3 minutes.  Then, add the garlic and carrots. Cook over med-high heat, until carrots are soft (5-7 minutes).
5. While the vegetables are cooking, mix together all the sauce ingredients. Now you have a delicious sauce.
6. Back to the cauliflower--once you have a good portion of browned "rice," make a well in the middle of the cauliflower. Add eggs and toss around, until the rice becomes light and fluffy and egg is cooked. Keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.
7. Once the carrots are softened, add the shrimp and cook until done all the way through.
8. Add the cauliflower to the vegetables and toss evenly. Garnish with cilantro and spring onions.
9. Separate into servings and use sauce evenly among the plates.

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Occupy the Grocery Store: Slow Cooker Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Last week I did something crazy--I met up with some friends the night before I had to work and stayed out until 10:30 PM, which is WAY past bedtime. The resulting "Nurses Gone Wild" video should be released in time for Christmas delivery.

But seriously--it was getting late and I had nothing to eat for lunch during the 12.5 hour shift the next day. Not wanting to brave the hospital cafeteria, I peered into my refrigerator and came up with... a bag of brussels sprouts.

Without time to DO anything with said brussels sprouts (btw: did everyone else know that it's brusselS sprouts, not bussel sprouts?)--a quick google search popped up with a very short slow-cooker recipe for mustard sprouts.  If ever a recipe towed the line between absolutely delightful and dreadfully terrible, this was it  Three minutes, six ingredients, and a few too-short hours of sleep later, I woke up to the most delicious smell in my kitchen and a yummy lunch that earned the envy of most of the break room.

Don't like the lighting? You wake up at 515 am and see
how much natural light your kitchen gets. 

Slow Cooker Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 lb brussel sprouts (1 16oz bag), washed
• 3 TBS oil
• 1 TBS dijon mustard (some mustards have sugar in them--check ingredients if you care)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 washed sweet potato, skin still on (optional--I just need more to eat!)

Assembly
1. Wash the sprouts. Chop off the small stem at the bottom, and then halve them.
2. Throw everything in the slow cooker.
3. Heat on low overnight. The ones that are right against the walls will get a little crispy, and that is great.
4. If you used a sweet potato, it will be so soft you can just mash it up and use as a base for the dish.

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Spanakopita, Deconstructed

I've made no secret about it: spanakopita, practically the national dish of Greece, is no favorite of mine.  This indifference is, in large part, owed to the strong contrarian spirit that dominates at least two-thirds of my opinions ("Oh, you think puppies are cute? Let me tell you why I find that to be misguided...")-- but mostly it's just because I'd rather be eating my Aunt Lena's eggplant pie.  Why eat a spinach/lemon/feta concoction when you could be sinking your teeth into an amazing amalgamation of eggplant, tomato, and onion? I rest my case.

But, alas. Winter is coming and the days of eggplant for $0.99/lb (thank you New Jersey, third-largest eggplant producer in the world) are over. Way over. Seems the only things under $2.49/lb these days are greens. Mustard greens, spinach greens, beet greens. Spinach. Arugula. Kale. It's a slow boat ride back to berry season-- but at least we'll be full of iron.

So what's a good Greek girl to do? Break down and deal with the hand nature deals the Northeast or spend $86/week on groceries? With my hand forced, I turned to spinach.

I came up with this take on creamed spinach--a cornucopia of uber-Greekness. Olive oil, spinach, dill, creamy yogurt... it's almost enough to make me forget about that eggplant pie.

Almost.

Deconstructed Spanakopita, or: "Creamed" Spinach

Pay no attention to the pre-made salmon patty on the left.

Ingredients

•  9 oz spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 medium-large bunch of kale, rinsed, dried, and shredded from the thick center vein
• 1 bunch dill, bottoms cut off and chopped into thirds
• 1 large onion, chopped roughly
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 TBS olive oil 
• 7 oz Greek yogurt (Fage is best, but you do you)

Assembly  
**I made this with my food processor--if you don't have one, just finely mince the onions/garlic and skip the shredding of the greens. It won't have the same texture but the option's there.**

 1. Puree the onion and garlic together in food processor. Set aside.

2. Throw the kale in a big, deep pot. If you have room, throw the spinach in there too--otherwise, cook separately.  To cook, add a splash of water and cover the pot, heating over med-high heat.  After 2-3 minutes, open the pot and stir thoroughly to distribute the heat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the greens are wilted (note: the kale will take longer so, if cooking together, make sure it is on the bottom first so it gets most of the heat).

