Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Healthy Eating Menus on a Budget

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Healthy Eating Menus on a Budget:   Village Life - Eating Healthy on a Budget. As many, the Cost Of Living is something many of us think about, and us too included. Thankfull...

Healthy Eating Menus on a Budget

 Village Life - Eating Healthy on a Budget.

As many, the Cost Of Living is something many of us think about, and us too included.

Thankfully one of our pleasures, delights and cost saving ventures is, with living here in Corfu in a village, having a large garden, enabling us to eat healthily and with a minimal outlay, thanks to our hard work in our garden. Time invested well as we are not retired as yet but need to think about all cost saving ways as possible these days!!

Here are a few things from last week on our menu.

Briam

We picked :  Peppers, Tomatoes, Courgettes and Aubergines, Potatoes already had been stored. So apart from the cost of the water to grow and the electricity to bake/roast plus the bought items below. 

Result was a Tasty Briam. known as Roasted Greek Vegetables became the dish.

Olive Oil from our stock of.

Bought items included: Bread, Salt, Pepper, Onions and Feta Cheese.

All Baked in one casserole dish in the oven. Also saving on washing up too.

Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes

We Picked, Larger Tomatoes and some Bell Peppers and Fresh Mint.

Bought items included Long Grain Rice, We had Feta, Onions and Bread from the day before. Along with the Oil, Onions and Potatoes from our stock

Stock Items, Origano, Salt & Pepper.

Again all baked together in the oven in one casserole dish.

Of course you can add mince meat and fry if you prefer to have a more meat based diet.

Fried Aubergines with Skordalia.

Aubergines from the garden.

Stock items : Flour, Salt & Pepper & Olive Oil.

Fresh Egg - locally from a neighbour (we give her our left over bread to feed her chickens, free range of course and she gives us a few eggs every week) Fry the Aubergines in Olive Oil, dipped in the batter.

Skodalia (Garlic Dip)- Old bread socked in water and then drained, Garlic (bought) and  Red Wine Vinegar (bought).

Blend together to make a lovely Garlic dipping sauce.

Aubergines - dip in the flour and egg mixture, fry in hot olive oil.

Served with your already purchased Feta and some Fresh Bread 

Desserts included:

Pancakes/Crepes

Served with Cactus Fruits and Lemons picked from the garden.

Stock Items Sugar, Flour Milk and 1 Egg.

Grapes - Picked from the Vine

Cheese, wine, grapes and feta.

Bread & Butter Pudding. Grapes dried for raisins.

Our Sunday Special

You can see we live healthily on a mostly non meat diet and treat ourselves to a Fresh (not frozen) Chicken at the weekend bought from the local village butchers and not from the supermarket.

This Chicken I roast with veggies

Avgo Lemono Soup

Leftover  Chicken I make the following  day as the famous Greek Avgo Lemono Soup - Chicken Egg & Lemon Soup.

So you need:

Chicken Leftovers) Eggs, Rice and Lemon all as above already in stock or purchased.

Boil Leftover Chicken for a tasty broth - forget stock cubes and if you need to thicken the stock use your flour. Fresh Dill from the garden to serve

Other items purchased for a weeks shopping included:

Feta Cheese - choose from your local minimarket the type in the large tin already preserved in Brine whenever possible rather than the mass produced Feta in a plastic tub.

Lentils - To make Fakes - Lentil Soup 

Chickpeas - Revithia Soup made with chickpeas, onions, garlic, lemon and flour to thicken. Leftover soup  can be strained and made into Humous - add some more Garlic and Olive oil and blend by mixer to make a tasty dip.  Some add Tahini however I prefer Greek Yogurt.

Spaghetti No 6 - for a simple 3-4 ingredient spaghetti, sauce made with tomatoes (small Cherry ones picked from the garden which are sweet & tasty) , Onions, & Garlic.  I also pick celery from the garden to add some more flavour to the tomato sauce.

Of course, with all of the above you can make a healthy lunchtime snack of Greek Salad and I make potato salad but instead of mayo I use Olive Oil, Mustard (stock item) and mint.

You can use the Homous as above. I also strain the Lentil Soup to make Lentil fritters.

Boil some Eggs and make a Egg (Mayo) Salad served with tomato salad........ 

I haven't included recipes but a synopsis of our typical Summer menu.

