Before the summer ends I want to post my favorite breakfast. Greek yogurt with fruits is something I can always eat. On Sundays this is what I usually prepare in the morning.

I like using Olympos yogurt. It just tastes better than Total. I like all sorts of fruit but with the yogurt I prefer melon, peach, pear, grapes and figs. I also like bananas but only the small ones that can be found in Crete and Cyprus.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Put the yogurt into a bowl and let it get room temperature.
Meanwhile cube the fruits in 2cm cubes. Half the grapes. Put the fruits on top of the yogurt.

You can add walnuts or almonds to it. It is also nice to pour some honey over the fruits and yogurt.

Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients. I like eating them in warm meals as much as in salads. This salad is reduced to a few tasty ingredients. Peppers and onions develop their aroma while baking in the oven.
They are being combined with lentils and a light lemon and cumin dressing.

Preparation time: 25 minutes + soaking the lentils in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

einfaches Rezept

Preparation:

Soak the lentils in water over night. Drain them then bring them to boil in a pot with water. Do not over boil them, they should be al dente.

Wash the peppers and put them in the pre-heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade.

Peel and quarter the onions and also place them in the oven.

Bake the peppers until their skin bubbles. Bake the onion until they are soft and took a bit of colour.

For the dressing mix the lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil in a small bowl.

Put all ingredients into a salad bowl and mix with the dressing.

Sprinkle some chopped coriander or parsley over it.

On the search for a tasty summer salad that could be beaten on a boat picnic I came up with this one. The figs always go great with bacon and the feta cheese gives the salad a Mediterranean touch. The salad makes a crunchy noise when eaten. This is due to the fig seeds.

Preparation time: 25 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring lightly salted water to boil in a pot. Boil the Fusilli until al dente.

Cut the bacon in stripes and fry with some oil until crispy.

Cut the feta cheese into small cubes. Peel and cube the figs.

Add the lemon juice, mustard, the crushed garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well. Add the oil and mix again.

Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl. Put the bacon, cheese and the figs on top. Pour the sauce over it and mix well.

Nothing better than burgers, but they have to be juicy. There are many theories on how to get them juicy. Some of then have to do with the frying or grilling process, others with the mixture of the ingredients. My secret ingredient is the apple.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

frying time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Chop the onion finely and put it into a bowl with the meat. Shred the apple and add it to the bowl.
Crush the rusk finely and add it to the meat. Add the egg and mix all well. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Form burgers and fry them on each side 4 to 5 minutes.

preparation time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Remove the pits from the cherries and cut them in half. Cube the beets. Put both into a bowl.

Chop the mint. Mix the lemon juice, salt and pepper in cup.

Pour the dressing over the salad and sprinkle the mint over it.

This salad is served in one of my favorite taverns here in Athens called Canela. There they serve simple but tasty Mediterranean food. The important thing about this salad is the Graviera cheese. It should not be too salty and not too hard. One might try it with a piece of young Pecorino.

I dedicate this recipe to the Fruit a month event at Mharo Rahastan’s blog.

Preparation time 15 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring water to boil and boil the zucchini until they are al dente.

Cut the Avocado in half, remove the stone and peel it. Cut into thick slices. Put with the zucchini into a bowl and mix. Grade the cheese over it.

Mix olive oil, lemon juice and pepper in a cup and pour it over the salad.

This Gazpacho has a more intense coloring than the classic version of the dish. The beetroot gives it an earthy touch that goes well with the tomato, onion, peppers and garlic. I like to season this Gazpacho with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

preparation time: 15 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation:

Bring water to boil. Blanch the tomatoes, then set them aside to cool off.

Boil the beetroot or use ready boiled ones.

Peel the tomatoes. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper. Peel the cucumber, the onion, the garlic. Put all the veggies including the beetroot into the mixer. Add a sip of vinegar, a big sip of olive oil, some honey, salt and pepper. Then blend all until smooth. Season with cayenne pepper and put in the fridge to chill.

Hummus? Again chick peas? Yes, but again a new version. This time I have mixed some of my favorite ingredients to a mezze or dip. Beet root, chickpeas, garlic and Tahini. The result is a Hummus with beet root which dies not only have a great color but also a fantastic taste. The hummus gets a sweet and earthy touch from the beets, which fits very well.

Preparation time: 5 minutes + soaking the chickpeas in water over night

cooking time: 10 minutes

difficulty: easy

Preparation

Soak the chickpeas over night, then drain them. Boil them in water for 10 minutes until they are soft. You may add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the boiling water to take the edge off the garlic.

Drain the chickpeas and put into a blender. Peel the garlic and add. Add as well the Tahini, the lemon juice, some olive oil and the beet root.

Mix until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip: You can also add some cumin for seasoning.

A delicious ice cream with few ingredients. It is not summer yet, so I wanted an ice cream that has a touch of winter. Hot milk with honey and cinnamon is a typical winter taste. Having this frozen makes a great dessert.

Preparation time: 10 minutes and occasionally stirring
very simple recipe

Preparation:

Put all ingredients into a small pot and heat gently. Take off the heat just befor the milk starts to boil.
Let it cool down and place in the freezer when cooled down completely.

Remove form the freezer and stir with a hand mixer.
Repeat this procedure during the next few hours. You want the ice crystals to get as smooth as possible.

Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving.

When I saw the Vichyssoise soup at Paules blogI got temted to try this potato and leek soup myself. Also this Spanish blog I am regularly reading, has a version of this soup, but this time with fried ham. I researched a bit and the version I finally decided to do is a la Paul Bocuse. The potato-leek soup is upgraded with some butter and a touch of cream.

preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes
very simple recipe

Ingredients:

Preparation:

remove the outer layer of the leek and cut it in half along its length. This makes it easy to wash it and free it of sand.

Peel the potatoes, then cube them.

Cut the leek in stripes (only the white bits)

Put some butter into a pot and gently fry the leek. Add the potatoes and fry those gently.

Add the water to the pot. Put the stalk of thyme and parsley into the pot and heat the pot up to boil lightly. Let the ingredients simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the parsley and the thyme stalk. Drain the potatoes but keep the poiling water.

puree the potatoes while slowly adding some of the boiling water. Also add the cream sip by sip until the coup has the right consistence. This is depending on how thick you wish the soup to be.

Mr. Bocuse lets the soup cook down and fridges it for 2 hours before he re-heats it and seasons it.

I skip this step and serve it straight. Adding some salt and a few flakes of butter, the soup is ready to be served.