The combination of Del Fresco Pure Crunchers mini cucumbers with sweet strawberries and tangy feta cheese makes a great appetizer for your next gathering. These mini boats are refreshing and a great crowd pleaser.

Mini Cucumber Strawberry Boats Recipe

Yield: 24 boats – Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

-12 Del Fresco PureTM CrunchersTM
Mini Cucumbers
-1⁄4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
-1 pint strawberries, finely diced
-1 tablespoon balsamic glaze

Directions

1. Wash, pat dry and cut mini cucumbers in half lengthwise.

2. Remove mini cucumber seeds with a metal measuring spoon and place
onto a plate.

3. Sprinkle feta cheese and strawberries over mini cucumber boats.

4. Cover and set in refrigerator until ready to serve.

5. Drizzle balsamic glaze before serving.

Cooking Tips

-These boats will not last! Also, try our Strawberry Cucumber Salad
as a filling.

The post Mini Cucumber Strawberry Boats Recipe from Del Fresco Pure appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Spending an evening with Krinos was a real eye opener; not only was I introduced to several tasty feta varietals, but no less than 9 dishes made with Feta.

Sitting down for a brief tasting, I discovered that there are some vastly different feta’s out there, some made with cow milk, some with sheep and others with goat. My favourite was cream and delicious Doric Macedonian Style Feta made with cow’s milk, closely followed by the sheep’s milk offering. YUM.

After a quick toast of traditional Greek Ouzo (hold on to your knickers, ladies and gents), we began our feasting, with the first offering being a crudité dish with a feta cheese dip. Dippable cheese is always a winner for me and I had to stop myself short of possessively hoarding the bowl and pouring it over everything forever more.

Along came a flatbread with Mediterranean vegetables and feta, which seems like a healthier pizza option and excellent for summer nights, swilled back with a glass of Pinot grigio rosé (I was drinking a beautiful glass of Fruli-Venezia Giuilia Italia rosé myself.)

Poutine with feta? You betcha! Served with sweet potato fries and feta rather than the classic potato fries and curds, I enjoyed the healthier variation.  I am not sure about healthy, but I was swooning over the baked feta with roasted red peppers, olive and capers.

Then of course, came the salads. Turns out, while I have been crumbling feta on my leaves for years I’ve been missing a trick; citrus fruits.  My favourite was a salad made up of arugula, blood orange, grapefruit and crumbled feta. Yum.

A fruit salad with feta for dessert, which is a good option, although I would personally prefer crème fraiche, but each to their own.  I was a big fan of the feta parfait (possibly because it was made with the glorious creamy Macadonian cheese), which was excellent complemented by fresh fig, fig puree, granola and honey. For me, it was a much lighter and just as tasty alternative to a cheese cake.

After spending some time with Krinos and a mountain of feta, I really feel like I judged the cheese too soon. Also, a handy tip I learned from the cheese gods that night: for those who don’t like the saltier varieties out there, soak your feta in water for 30 minutes before eating it – most of the salt will be gone, leaving a much, much healthier cheese!

Krinos have some excellent feta recipes on their website, so if you want to get inventive this summer, check them out!

The post Krinos Feta Culture showcases a very versatile cheese appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Fresh City Farms sent us this recipe for Roasted Mediterranean Chicken with Feta and Olives. Fresh Canteen delivers amazingly delicious and health-conscious meal kits direct to people’s homes in Toronto.

For more information you can check out their website.

Ingredients

4 pieces chicken, mix of thighs and drumsticks
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, 3 crushed and 1 minced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced with seeds removed
2 tablespoons Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
1 bunch rapini, stalks cut in 1” pieces and leaves sliced in ribbons
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Olive oil
Butter
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons feta cheese
1/2 cup orzo

Directions

– Heat oven to 400F.

– Rinse and pat-dry chicken, then season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a bowl with the oregano, parsley, chopped rosemary, and crushed garlic. Using your hands, massage the herbs into the chicken. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes (or longer if desired).

– Add chopped rapini stalks to a pot filled with lightly salted boiling water, then cook for 1 minute. Add the leafy rapini greens and cook until tender (2 to 3 minutes), then drain and set aside.

– In a medium-sized, oven-proof pan over medium heat, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil till hot. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and crushed garlic (do not crowd) and cook until golden brown on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes until golden. (Tip: If your garlic is browning too quickly place it on top of the chicken.) Add the lemon slices, olives, 1 tablespoon of butter, and chicken stock to the pan. Cover and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

– Cook the orzo in boiling, salted water until tender (about 6 to 8 minutes, or defer to package directions). Drain and set aside. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.

– While the orzo is boiling, remove chicken from oven, uncover and sprinkle the feta over the chicken. Then cook, uncovered, for another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and stir in another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter. Season to taste. Let rest for 2 to 3 minutes.

– In a pan set to medium heat, heat a small amount of olive oil, then add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add rapini and coat in olive oil and garlic mixture until just reheated.

– Plate the orzo and rapini with chicken pieces, and drizzle any remaining sauce from the pan over top. Garnish with dried parsley, and enjoy!

Yields 2 servings.

The post Roasted Mediterranean Chicken with Feta and Olives appeared first on Toronto Guardian.