Fiesta Friday goes Greek

Ok, ok...first a little disclaimer: The only thing Greek about me are my sorority letters. So I will not even pretend to be any sort of expert on Greek cuisine and flavors. I do however LOVE LOVE LOVE Greek food (as I know it).

With Summer here and in full swing, my culinary biological clock is telling me its Fiesta Friday time! I know, I know, its only Thursday...but I won't be cooking tomorrow so I had to jump the gun a bit. One memory growing up that I will always love was Friday night dinners which were special because it was the day my mom took a break from cooking and we would order in from somewhere. Almost always we would settle on Macayo's, our favorite Mexican Restaurant. To this day EVERYONE in my family is obsessed with the salsa from that place. So of course as the smell of Summer lingered in the air, I felt the sudden urge for my usual Friday Mexican food fix. But considering how terribly unhealthy traditional Mexican food is and given the total lack of necessary ingredients in my refrigerator, I decided to do a little spin. Taco's are a really great dish because they are very easy to make and you can pretty much prepare all the components in advance (especially for party situations) and truly there are thousands of ways to do them. So here is my attempt at Greek tacos.

Meat Filling: A Greek take on the usual ground beef taco filling

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lean beef, lamb or both *I used 90/10 lean beef (10% fat) for this recipe

PERSONAL NOTE: I really suggest for an "authentic" greek flavor, using lamb. The beef is equally delicious but the lamb gives it an extra umph

1/4 tsp Greek Seasoning (dried garlic flakes, oregano, cinnamon, peppermint, dill, nutmeg, cayenne, chives) *You can buy this pre-made seasoning in the Spice section of your grocery store or make the mixture from scratch using equal parts of all components

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp oregano leaves *This is in addition to the oregano used in the Greek Seasoning

1/4 tsp black pepper

NOTE ON SEASONINGS: The great thing about cooking is that recipes really serve as guidelines. Always season to taste. This is your chance to experiment and make the dish your own. If you like more or less of some seasoning or flavor adjust accordingly. I personally added extra mint, cumin and nutmeg as I browned the meat because I felt (from the smells) that these seasonings were lacking

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 white onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 tbsp water *This water is optional. Add it in the pan when browning the meat if you are using a really lean meat that is drying out too quickly.

Directions: In a medium bowl, hand mix thoroughly all the ingredients (except for the water). When the seasoning, onion, and garlic look evenly blended into the meat, transfer to a skillet that is heated on medium-high heat and coated with a small amount of Pam (if not using a non-stick skillet). Cook on medium heat until meat is completely browned.

Nutrition Facts: about 3 oz serving of meat filling (fills 1 taco)

grams: 94; calories: 180; fat: 8g; saturated fat: 3g; protein: 22g; carbs: 2g; sodium: 281 mg; fiber: .5g; sugar: og

Cucumber-Mint Yogurt (Tzatziki): A sweet and salty replacement for sour cream or guacamole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strained Greek Yogurt *Low or no fat Greek yogurt will not need to strain as long. To make this kosher friendly, use soy yogurt (plain, NOT VANILLA...seriously)

2 tbsp minced fresh Mint leaves *The amount of mint used may vary based on taste but don't let the mint over power the entire sauce. Some traditional Tzatziki recipes call for fresh or dried dill instead. Either one works.

1/2 peeled, pared and chopped cucumber

1/2 tbsp sea salt (for salting cucumber)

Dash of sea salt

Dash of sugar *May use a sugar substitute. I used 1 splenda packet

Directions:

To strain the yogurt, place a mesh strainer over a measuring cup or small bowl. Line the strainer with two layered pieces of cheese cloth. Place the yogurt in the strainer and let sit for anywhere between 30 min to 2 hrs (depends on the fat content and type of yogurt). Once strained the yogurt will have a firmer (somewhat like cream cheese) consistency.

To pare the cucumbers, first peel the 1/2 cucumber and cut in half (so as to make 2 canoe like shapes). With a melon baller or sharp spoon, scoop out the center seeds and watery insides. Chop the cucumber into large chunks. Place in a colander/strainer over a bowl and salt the cucumbers throughly. Leave the salted cucumber for about 20 min. The salt will release the excess water from the cucumbers. The salt will wash off as the water is released but if you are trying to keep a low salt diet, just rinse the cucumbers quickly before chopping them into smaller chunks and add them to the yogurt.

Add the minced mint leaves, salt and sugar and mix completely. NOTE: If you want it smooth like "authentic" tzatziki, blend the cucumber and mint in a food processor first then add to the yogurt. PERSONAL NOTE: I prefer to keep the cucumber and mint chunky because it gives a refreshing crisp bite to the dish.

Nutrition Facts: 2 tbsp serving (per taco)

grams: 31; calories: 10; fat: 0g; saturated fat: 0g; protein: 1g: carbs: 1g; sodium: 37 mg; fiber: 0g; sugar: 1g

Toppings: (These are just suggestions to Greekify the typical Mexican components)

Shredded spinach or iceberg lettuce (roughly1/2 cup per taco) *I used baby spinach

Chopped tomato and olive salsa (roughly 2 tbsp per taco) *I used heirloom tomatoes, black and pitted kalamata olives. If you want to cut out some of the fat, use less or no olives. Rinse the olives to get rid of the excess oil and juices used to preserve them.

Reduced Fat Feta Cheese (roughly 1 tbsp per taco) *To make this kosher friendly use soy goat cheese. NOTE: Feta is a great lower fat alternative to the traditional Mexican crumbled cheese traditionally used.

Hummus - any flavor store bought or homemade (about 1 tbsp per taco) *This is really great alternative to refried beans which are often used to bind everything to the walls of the taco shell/tortilla. I used store bought Sabra Black Olive flavored hummus (because honestly I was too hungry to wait to make it from scratch).

Whole Wheat Pita - Warm in the toaster/conventional oven for a few min. to soften the pita. Slice in half, open pocket and fill with taco deliciousness (1/2 pita per taco) *I used some local brand that was low fat as well. NOTE: When using whole wheat flat breads, the breads tend to be very fragile and break easily, so be careful when assembling and enjoying your tacos.

Nutrition Facts: Per 1 Taco serving

grams: 226.5; calories: 327; fat: 12g; saturated fat: 3.5g; protein: 29g; carbs: 22g; sodium: 582 mg; fiber: 2g; sugar: 1g