3. Place the greens in a colander to strain the excess water. Use a spatula to press out any additional water.

4. Heat the olive oil and oregano in a saute pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour the onion/garlic puree into the pan and mix with the oil.  Allow to heat over medium until fragrant and slightly carmelized,  6-8 minutes.

5. While the onion mixture cooks, run the spinach, kale, and dill through the food processor until it is a pulp. Set aside.

6. Once fragrant, take about 1/3 of the onion puree (does not have to be exact) and set aside to cool.  Add the pulped greens to the remainder and mix well to combine.  Cook all together for another 3-4 minutes, until spinach is heated as well.

7. While spinach heats, combine cooled onion puree with yogurt and mix well.

8. Once spinach is heated, combine  spinach and yogurt mixture. Enjoy!

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Butternut Squash "Spaghetti"

I thought about not blogging today.  It seems strange to spend time thinking and writing about the banalities of butternut squash on a day with such looming significance.  

I didn't know anyone who was in the either of the Towers that day, nor did I know anyone in lower Manhattan.  Back then, the only people in my sleepy suburb who worked in the city were fire fighters and police officers, and so for our town the horror of the day grew more personal as time went by-- no one I knew had a parent who worked in the World Trade Center, but we all knew parents who went down to Ground Zero for weeks at a time, often unable to communicate with their families during those long shifts of sifting through the remains of what we knew.  Our attempts at efficacy reflected our bizarre new reality: the blood drive organized by the senior class was cancelled when it became clear that there would be few survivors; instead we donated bagged lunches to the first responders and clean-up crews, who would be in harm's way indefinitely.

When I left New York to attend college in DC, I would spend four September 11ths feeling a strange guilt for not being in New York, not living out the grief I felt with the people closest to the loss.  Perhaps most difficult for me was the strange brand of grief I watched take shape in the rest of the country, outside New York, where it was some twisted trend to "out-9/11" the person next to you in order to validate your grief.  Five years after the attacks, there were still no words to name adequately the mourning we felt for the loss of our old world order, which left many who did not have the name of a lost loved one to mourn grasping for something that would make our sadness comprehensible.  It wasn't enough just to have watched the crumbling of some 3,000 lives: soon, everyone had a story of someone they knew who had run out of Lower Manhattan, been in the Pentagon, or would have been on one of those flights, if not for some divine intervention.  I never felt able to say to anyone but my roommate, who was also from a small suburb of the city, that I felt incredibly empty, that I still couldn't watch footage from the day without weeping, or that it was difficult to make it through this day every year.  Not because any one thing had changed in my life, but because everything was, in some way, completely different.

And so today I write about butternut squash spaghetti.  There is no link between this dish and this day, nor do I have a clever transition from the above emotions to the below recipe.  It seems that this is what we do--note the date, feel the sadness, move on to the next topic. 
--- 
Butternut Squash "Spaghetti"

Ingredients 
-- 1 butternut squash (a medium will serve 2), peeled
-- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
-- 1.5 TBS butter (olive oil would prob work also)
-- Fresh basil, to taste (optional)
-- Whatever tomato sauce you like (I love this smokey marinara)

Assembly
1. Using a julienne peeler (which are widely available for about $5 at most grocery stores--they look like a regular "Y" peeler with teeth), shred the skinned butternut until the seeds in the bulb are exposed. Do not make this difficult: hold the butternut vertically and move the julienne peeler down it.  This will make "noodles." Collect them in a bowl.
2. Heat the butter until it is melted over medium heat in a saucepan big enough for your "pasta." Add the minced garlic and let that sizzle for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the squash.  Using tongs if you've got 'em and a spatula if you don't, move around the pasta so spread out the butter and garlic.  Then, let it sit over medium-high heat for 10-13 minutes, turning occasionally so all the "noodles" get cooked.  You'll know it's done when it has the consistency you like your pasta to be.  Throw the basil in and let it wilt.
4. Top with your favorite tomato sauce and enjoy.