If you would like any of my own simple recipes you can post comments or email me on  corfuselections@gmail.com

Kali Orexi.......

and when I am not cooking and gardening??? .......

 You can check out my websites should you choose to look at booking your next vacation directly - thus supporting our local owners and the Ethos of my website.  

See : www.corfuselections.com

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Happy September - Kalo Mina....

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Happy September - Kalo Mina....:   September, Sunny Days, Fruits and Flowers..... It's September, the sun is shining, the nights now are thankfully cooler,  evenings are...

Happy September - Kalo Mina....

 September, Sunny Days, Fruits and Flowers.....

It's September, the sun is shining, the nights now are thankfully cooler,  evenings are balmy as we watch the Moon rise and the Stars sparkle over a clear night sky. We now enjoy sipping our wine in the garden far more comfortably after another hot August when temperatures reached the 40's C -  No longer do we need our air conditioning and instead can breathe in the pleasant warm air and reflect on this Summer so far, as we start to think about our Winter vegetables which now need planting.  These include, Carrots, Spinach, Winter Gem lettuces, Spring Onions, Cabbage, Brussels and a few herbs too.  I will once again try Parsnips and hope for a frost later on, which are needed for a healthier crop!! - or so I am advised? Maybe this time they will grace the Christmas table (gosh did I mention Christmas, sorry folks). 

This Summer we harvested a variety of goodies too including, early lettuces, always tasty until Mid May then it gets too hot and they bolt.  However I made some lovely lettuce soup instead of  wasting them.

Potatoes do well, as do Green Beans, Courgettes, Peppers and a great variety of Tomatoes from small Italian Cherry Tomatoes, Medium sized salad tomatoes and huge Beef Tomatoes which I use to make a popular Greek meal of Stuffed Tomatoes. We still have many more growing going into September for salads and tomato based dishes and puree. 

Fruits so far included, Cherries & Apricots in June, Juicy Peaches in July, Seedless White Grapes from our vine late August. We prefer to eat our grapes with Greek crusty bread and Cheese rather than make wine. Cactus Fruits (Prickly Pears)  just picked these a few days ago which I used as a filling for the Pancakes and also made a lovely syrup from these fruits too.  Ari (hubby) adores pancakes which have now become a fortnightly treat.  No, I don't use a Pancake mix either, just a simple Batter which my mother taught me back then. when I was allowed to assist in her kitchen as I reached the grand age of 10!!! And of course we have free range eggs here in the village all adding and enhancing the overall taste. 

Ari bashed the Almond Tree to collect the nuts with his long Bamboo stick, as many Almonds were starting to fall.  He then de-husked them and will break open the shells so I can store these for such delights as Almond Milk, Almond Butter, and Cakes too. 

A variety of flowers spring up over the Summer months always adding a great and happy colour to our outside area.....

September - brings us later in the month Walnuts - a favourite for breakfast with Thick Greek Yoghurt and local honey and another alternative taste for our Pancakes. 

Wishing everyone visiting Corfu this month an enjoyable stay and holiday too.

If you are still thinking of some late sunshine or a last minute holiday, you can also visit my websites www.corfuselections.com & www.sanstefanosapartments.com and book directly with our owners thus supporting local businesses too....... 

Kalo Mina - A happy month of September with Health and Happiness.

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: August in Our Village

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: August in Our Village: August in Our Corfu Village  Our village, Avliotes is situated in North West Corfu and is always a hive of activity mid mornings. The local ...

August in Our Village

August in Our Corfu Village 

Our village, Avliotes is situated in North West Corfu and is always a hive of activity mid mornings. The local men sit around the Kafenion, sipping their Greek Coffee and sometimes an ouzo or two too, whilst debating the world of politics and of course football!!

For me, I like to sit back and listen to it all, whilst drinking my Frappe Coffee and admiring the amazing view across the valley.

Each Summer it amazes me that the Shades of Green adoring the valley keep their foliage and variety of colours even after experiencing weeks, sometimes months of continuous sun and hot temperatures - a view to admire all year round.

Life in A Corfu Village in August

- just so so very relaxing......

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Mosquitoes

Life in a Corfu Village by Lesley Ann Hoy @ Corfu Selections: Mosquitoes:   Mosquitoes. I am often asked what do I do regarding the presence of Mozzies? Here is what I have discovered over the years here...... I no...