Where's the Meat?

If you were to scroll through my posts over the years, you'd find meat dishes, but most of my posts and recipes are vegetable-forward. Why is that? Is it because I prefer to post recipes about side dishes? No, that's not it. I'll give you the answer, but first, please bear with me as I share a short story about assumptions.

It's a shame that Greek dishes have so much saturated fat. That's a comment that a nurse friend made recently, referencing my desire to lower my A1C/blood sugar and lose weight. She assumed that Greek food is gyro, souvlaki, lamb chops, roasted leg of lamb and lots of other familiar Greek restaurant foods. True, these dishes are in the traditional Greek diet, but they are not featured daily or even weekly. The truth is that the traditional Greek kitchen is full of one-pot vegetarian meals. And here's your answer--my posts about vegetarian dishes are about my habit of eating vegetarian meals. It's how I grew up!

If you want to eat like a Greek, eat stewed vegetables, boiled greens and salads featuring seasonal vegetables dressed with good olive oil and vinegar. Forget about dessert. Eat chicken or fish on the weekends and go all-out on feast days--birthdays, Easter, Christmas, weddings, baptisms and so on. Bring out the pastries, roast the meats, eat the lamb chops and celebrate. Dance and sing and drink and be wildly happy.

The Greek culture has endured occupation, wars, famine and more. Greeks know how to celebrate the important things and how to find joy in growing and sharing vegetables, helping strangers and friends equally and how to keep going through whatever hardship unravels on this earthly journey. They also know how to balance eating. There is prescribed fasting leading up to certain holy days, but then there is a day of feasting. The next day, eating means something more humble--greens, stewed vegetables, perhaps an omelet and a salad. 

Let's all eat the Greek Way for our continued good health, but let's also enjoy the bounty. I'm sharing with you links to many of my meaty recipes, just to prove that I am a meat-eater...at times, and yes, I love chicken!

Patitsio--my favorite casserole-style Greek dish.

Lamb Shanks--the easy way.

American-Italian Spiedies--from my neighbor Tom.

Herb & Mustard Pork Loin--so simple and very juicy.

The Perfect Roasted Chicken--and my Caesar salad.

French Country-Style Chicken--an easy family favorite.

Shepherd's Pie--simple and tasty weeknight dinner.

Greek Chicken Souvlaki--comes together in minutes.

Greek-Style Lamb Breast--slow and steady, but couldn't be easier.

Pan-Seared Pork Chops--with a flavorful herb and lemon rub.

Australian Sausage Rolls--apperizer sized.

Greek Gyro at Home--surprisingly easy.

Pork Chop Dinner--alternative to Christmas or anytime special.

My Sister's Chicken Dinner--one pan style.

Kielbasa--In the oven with cabbage.

Pizza Chicken--for all of the Keto lovers who miss their pizza.