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A Few of My (New) Favorite Things

Meanwhile, back in the real world... vacations, apparently, end and every day does not include sight seeing, the beach, Greek lessons, and frappe.  Needless to say, JetSet Kef and I had a great time, inspiration for future culinary creations was a plenty, and I am none too pleased to be back in the land of never-ending job applications.

The saving grace is that there are two new delicious things dictating my diet these days.  

The first is frozen blueberries.  Oh my sweet Lord Jesus THIS is what people mean when they say "nature's candy."  I can't believe the rest of the world knew about these pebbles of frozen heaven and I didn't...can't be long until I have to change my blogger profile picture to this:

The second is a kale-chickpea-squash salad. This was the treat waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane...and what I made as an officialy vacay-detox lunch the next day... and what I made for dinner while babysitting last night...it's getting a lot of mileage.  Originally a Serious Eats creation with some heat, my dear friend PortuKef evolved the recipe with Japanese flavors and sesame oil, and then I morphed it into my preferred palate with curry powder--proving that chickpeas ain't no one trick pony. The key to this chameleon salad? Be patient enough to let the chickpeas caramelize, which really brings out their buttery deliciousness.

Kale-Chickpea-Squash Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 onion, diced
• Olive oil
• 1 TBS curry powder/cumin/coriander/chili/or any deep-flavored spice you prefer 
• 1/2 bunch of kale, washed and shredded off the center stem
• 1 med zucchini/any other summer squash, chopped
• Half lemon, for juicing

Assembly 
1. Heat 2-3 TBS olive oil and your choice of spice over med-high heat for about a minute.  Add chickpeas, stir, and saute until chickpeas start to soften and brown, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add onions and stir into chickpeas and spice and allow mixture to caramelize. You may need to add more olive oil.  The onions will brown, and you'll know you're on the right track when the whole thing starts to smell a little sweet.  Stir more frequently here to avoid getting chickpeas stuck to the bottom of your pan. This will take another 7 minutes...maybe more, maybe less. You aren't going to screw anything up by letting it cook longer.
3. Throw in the shredded kale, stir it about and let it wilt for a minute or two. I do not like raw kale, so I keep it in for the longer side.
4. Remove everything from the pan, but don't wash it. 
5. Throw the zucchini into the pan and let cook through, maybe 5 minutes. I add a bit more olive oil and spice--use your judgement.
6. Combine the chickpea mixture with the squash. Serve warm or cold. Immediately before serving, squeeze lemon juice to taste.
 

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Homemade Fruit Roll Ups So Simple a 5-Year Old Can Do It

Hi, I'm Chef Kef and I'm berry-aholic. 

The whole world seems to conspire against my work to contain my berry habit--global climate change has created a nearly 6-month berry "season," that beautiful wall of red, blue, and black is ALWAYS the first display in a grocery store, and pints of those cancer-fighting rock stars seem to be on "buy-one-get-one-free" sales just about every other week.  So I buy one (and get one) and try my damnest to eat them before they turn into a refrigerator science project.  As it turns out, strawberry curry does NOT make for a delicious dinner and I can't eat berry-topped yogurt with every meal, and so they get a little mushy and moldy before I can finish them all.  Then it's time to grocery shop for the next week and guess what? It's deja vu all over again.


Lucky for me, the tender angels I babysit all happen to be adventurous eaters who also like a project or two.  So last week one of the KiddyKefs and I took on the task of homemade fruit roll ups to get rid of my extra strawberries before they went bad.  What resulted were good enough that KiddyKef 1 and 2 ate nearly the whole batch (which is admittedly not that big--but the point remains), and as KiddyKef 2 astutely realized-- "Everything in these is healthy!" 

 Ingredients
--half a pound of strawberries*, stemmed and chopped, don't worry about uniformity
--one green apple*, peeled, cored, and chopped
--juice of one lemon
--1/4c water
-- 1 TBS agave

** you can use any fruit in any amount you'd like- you really can't mess this up (but more fruit means add a bit more water). The margin for error is in the sweetening--remember that sweetness and flavor will increase after they get dried out, so I wouldn't add much more than another TBS of sweetener unless you are using WAY more fruit than shown above, especially if you're using naturally-sweeter fruits.


