Traditional Greek cuisine consists mainly of Vegetarian and Vegan recipes. From luscious salads to healthy oily stews, hearty homemade pies and so much more. All cooked in a homely manner that fills your belly and keeps you going through the day.

These foods are what make our everyday meals, and are also, to begin with, one of the reasons why the Greek diet is considered very healthy.

Greek Yemista - Stuffed Vegetables With Rice


@panos_louis

In a Vegan diet, the lack of dairy and animal protein may sometimes leave you with a growling stomach. Rice can make up for this, giving you a very satisfying and energy-boosting meal. These Rice Stuffed Veggies aka Yemista, are an absolute must in this case. They're slowly baked in the oven, stuffed with a fresh vegetable, mint, & rice filling, and potatoes on the sides. Yummy!

Greek Butter Beans - Gigantes Plaki


@vasokatsanikaki

One of my all-time favorite dishes. Butter beans or "Gigantes" as we call them in Greece. Tastier than any other type of bean!

Traditional Greek Stewed Green Peas


@greka_foods

If you like peas, then you will definitely love this recipe. And well, even if you aren't really fond of them then you may wanna give this recipe a go. The fresh tomato, along with the carrots give an extra sweetness to peas, that makes them more flavorful than ever. They taste so much better than steamed peas do. Trust me!

Spanakopita - Greek Spinach Pie With Homemade Phyllo


@effigeorgia

Spanakopita is a well-known and well-loved Greek food. But it gets even better when you make it from scratch. Spinach is a real superfood, that's full of flavor, especially when combined with fresh herbs, olive oil, and a very crispy, homemade phyllo pastry.

Vegan Eggplant Gyros


@_minibattheveggiefoodie_

One of the all-time- favorite Greek dishes "Gyros" comes in the form of eggplants in this recipe. Eggplants are a very flavorful meat substitute. Wrapped up in warm pita bread along with juicy tomatoes and crispy cucumber.

To read this article in full, please visit: realgreekrecipes.com

To all the beach snobs out there, I have a wonderful compromise. We ended up going to the beach at La Cabana, and the taverna next door called ‘Ellados Eikones’. I was impressed. This is located at the end of Akti Alimou (Alimos Beach) – where the old Blue beach bar used to be. Look for the La Cabana sign.

The beach itself is lovely – organized, pebbly (not rocky), very clean, with ‘deluxe’ beach chairs and even a net set up offshore to keep out all the unwanted stuff… crystal clear water and a wonderful view. The snob in me was actually rather satisfied.

The dinner afterwards at Ellados Eikones was equally good. Their motto is ‘think Greek’ – and the place lives up to that promise. The design has a wonderful island style, very relaxed, rustic even, but elegant. The menu is delicious, the music is Greek, and Thursday-Saturday nights they have live Greek music. Without exaggeration, I felt like I was not in Athens. I loved it. It’s certainly not the cheapest taverna I’ve been to, but the quality of the whole experience is definitely a step up from average.

So to all my fellow beach snobs who trek far south in search of the perfect beach – I challenge you to give this one a try. Who knows, maybe you’ll duck out of work early one Friday night and see us there…

Until next week,

Jack

Ellados Eikones
www.ellados-eikones.gr
 

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

Plaka restaurants are touristy by nature which does not always mean bad food. What it does mean is a transient clientele and some restaurants have reputations for serving food that a true Greek would send back. The restaurants I have reviewed are the ones that the people from the neighborhood eat at too. It does not mean you won't get a bad meal because that can happen anywhere. But a bad meal is far less likely if you stick to the places that the locals eat at too. This combination Ouzeri-taverna on the corner of Voulis and Nikodimou is not exactly quiet, in fact its a lot like sitting in the middle of a traffic jam.

Do you have a recommendation or recipe to share? Send it to us at ideas@xpatathens.com!

Cardlink is active in the banking sector, specializing in point-of-sales network services for electronic transactions with cards. It is one of the main suppliers of electronic transaction products and services involving shops and banks.

In 2013 Cardlink posted revenues of 8.8 million euros, 11 percent down from 2012, and losses of 1.4 million euros, against profits of 0.18 million euros in 2013. At end-2013 it employed 17 people.

To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com