Greek Style Pasta Salad, Homemade Tzatziki & Lemon Potatoes

You know when you make something for the first time...and it comes out so amazing then you wished you had written out the step by step instructions AND took pictures of it? Yeah...I did that a few weeks ago with the MOST AMAZING Double Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. It was heavenly! I made it for a Co-ed baby shower for a friend of mine and if catching the guys standing at the counter with forks devouring the cake was any indication of how good it was then it must have been fantastic! I need some other event to make this cake again for! The recipe below is also an indication of me forgetting to take photos...AGAIN! I did manage an end product photo though! I have 3 Recipes to share with you today to give you a lovely summer Greek Inspired Dinner!

 

This Pasta salad is perfect for summer since the weather is finally showing signs that summer is here to stay! I usually make a whole package of pasta worth and eat it as a side dish for a couple of days!

 

Greek Style Pasta Salad

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Package of Small pasta Shells

1 Cucumber, Chopped (seeds removed)

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

about 1 Cup crumbled Feta Cheese

1 Red Onion, Chopped

Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinegar

Dried Basil

Dried Oregano

Salt and Pepper

 

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain, run cool water over it and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Add your chopped vegetables & feta to the pasta. Toss to combine. In a small bowl Combine equal parts Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil (I did about 1/4 each and refrigerated any extra dressing for salads). Add a Pinch of dried basil & oregano, season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together until combined and check if any more seasoning is needed. LIGHTLY dress the salad and toss to combine. Serve with Greek BBQ Chicken with Tzatziki and roasted Lemon Potatoes

 

 

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

 

 

Ingredients:

 

 

1 Cup Balkin Style Greek Yogurt

2 Finely Minced Garlic Cloves



1 Tsp finely minced Fresh Dill

about 3 inches of a cucumber, peeled and sliced in half

Sea Salt & Pepper

 

Take your cucumber and with a spoon scrap out all the seeds. Finely dice the rest of the cucumber and slightly season with salt. Place in a cheese cloth or paper towel and allow to drain for about 30 minutes (I do this before prepping dinner so while my meal is cooking the sauce can be finished!). In a bowl add your Yogurt, Garlic, Dill and Drained cucumber. Mix to combine and season with fresh ground pepper. Taste if more salt is needed...but I found in most cases not. Refridgerate until ready to use.

 

NOTE: I usually make this sauce in advance (1 day) to give the flavours a day to combine in the fridge. Makes for a really lovely sauce on chicken and even BBQ fish!

 

 

Roasted Lemon Potatoes

 

 

Ingredients:

 

 

3 Large Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes, scrubbed, diced (skins optional..but i leave them on!)

1 Lemon

Fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper

 

In a large baking dish arrange your potatoes in an even layer. Squeeze the juice of 1 Lemon over all the potatoes. Drizzle with Olive oil, Sea Salt, Fresh ground Pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. Toss to lightly combine and bake in a 350F oven until golden and the edges are crispy! (about 1 hour)