 Assembly
1. Throw chopped fruit, lemon juice, and water in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes. Stir occasionally. They will get stewy. At about the 5 minute mark, add the agave and stir around.
2. Remove from heat. Let fruit cool off. Preheat your oven to "Low" or 180F.
3. Puree your fruit--food processor is best, but since they're all stewy, you can mash the big pieces by hand if you want.
4. Spread the puree thinly and evenly on a lined baking sheet. I used a silicon mat, but I am told that the temp is so low that microwave-safe plastic wrap works as well- do you.
5. Cook in the oven until you get the texture you like--we cooked them at 190 for 5 hours and our batch came out closer to fruit leather than rollup-- so I think 180 for 5.5-6 hours would do the trick.

6. Cut with a pizza roller and enjoy.

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Black Bean Pumpkin Dip

Last time I brought you something that looked as delicious as it tastes-- I will not be doing that today.  For the last few weeks I have been eating what I call "pantry food," a culinary genre that might otherwise be called "Chef Kef is too lazy to grocery shop... let's see what we can create out of whatever is left in the cabinets."  Needless to say, most of these concoctions have not been CuK-caliber.  But this dip is one of the more successful results of the fortnight of foraging, as evidenced by the half of the dish that was empty before I even thought to snap a characteristically-bad photo.

I wish I were even a little embarrassed by this pitiful display of discipline...but I'm not.

 

 

Ingredients

•  3/4 c tomato sauce
• 1/2 c canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 c cheese
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 3-4 crushed hard taco shells (use blue corn to keep it gluten free)

Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 375. Mix everything together in a big mixing bowl.  Put it in almost anything you'd like to cook it in-- glass would work best, but an aluminum casserole dish would work just as well. No need to grease.
2. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until middle is set and top of dip is browned. 
3. Yep, that's really it.

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Orange-Chocolate Pudding that Will Change Your Life (or at least your day)

No matter how healthily I eat during the day, I always (and I do mean ALWAYS) want something sweet after dinner.  Most nights, I can trick myself into thinking an apple and almond butter is dessert enough- other nights, I trick myself into thinking a full pint of ice cream is a good source of calcium.  

Today I bring you something that will really blow your hair back: a vegan, low-fat, low-sugar, gluten- free, easy-to-make, inexpensive chocolate dessert that tastes INCREDIBLE.  If all THAT isn't good enough for you, factor in that dark chocolate is actually chock full of antioxidants (polyphenols and flavonols) and...wow. Truly, a superfood.

I also whipped up a honey cream  but was too impatient to wait for the cream to get room temp, so it looks a little bizarre- but it was delicious. 

Yep, this is really all you need!

Ingredients 

• zest of 1 orange
• 100 g very dark chocolate (I like Lindt's 85% because it is on the cheap side and has the lowest sugar at 5 g per serving)
• 2 c almond milk
• 2 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS corn starch
  Non-Vegan Whipped Cream (optional)
• 1 c whipping cream this should be at room temp for optimal whippage
• 2 TBS honey

Assembly

1. Separate 1/2c of almond milk and set aside.  Then combine remaining 1.5 c of the almond milk with orange zest, chocolate, sugar, and corn starch in a heavy bottomed pan.  

2. Over medium heat, whisk together orange/milk/sugar/chocolate/starch mixture, being sure to not to let the chocolate burn at the bottom or the starch clump together.

3. Once the chocolate has melted, pour in remaining 1/2c of milk.  KEEP THAT WHISK STIRRING!

4. Let the mixture come to a boil (stirring all the while).  You can raise the heat to medium-high if you'd like.  The mixture will come together and get thick all at once, just before it boils.  Once it is boiling, cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from heat and pour into your serving bowl.  Know that if you want a nice, smooth finish, you need to smooth the top out IMMEDIATELY with a flat spatula.  Allow it to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge to chill until serving.

Optional Not Vegan Whipped Cream: Combine cream and honey.  Whip at high speed in metal bowl with electric mixer until you have whipped cream.

