Weekly Dinner Menu May 31st - June 4th

Apologies for missing last week...

Here is my weekly meal plan for this week.

Monday - Macaroni and/or Potato Salad, Green Salad, Fruit Salad, and Veggie Cheese Burger

Tuesday - Vegetable Soup & Grilled Cheese

Wednesday - Chik Strips, Alfredo Noodles, Salad

Thursday - Dinner Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie

Friday - Spanakorizo with Tyropitakia (if that's Greek to you, it's because it is Greek)
Spanakorizo is spinach rice and Tyropitakia is cheese filled phyllo triangles; recipes follow:

Spanakorizo

Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (or use all olive oil)
2 medium onions, chopped
1-2 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (or to taste)
2 lbs fresh spinach (rinsed and stems removed)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water (or use 1 cup each veggie broth and water)
2-4 teaspoons fresh dill (or use 1 teaspoon dried dill)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup short-grain white rice
fresh lemon juice
crumbled feta cheese
hard-boiled egg (peeled and sliced) (optional)

Directions
1. Heat oil with butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add in onions and garlic and saute for about 4-5 minutes or until softened.
2. Add in fresh spinach and cook stirring for 3 minutes.
3. Add in tomato sauce and water (or water and broth) bring to a boil, then season with salt, pepper and dill.
4. Add in rice, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender (adding in a little more water if needed).
5. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, then sprinkle with feta cheese.
6. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and lemon wedges if desired.



Tyropitakia

Ingredients:
8 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1 cup of grated graviera (or a gruyere-type cheese), grated
(or 1 pound of feta cheese without graviera)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1/3 - 1/2 cup of fresh finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 pound of thin phyllo dough sheets
1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter
Preparation:

Day One: Defrost the phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight (see Tips on Handling Phyllo Dough).

Day Two:
Bring eggs and phyllo to room temperature (about 3 hours).
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Mix the cheeses, eggs, parsley, and pepper in a bowl until blended. The mixture will be thick and slightly lumpy.
Cut the phyllo dough lengthwise into strips 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide (for most phyllo, this means cutting it into four strips).
Using a pastry brush, brush or dot the strip lightly with melted butter and place 1 teaspoon of the cheese and egg mixture on the strip, centered 1 inch from the end.
Fold one corner over in a triangle, and then continue turning over the triangle to the end of the phyllo strip (like folding a flag).
Brush each triangle with a little melted butter and place on a lightly buttered or non-stick baking sheet.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) degrees for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, move to racks or plates, cool for several minutes, and serve hot.

Tyropitakia may be stacked uncooked between sheets of waxed paper, and frozen in air-tight containers. To use after freezing, separate them while frozen, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 30-35 minutes. Do not thaw before baking.

Yield: about 80 pieces