Vegetarian Greek Panini

Most of you are thinking gyro? But lamb and yogurt sauce can be very bad for the arteries. What is good for the arteries are artichoke hearts and fiber-rich beans. So I took some of my favorite Greek ingredients and threw together a quick panini that is overwhelming in taste but not calories.

Ever heard of the Sonoma diet? This diet is based on the 10 Mediterranean ingredients that contribute to a heart-healthy diet. Hence, Greek-inspired vegetarian!

There are a lot of options here so pick what you like or what works best for you. Whole grain pocket pita is useful in this recipe because the feta and chopped artichokes make this a messy sandwich. I used whole grain bread and toasted it, which was delicious and already available.

There is also a variety of hummus that you can use. I highly recommend my homemade hummus but if you are strapped for time, I would recommend Trader Joes hummus. They come in a variety of flavors, including parsley, garlic and roasted red pepper. However, they have a short shelf life, which means they lack unhealthy preservatives. I LOVE their white bean hummus, which adds more fiber-rich beans to the recipe.

Greek Panini

4 tbsp prepared hummus

1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes

1-2 tbsp crumbled feta

1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts

red leaf lettuce

whole grain bread or pita pocket

optional add-ons:

thinly sliced cucumber

seeded tomato, thinly sliced

banana peppers, sliced

black olives, seeded and sliced

Lightly toast bread slices or pita pocket - this will help the pita from falling apart. Chop sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Lightly dab vegetables with a paper towel to absorb some oils. Once bread is toasted, spread 2 tbsp hummus on each slice/side of your bread choice. Top one side with sun-dried tomatoes, feta and artichokes. Layer lettuce on other side and fold over. For added texture and heartiness, add other Greek-inspired ingredients such as cucumber, tomato, peppers and other preferred ingredients.

Cut in half and serve with my summer couscous. Or I recommend a Greek salad with cooked orzo (chilled) with chopped spinach, tomatoes and cucumber with a black olive and feta vinegarette.

Cucumber Sandwiches

There is something about Raleigh and going straight from winter to summer. I hope you have enjoyed the 70 degree weather the past week as I anticipate my spring and summer menu.

I am not sure where this came from, but I have fallen in love with cucumbers. It may have been when I was collecting so many from my CSA, but I am now an avid fan.

Which leads me to my new favorite snack: cucumber sandwiches. I used to think this was just a standard tradition for bridal and baby showers, but they are actually tasty! I have tried a few variations and want to share my favorite.

Savory Cucumber Sandwiches

"white" bread

one large cucumber (not English)

4 oz cream cheese

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

splash of Worcestershire sauce

onion power

garlic pepper

Trader Joes has an imitation white bread that works great for this recipe. I have never bought into white bread but for cucumber sandwiches, it is a must. I keep the crust on because there is no real need to waste, but if you are preparing this dish for company, it looks better clean cut.

Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, sauce and seasonings. You should only need enough mayonnaise to make the cream cheese spread easily. Do not add too much Worcestershire sauce or onion powder or your sandwich will be too savory. What makes this sandwich great is the lite taste. There is enough salt in the sauce, mayo and cream cheese, so there is no need to add additional salt.

Spread mix on two slices of bread. Thinly slice cucumber and heavily layer on one side - I use about 9-10 slices. Cut sandwich into quarters. I love this sandwich for a snack or with cherry tomatoes for a lite lunch. This will be ideal in the summertime when it's too hot for a heavy meal.

Other alternatives I have found use cream cheese and dried mint leaf for a "fresh" taste. I am also dabbling into a creamy goat cheese variety. I will let you know how it turns out ;)

Hummus Wrap

The good thing about summer is that it invites light meals to avoid packing on warm fat. This results in a lot of lunch salads and cold sandwiches, but you can easily get burnt out of those quickly. Rachel, my roommate foodie before I got married, was impeccable about making homemade hummus every week to make wraps with for lunches on campus. I had her sit down with me and go over her "recipes" before she moved out. I say "recipes" in quotations because Rachel is a open-the-cabinet-and-make-something kind of cook. She literally had to make the hummus in front of me to know what measurements to give me. So she got to do all the experimenting and I get to enjoy fool-proof hummus - as well shall you.

Hummus ala Rachel

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small bunch parsley

1 tbsp. flax seed (or flax seed meal)

juice of one lemon

Cayenne pepper

cumin powder

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp peanut butter

add ins: one jarred roasted red pepper and/or feta cheese

Boil chickpeas for about 3 minutes or when skins start to come off - drain and move to blender. Reserve 1 cup water. Add 2 tbsp oil, lemon juice and flax seeds and blend. Flax seeds need to be "damaged" to release their beneficial fats, so blend the seeds or buy flax meal. If chickpeas get "chalky" add another tbsp oil or reserved water. Add red pepper, cumin, garlic, parsley and peanut butter. I know you are supposed to use tahini paste in hummus, but Rachel tried the tahini and it really didn't taste as good. You get more of an earthy taste with the peanut butter. Use natural peanut butter if you can, or TJ's reduced-fat peanut butter. You can also use almond butter for healthier fat. Blend your add-ins if using.

The best variety Rachel ever made was to add a jarred, feta cheese stuffed red pepper. I accidently bought some at the sore and didn't intend to use them so Rachel added them to her weekly hummus and it was amazing. You don't have to use feta-stuffed peppers, or you can just add feta cheese - it comes in Mediterranean-seasoned also. Fermented cheese are the least processed cheese because the "process" is natural. Cheeses like goat cheese, feta, cottage cheese are all probiotic cheeses that come with great benefits, especially for women.

Store-bought hummus contains a lot of unnecessary oil. I like that Rachel uses a modest amount of oil and substitutes water. You can also add more peanut butter for a smoother consistency. Rachel is also great about hiding flax seed in her meals and shakes. Flax seed is a good cholesterol-building fat. Rachel suffered from awful cholesterol regardless of her all-natural diet, and she had great tips for increasing good cholesterol to maintain a healthy balance.

Mediterranean Wrap

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

4 Roma (or similar sized) tomatoes, chopped

1 English cucumber, chopped

parsley, chopped

shallot, chopped

coarse salt and pepper

feta cheese, crumbled

homemade hummus

tortilla wraps or Naan bread

This wrap is great for the summer because it uses so many in-season vegetables. I am not a huge fan of cucumbers, but for some reason the CSA cucumbers are more appealing - or maybe my tastes have just changed. I like to make this the day before I eat it to let the tomatoes and cucumber "pickle" in the marinade.

Combine lemon juice, oil and salt/pepper. Set aside. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, shallot and parsley. I know I've said I hate the taste of raw onion, but shallots give off the aroma of red onion without having an overwhelming aftertaste. And let's face it, if you are eating Greek for lunch, your breath is not going to be saved from anything. Drain any excess juices if possible. Slowly add oil mixture to vegetables. Do not oversaturate the vegetables. Let sit overnight preferably.

To make your wrap, spread hummus on a tortilla wrap or Naan. Top with marinated vegetables - use a fork to limit juices from transferring to the wrap. Top with feta crumbles. Wrap and enjoy.