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Occupy the Grocery Store: Shakshouka to Beat the Post-Holiday Blahs

The good news is that the world did not, in fact, end; the bad news is that the carte blanche for holiday carbs HAS.  As of 2 January, calories count again (1 Jan was a Sunday... nobody starts resolving anything on a Sunday, am I right?) and we're obligated to stop eating like there will be no tomorrow. Sadness prevails.

While I was celebrating the New Year, I ran into a dear old friend of mine and his fiancee who told me about shakshouka, which apparently is all the rage on the Tel Aviv late night scene (I heard the Philly P branch closed there, too).  Now it bears telling that I often eat (and, sadly, get dressed) by combining all of my favorite things and hoping for the best (I know y'all know the outfits I'm talking about)-- shakshouka is pretty much the best iteration of this lifestyle.  Crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, chick peas, cilantro, poached eggs and feta-- what could be better?

I made this yesterday and can now say with certainty that shakshouka will blow your hair back and get you on track for whatever resolutions you made. Plus, it can feed 3-4 for around $10-- I may have to start believing in New Year's Miracles, too!

I followed this recipe, but doubled the onion and about tripled the cumin-- mine was spicy and delish, but if you want a tempered version, click on the link and follow theirs. I won't mind. (Full disclosure: I am running late for yoga so I can just copying/pasting-- consider that link an APA citation!)


Shakshouka

• 2 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 jalapeno,  finely chopped 
• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• 2 tsp paprika 
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 15-ounce can FIREROASTED crushed tomatoes, juices and all (this will make or break your sauce-- spend the extra 30 cents for fireroasted!)
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On the stovetop, heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add onion, garlic and jalapenos. Saute, stirring often, until tender and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the chickpeas, paprika and cumin and cook for 2 more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and their juices and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, until sauce thickens a bit. 

3. Sprinkle feta over the mixture and crack eggs one at a time on top. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, about 7 minutes. Top with herbs and serve. 

The action shot... one day I'll get better at pictures.

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Occupy the Grocery Store

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've probably heard by now that The Hellenic Republic has fallen on some hard times.  Part of this, undoubtedly, is due to the fact that MommaKef  is not there to stimulate the sale of $7 water shoes, SisterKef hasn't been buying sandals that hide her Athenian ankle tattoo, and Brother Kef and I have not been purchasing twice-daily Frappes (métrios for me, skétos for him). For this, we are sorry.

But mostly, it's because the global system has allowed a few to live large on the backs of many for decades (or centuries, or always, depending on who you ask), and it's caught up to all of us.  Those of you familiar with ChefKef know better than to get me started on the soap box of inequity. So today I bring you a simple, five-ingredient dish that will tickle your tastebuds without causing your own personal default.

NB: I'm trying to take my own pictures but I'm not good at it yet-- anyone have tips for getting good while-I'm-cooking pics?

Beet and Yogurt Salad

• 4 medium beets, skin on, don't bother washing
• 2 tbs olive oil, plus some for roasting beets
• 1.5 tbs apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar, or sherry)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 c Greek yogurt (Fage seriously is best, but feel free to Occupy the Grocery Store and get the cheap kind)
• Fresh dill for garnish (TOTALLY optional- just a nice touch

 1. Preheat oven to 400. Cut off tops and bottoms of beets (as if you were peeling an onion). Grease bottom of a lipped baking pan with olive oil. Place beets on pan and roast for approximately 35 min, or until beet is soft all the way through.  For speedier cooking, cover the beets with foil (check on them at about 25 min and go from there).
2. When the beets are done, use an old dishcloth or something that is clean and you don't mind staining to pick up the beets one at a time and "plop" them out of their skin. Yes, "plop" is the culinary term.

3. Slice beets however you'd like- I happen to like cutting them along the sagittal and then coronal planes. But you do whatever you happen to find pretty.
4. Mix 2 tbs olive oil and vinegar together. Pour over beets.

5. While the beets are still hot, dice garlic and mix in too. Some people like to save this for the yogurt, but I like to let the heat of the beets cook in the garlic.
6. Let the beets marinate for 2-3 hours. Fridge or room temperature--no matter.

7. When you're ready to serve, pour some of the beet-marinade juice into the yogurt and stir.  Pour over your beets and serve.
8. If you're part of the 1% who got dill, now's the time to flaunt your wealth. Cut it up and throw it over the salad as garnish.

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