One of the advantages of living close to a metro area is the availability of a diverse range of restaurants and grocery stores in which to satisfy one’s culinary curiosity. Of late of I have been using some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients like sumac, olives, dates, and feta cheese in my cooking ever since my discovery of the Middle Eastern deli and grocery store in downtown Minneapolis. My boys have always eaten a wide variety of foods and were enthusiastic about trying this “new” cuisine. I am glad they both enjoyed it. I have made some of the dishes at home like Sumac and Rosemary Crusted Lamb, Vegetable Moussaka, and Okra and Chickpea Stew.
For this past Mother’s Day, Ro-Ri San treated us to lunch at Santorini. They serve continental food with a Greek accent. The ambience was charming. There was a patio with a lake view and dining rooms with fireplaces. Since it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside comfortably, we opted to sit in the dining room. They have quite an extensive lunch menu ranging from mezedes, tapas, antipasti, pita spreads, wood oven pizza, soups & salads, sandwiches & burgers, pasta, lunch entrees, and Mediterranean favorites. As this was our first visit there, our server suggested the Mediterranean favorites and I am glad he did. Ro-Jiro (second son) had the Traditional Pastichio, Ro-Taro (eldest son) had Yiayia’s Meatloaf, Ro-Ri San had Dolmades, and I had Spanakopita. The entrees came with grilled seasonal vegetables and we had a choice of sides, tabouli, orzo, pilaf, taverna pasta, couscous, potato salad and lemon-oregano fries.
The food was well plated and the portions were generous. The pastichio had a rich creamy bechamel and tomato sauce which held the different types of pasta together nicely. Yiayia’s meatloaf was made of ground lamb and beef stuffed with hard cooked eggs. It was moist and combined very well with the garlic mashed potatoes. The dolmades was ground sirloin and rice wrapped in grape leaves and served with a Greek lemon sauce. It was very flavorful and the lemon sauce was excellent. I really enjoyed my spanakopita with spinach and Greek feta wrapped in phyllo pastry. The filling was rich and creamy with a light and crunchy pastry. It was also served with that wonderful Greek lemon sauce which was slightly tart with a hint of bitterness, characteristic of Greek food. Everything was delicious and we cleaned our plates!
And now, for today’s Avocado, Tempeh, and Feta Salad, I am using the remainder of the Bulgarian feta cheese purchased at the Middle Eastern grocery store downtown. This feta cheese is rich and creamy and not as salty as Greek feta. I have never combined avocado and feta before as both are pretty rich but these are the two ingredients specified in the challenge mentioned below. I added tempeh and used a key lime and sesame oil dressing to give it an Asian flair. The balsamic vinegar reduction provides a hint of sweetness to this luscious salad.
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I am submitting this to Denise of Quickies on the Dinner Table for the Avocado and Feta Cheese Challenge.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Rick says
May 10, 2010 at 4:59 pmThat looks like it could be served in a restaurant!
Lazaro says
May 10, 2010 at 5:10 pmWonderful submission to the Quickies Challenge. Gorgeous dish.
Cheers!
Monet says
May 10, 2010 at 5:11 pmWhat delicious and nutritious fare! My husband and I are always looking for new vegetarian recipes, and this, in particular, looks delicious. What a beautiful presentation. I hope you had a lovely weekend. Thank you for sharing!
MaryMoh says
May 10, 2010 at 5:13 pmOooh…that looks delicious. I love balsamic vinegar. If not controlled, I think I will drink the whole bottle…..haha. Lovely to know you had a lovely Mother's Day lunch.
Cristina says
May 10, 2010 at 5:22 pmA beautiful dish, Biren, and so professionally presented! I heart feta…I'm interested in trying the Bulgarian feta cheese variety you mentioned.
rotinrice says
May 10, 2010 at 5:30 pmThanks Cristina! I bought the Bulgarian feta at Holy Land Grocery and Deli here in Minneapolis. I don't know if they send their products outside of MN. Here is the link to their website http://www.holylandbrand.com/home.html. It is all very fresh and they sell slabs of it. Do check at any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean grocery store near you.
Angie's Recipes says
May 10, 2010 at 6:28 pmwow I must try the salad too! Looks simply gorgeous.
pachecopatty says
May 10, 2010 at 6:55 pmThis salad looks yummy, my husband won't eat tempeh, what about substituting toasted walnut halves for the tempeh? Or any other suggestions?
Juliana says
May 10, 2010 at 7:50 pmBiren, what a nice salad, so tasty and full filing 🙂
rotinrice says
May 10, 2010 at 8:01 pmI think walnuts would be a good choice. Pecans or almonds would work too.
bunkycooks says
May 11, 2010 at 12:51 amWhat a nice presentation on your salad. I bet it tastes as good as it looks!
