Healthy Greek Living- Quick Meatless Monday & Easy Entertaining With Mediterranean Layer Dip [Recipes]

October 16, 2013 | Posted in Cooking | By Lisa Wilk

1 Comment

I spend a lot of time eating meat free and vegetarian at home, though I’m happy to prepare and cook anything from the four food groups. I’m fortunate that my husband enjoys everything I put in front of him, so he’s game for meaty and also meat-free meals. (If you have ever watched Ina Garten’s various cooking shows, he’s Jeffrey, for sure!)  I was asked to participate in Healthy Greek Eats Healthy Greek Living recipe challenge and was happy to do so, as my kitchen is regularly stocked with their fresh and flavorful products.

Healthy Greek Eats at the Casselberry Farmer’s Market, no preservatives are used in the HGE products, so plan to use your goodies 3-5 days after purchase.

I discovered Healthy Greek Eats this past year at The Meat House in Winter Park and recently swung by the Casselberry Farmer’s Market to grab some extra HGE provisions. This first challenge we were asked to use their original flavor hummus.  I enjoy the texture and think the slight chunkiness sets the HGE hummus aside from others, as it is not over whipped or suffering from tahini paste overload. As entertaining season starts, it’s a great party and entertaining staple to have on hand for friends who are sensitive to gluten or Gluten Free, as the Healthy Greek Eats original hummus is a Gluten Free product. Paired with veggies, GF chips or GF crackers, you have a surefire winner that will keep you from stressing out with an unexpected dietary request.

While I love making recipes like my yummy Layered Mediterranean Dip, I thought I’d share one of my ways to get some extra protein into a Meatless Monday meal, while also having that dinner come together very quickly. Perfect for weeknights or when you are feeding a crowd on the fly! According to my kitchen clock, I had this dinner prepped and cooked easily within 30 minutes and it was super tasty, fresh and a break from the standard after work meal.

Falafel Pita Pocket sandwiches with Healthy Greek Eats Original Hummus and Spicy Feta Dip

Falafel Pita Pocket sandwiches with Healthy Greek Eats Hummus

1 Box Falafel mix of your choice (Available at Super Walmart, Cost Plus World Market, area ethnic grocers)
1 (8 ounce) container HGE Original hummus
1 (8 ounce) container HGE Spicy Feta Dip
1/2 a cucumber, diced or thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup pitted and diced Kalamata olives
1 package Pita, with pockets. (This sandwich is also great as a wrap, if that is your preference.)

Prepare the Falafel according to the box directions- this requires emptying the packet into a mixing bow, adding water and stirring to incorporate. Done! Set bowl aside to let the mixture sit thicken up to your desired consistency. (15-20 minutes usually works.) In the meantime, pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep saute pan or sauce pan on medium low heat.

While the oil is coming to temp, preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Gather your veggies and start chopping and dicing. Everything is going into a pita pocket, so prepare however you feel is manageable.  I chop the romaine finely so I can get a nice layer in the pita, however, you can also cut the leaves to fit into your pita.

Veggies are chopped for quick assembly.

I pile up my ingredients on a cutting board if I’m assembling myself and if serving guests, try placing ingredients in various small bowls for a pita filling station. (Fun alternative to make your own tacos and pizzas!) Cut your pitas in half if larger- or cut an opening off the top, if a smaller pita. Place cut pitas on a parchment lined sheet pan, then cover with foil and place in the preheated oven.

Falafel mix takes a minute to put together, under ten to cook. Let’s hear it for passive prep!

By now the Falafel mix is set up and your oil is hot. Scoop out a golf ball amount and roll like you would a meat ball or cookie dough.  Mixture will be loose, but will hold shape. I roll and then immediately gently drop into oil, flattening a bit with a heat safe spatula, slotted spoon or the back of a spider. I’m putting these falafel into a pita, so a perfectly round shape can bulk things up. Repeat rolling and dropping into oil until the pan is full, but not crowded. After about 4 minutes, check the color. If a medium golden brown is attained, flip your first falafel and make your way around the pan, flipping over in the order you dropped the dough. Check the color on the second side after 3 minutes, and it should match the first side. If not, keep in another minute. Remove the cooked falafel from the pan using a slotted spoon or spider, place on paper towel lined tray or plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining falafel dough.

Remove the warm pitas from the oven, uncover. Place on platter if creating your pita filling station, otherwise it’s time to fill. I place a dollop of spicy feta dip on the inside of the  pita and spread, like you would mayo or mustard on a sandwich. I repeat with the Hummus, in a thicker layer on the opposite side. Then add lettuce and cucumber to the pocket. Now it’s time to add your homemade falafel! Add 2-3 falafel, depending on size. Cut in half, if that makes things easier. Finish off with diced tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Enjoy!

A tiered tray makes assembling falafel pita pocket sandwiches easy for guests!

Makes 4-6 (or more) pita pockets. Leftover falafel can be frozen!

And, because I don’t want to be a tease- here is my Layered Mediterranean Dip recipe. I’ve made lots of variations by using flavored hummus, omitting the HGE Spicy Feta Dip and mixing a few tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto into the HGE Greek yogurt before layering. It’s nice to customize the layers to individual tastes, so if you aren’t a fan of one layer- don’t worry! Omit that ingredient and substitute another. Chopped herbs, chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped Peperoncini peppers, toasted pine nuts and/or chopped spinach are all good substitutes or additions.

Layered Mediterranean Dip is a nice option for tailgating or taking to a pot luck. It’s great served with baked pita chips, tortilla chips and/or fresh pita bread wedges. If you have any leftover dip, it’s wonderful the next day in a pita pocket with chopped lettuce or spinach for lunch or a snack. It can also be dropped in dollops, on a bowl of romaine lettuce for an instant salad.

Chopped veggies and Healthy Greek Eats Hummus and Greek Yogurt make this layered dip a quick assembly that can be made ahead of time.

Layered Mediterranean Dip
1 (8 ounce) container HGE Original hummus
1 (8 ounce) container HGE Spicy Feta Dip
1 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers, fresh or jarred that have been drained
1/2 Cup diced or chopped cucumbers
1 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup plain HGE Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup sliced & pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Pita chips or Pita Bread

Make sure all jarred/canned items have been properly drained and blotted dry with a paper towel if needed. Spread HGE Original hummus evenly in the bottom of an 8-inch square dish, deep plate or a platter. Top with a thin layer of HGE Spicy Feta Dip, (We use the whole container, but 1/2 a container is a good place to start as it’s spicy.) Arrange roasted peppers, then artichokes hearts, then cucumbers over the top to form a nice layer. Drop yogurt in dollops over the toppings, then spread out to make an thin, even layer. Sprinkle with olives, green onions and feta and serve with pita chips on the side. Cover dip and refrigerate until serving.

Disclosure: I received HGE products to sample and taste for this challenge, I also bought products to participate in this challenge. No other form of compensation was received and the opinions in this post are my own. Recipes were developed by Lisa Wilk of www.TasteCookSip.com.

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