Category Archives: All blog posts

Greek Salad – as eaten in Santorini

Five years ago today, my husband and I were in Santorini, Greece with our six-month-old firstborn in tow to celebrate the wedding of two of our best friends (That’s the happy couple in the picture!). Only for these two would we travel halfway around the world as first-time parents with a still-nursing, not-yet-crawling baby in arms! And so we did. And it was one incredible trip.

We flew into London and spent a few days there before flying to Santorini (one of the Greek Islands). We loved Santorini and took part in just about everything the small group gathered for the wedding celebration had planned. This included, as I recall, a LOOOOONG hike down a STEEEEEEEEP hill accompanied by donkeys to the coast so that we could take a boat out to a smaller island formed by a volcanic crater. We hiked up the hills of that island (baby asleep in the Baby Bjorn!) and took in the incredible view from the top before hiking back down.

On the evening of the wedding, we walked in procession through the cobblestone streets to a tiny hilltop church where the ceremony was (unexpectedly!) conducted entirely in Greek. Then we processed back to the reception site, tourists smiling upon us, as we arrived with our small contingent at the most intimate and beautiful restaurant terrace, where each chair was positioned to have a view of the perfect sunset that evening. It was a night that I’m sure no one present has forgotten.

So as we wish our dear friends a Happy 5 Year Anniversary, I share with you this recipe for an authentic Greek Salad. I developed this recipe to replicate the salad I DEVOURED our first night on the island. I have never tasted anything so fresh, so simple, and so perfectly balanced. I make this all the time when tomatoes and cucumbers are in season (and sometimes even when they’re not!). It’s perfection on a plate…and it always brings back fond memories of that very special trip.

Greek Salad

serves 4

4 medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 small cucumbers, cut into same size pieces as tomato
1 green pepper, cut into same size pieces as tomato and cucumber
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, each slice cut in half
16 kalamata olives
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 slices of good feta from the thin end of a block (1/4″ thick)
2-4 Tbsp. good fruity olive oil
Sprinkle of dried oregano

Chop the vegetables and toss with olives in a bowl. Season with pepper. Divide among four salad bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of feta, sprinkle of oregano, and drizzle (1/2 Tbsp. – 1 Tbsp.) of olive oil. And that’s IT!



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Are you on a roll?

There’s nothing quite like momentum, is there? You can just feel it in action as the path you’re on gets easier and easier and you’re picking up speed. You’re soaring along with less and less effort and less and less intention…people and things show up in your life to propel you along your chosen path…you are flying! This whole concept would be unequivocally fabulous, except for one thing. Momentum works the same whether you are headed in a positive direction or a destructive one.

I’ve heard story after story from clients who can’t quite figure out when things started heading in the wrong direction. They realize that at some point they must have established habits that have become so comfortable and so ingrained that they are incredibly challenging to break. Life got busy. They stopped cooking. They forgot to exercise. They came to rely on processed foods or restaurant takeout. They neglected key relationships or stopped participating in activities that fed their souls. Their downward spiral built momentum and it seemed unstoppable.

And then one day, thanks to whatever “sign” got their attention, they hit the brakes. They STOPPED the momentum. And they looked up to figure out where they were and how in the world they got there.

I see this stopping point, this resting place, as magical. This moment of stillness and reflection represents the opportunity to consciously choose a new direction. It holds within it the golden opportunity to course-correct.

Yet for all the magic and potential of that moment, it also holds a new challenge. You have to begin from a standing start. There is no momentum yet. Your old lifestyle felt easy and comfortable and effortless as you were rolling along with the wind at your back…coasting. Your newly chosen path feels hard…impossible even. It takes extraordinary effort to begin. It takes even more effort to persevere through the ups and downs and fits and starts of the first days or weeks or months. Memories of the old, easy, way haunt you. You take two steps forward and one step back. Yet slowly, carefully, with great intention, you begin to build momentum for this new direction. The new rituals become more routine and take less mental energy to complete. You begin to feel a yearning for your chosen new behaviors. You start to forget the old direction. Slowly, you gather momentum and new people and new experiences show up in your life to support you on your journey in the new direction. And one day you find that this life has become every bit as easy as the old one and you can’t imagine living any other way.

So….are you on a roll? In which direction are you headed? Is it time to bring yourself to that potential-filled resting place and choose a new course?

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Thai Coconut Shrimp

I don’t often tackle Thai cuisine at home because 1) the ingredients are sometimes a little obscure and 2) we can get such great Thai at local restaurants. However, when I found this recipe in the May/June issue of Clean Eating, it sounded so easy and so good that I had to try it out. Besides, while Thai food from restaurants can be loaded with extra fat and calories, this recipe has under 350 calories and 2 g of saturated fat per serving! Beyond that, it’s packed with pungent, fresh flavors like fresh ginger and garlic and balanced with a nice richness from the addition of peanut butter and light coconut milk to the sauce.

If you normally shy away from ethnic cooking, this may be a great recipe to get you started. I like to serve this with a simple marinated cucumber salad, but that Carrot Ginger dressing I posted a few weeks ago on some simple greens would be great too!

Thai Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice Pasta
adapted from Clean Eating magazine May/June 2010

serves 4

8 oz. dry brown rice noodles (or whole wheat pasta)
2 c. broccoli florets
2/3 c. light coconut milk
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 c. bean sprouts
24 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed under cold running water

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta, then rinse with hot water and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place broccoli florets in a glass bowl with 1/2 c. water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

3. In a bowl, add coconut milk, tomato paste, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, and lime juice. Whisk to combine.

4. Simmer coconut mixture, red pepper, and bean sprouts in a nonstick skillet over medium low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes more, then flip shrimp and cook for 1 final minute.

5. Toss noodles and broccoli with coconut-shrimp mixture and serve hot!

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