Rumana Rawat says
May 11, 2010 at 12:56 amWhat a beautiful presentation on your salad. i want to finish the full plate, heheheh
Stella says
May 11, 2010 at 1:27 amHey Biren, this salad looks wonderful-my kind of food. Come to think of it, a lot of your food is my kind of food (smile). I really like the idea of this salad though…
denise fletcher says
May 11, 2010 at 1:54 amHi Biren – this is a gorgeous vegetarian entry for the challenge! I love the combination of ingredients and especially the dressing. Healthy, beautiful, nutritious and I know, it will be delicious!
Elin says
May 11, 2010 at 3:01 amBiren..this is a great salad and a great combo.! Who would have thought that tempeh can blend well with the rest of the salad ingredients. Great salad and thanks for sharing with us this great one 🙂
penny aka jeroxie says
May 11, 2010 at 3:58 amTempeh with feta… I gotta to try this
5starfoodie says
May 11, 2010 at 4:20 amA wonderful creation, so delicious and beautifully presented!
tigerfish says
May 11, 2010 at 8:22 amI wish I could learn more about Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients 🙂
ok…..going into my to-do list.
Kristi Rimkus says
May 11, 2010 at 2:13 pmLooks scrumptious, Biren! Love the pictures as usual, they really make the food pop with color.
lisa says
May 11, 2010 at 6:31 pmHello Biren, what a beautiful presentation and I'm sure this healthy salad was really good. Gosh i would love to have that plate now 🙂
sesame oil is always handy!
Summer says
May 11, 2010 at 8:43 pmLove ur new look or did i miss something here!!
Love ur super combi,,dis sure is as creative as u could get!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
May 11, 2010 at 11:51 pmWhat a beautiful and healthy dish! It looks so bright and fresh!
IJust LoveMyApron says
May 12, 2010 at 12:13 amI was going to say if u submitted this dish to the challenge 🙂 Great dish and well presentation. Now I gotta get back and work my ass off to work on the avocado and feta! :=)
Reeni says
May 12, 2010 at 1:28 amThis is a beautiful salad! I bet the flavors were great together! And the Greek food sound wonderful – glad you had a happy Mother's Day!
love2cook says
May 12, 2010 at 10:23 amWhat an irresistible salad! Simply loved the colors! 😉
Liv Wan says
May 12, 2010 at 12:42 pmWhat a great dish!
I'm drooling in front of my laptop now….
lequan@luvtoeat says
May 12, 2010 at 8:31 pmThis is a beautiful dish and the combination of ingredients sound delectable. Best of luck with the challenge 😀
Shree says
May 14, 2010 at 9:05 pmwow.. beautiful presentation… looks like its from a restaurant!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 3:59 pmYou are sweet Rick!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:00 pmThanks Lazaro!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:01 pmThanks Monet for visiting and leaving a comment.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:02 pmThanks Mary! You really do like balsamic vinegar. I like it too. Yes, I had a lovely day.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:03 pmThanks Angie! It is quite a different salad. We enjoyed it 🙂
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:03 pmThanks Juliana!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:04 pmThanks Gwen! Hubby and I really enjoyed it.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:04 pmThanks Rumana!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:05 pmThanks Stella! Hubby and I did enjoy the salad 🙂 It was pretty filling too.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:06 pmThanks Denise! It was fun coming up with the recipe 🙂
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:07 pmThanks Elin! The tempeh gave the salad a different texture from the rest of the ingredients. IT's a pretty filling salad.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:08 pmI hope you'll give it a try 🙂
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:08 pmThanks Natasha!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:09 pmI know what you mean. There is so much inspiration out there….
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:09 pmThanks Kristi!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:10 pmThanks Lisa! I do like the combination of avocado and sesame oil. The do go quite well.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:11 pmThanks Summer!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:11 pmThank you.
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:12 pmI had to crack my head to come up with this 😉
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:12 pmThanks Reeni! Yes, we really enjoyed the Greek food. It was good 🙂
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:12 pmThanks!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:13 pmThanks Liv!
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:13 pmThanks LeQuan! You are sweet 🙂
rotinrice says
May 17, 2010 at 4:13 pmThanks Shree!
Zibi says
May 20, 2010 at 2:29 amWhat gorgeous salad.
Thanks for reminding me about Denise's challenge too. I still need to come up with something for that… avocado and feta are tough ingredients to incorporate into a slow cooker dish!
rotinrice says
May 20, 2010 at 8:56 pmIt certainly is a challenge but it'll be interesting to see what you come up with 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.