Flourless Mushroom and Cheese Bake

 

After all the fairly heavier holiday season’s dishes, I felt it was time for some lighter dishes, yet, at the same time, filling and warming.

Pasta Salad With Broccoli and Feta Cheese

Finding a new, at least for me, type of pasta, was a good enough reason to think about making pasta salad, which I haven’t made much during the extra hot days of summer.

This type of pasta, called “Mafalda” looks like a mini version of the larger lasagna pasta sheets, with their crinkly edges. I thought this unique shape could work well in a salad.

Savory Puff Pastry Pinwheels and Cheese Dip

The following crispy puff pastry pinwheels, are loaded with colorful and flavorful Mediterranean ingredients, that complement each other beautifully: garlic cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Feta cheese, oil cured black olives, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh rosemary and thyme – all create an aromatic and tasty filling for the buttery crispy dough.

Cheddar, Feta and Pimientos Baked Cheese Balls

The combination of cheddar cheese and pimientos is mostly known as the base for the tasty pimiento cheese spread, which was the inspiration for creating the following baked cheese balls.

Sephardic Spaghetti and Cheese Bake

Unlike last week’s time consuming recipe, the following recipe requires very little effort or ingredients.
The original bake, which is known in the Sephardic cuisine as “Makarron reynado”, is a simple mix of cooked spaghetti, Feta cheese, eggs and milk, baked until set and golden.

Filo Bake with Spinach, Mint and Cheeses

This tasty dish was inspired by the two others: the Greek Spanakopita, (layers of filo brushed with oil, with greens with Feta cheese filling), and the Bulgarian Banitsa dish (in which the filo sheets are rolled with feta, yogurt and eggs mixture).

Leeks and Cheeses Filo Bake

Leeks are at their best in the winter, and when I saw some fresh and plump ones, I immediately grabbed a few. I used a couple of them to make leeks and potatoes patties (recipe can be found HERE), and with the rest I’ve decided to prepare a filo bake.

Zucchini, Cheese and Herbs Mini-Bakes

These tasty mini bakes are perfect for a weekend brunch, as a side dish or a light snack any time of the day.

Sephardic Swiss Chard, Potatoes and Cheese Bake

This tasty bake is well loved in the Sephardic cuisine (check HERE for information about it), and is traditionally served for Saturday brunch. The bake is usually served with Tzatziki (recipe can be found HERE), hard boiled eggs and fresh vegetables or vegetable salad. Another tasty option is to serve it with a bit of date or maple syrup. The combination of sweet and salty is addictive.

Yukon Gold Potatoes, Broccoli and Feta Cheese Salad

This simple and tasty salad is the proof that not all potato salads have to be heavily seasoned with mayonnaise.
It is light and fresh and easy to assemble. The fact that it is also aesthetically pleasing is an added bonus.

Feta and Scallions Stuffed Tomatoes * Tomato and Bread Salad

Summertime means lots of salads with fresh ripe tomatoes. However, sometimes it’s nice to use the tomatoes for other purposes, such as in the recipe here, for tomatoes stuffed with a tasty cheese mixture.
This doesn’t mean we’ll skip the tomato salad option altogether. Quite the contrary, the scooped inner part will be a base for a quick and tasty salad.