You can find the whole recipe at The Mediterranean Dish.

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• Artopolis Bakery, Cafe & Agora features several warm, vegan comfort foods on its menu that are perfect for the winter. Artopolis is known for its signature artopitas, which are light and flaky puff pastries filled with a variety of ingredients. For those following a vegan diet, Artopolis offers their specialty mushroom & spinach artopita! The artopitas can be served alone or with any side, such as a bowl of the vegan soup of the day. The vegan flatbread is a delicious shareable appetizer that is topped with roasted veggies, avocado mash, spinach, olive oil and oregano. Customers can order any of these vegan specialties for pickup or for delivery via Uber Eats or Grubhub.

• Greek Islands currently has a limited menu available for pickup and delivery on Postmates and Grubhub, but there is no shortage of vegan offerings! If you love appetizers, Greek Islands has many vegan-friendly dishes, such as the crisp beets marinated with garlic in an olive oil vinaigrette, or skordalia, which is a smooth garlic-potato spread, blended with their own imported extra virgin olive oil. The lentil soup is also offered on a daily basis and guaranteed to warm you up on a cold, winter day. For a main course, Greek Islands offers a vegan version of its moussaka, a traditional Greek eggplant-based dish. Those following a vegan diet can request any of the salads without cheese, such as the Athenian traditional Greek salad with lettuce, fresh vine tomatoes and Greek olives.

• Athena Greek Restaurant uses olive oil instead of butter in most of its cooking, making many of its dishes vegan-friendly. For example, they are able to serve the shrimp Athena without the shrimp, as a delicious hot skillet of tomatoes, onions and peppers sautéed in olive oil, or the dolmades, rice wrapped in grape leaves, egg-lemon sauce and potatoes without the beef. Other vegan offerings include the vegetable kabob, which is two skewers of zucchini, onions, eggplant, peppers, rice and potato or the vegetable moussaka, consisting of layers of baked eggplant, zucchini, potatoes and bechamel sauce. Athena’s variety of spreads, such as melitzanosalata, which is a roasted eggplant & garlic spread, and Skordalia, the creamy garlic and potato spread, also cater to the vegan diet. Customers can also choose to have the spreads served with either pita bread, regular bread or sliced cucumbers, carrots and peppers. Athena is currently offering carry-out and delivery through Grubhub, Doordash and Postmates.

• Meli Café & Juice Bar offers a special vegan & gluten-free menu of breakfast and brunch options. The Vegan Pancakes are a crowd-favorite, made with flour, soy, and an apple-cider base and topped with strawberries, bananas and organic agave syrup. For those that prefer a more savory, veggie-packed morning meal, the Tofu Scrambler is a go-to, consisting of sautéed broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, roasted red peppers and organic tofu. You can find Meli Café’s full vegan menu here and can order take-out or delivery through Grubhub and Doordash from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily.

• Aodake Ramen, the newest addition to the Greektown dining scene, also features vegan ramen options on its menu. Its signature Vegan Tantan is a seaweed and shiitake mushroom soup base with blend soy sauce, sesame paste, baby bok choy, broccoli, beansprout, green onion, cabbage, homemade chili paste and chili oil. Aodake also offers a number of vegetarian and vegan appetizers, from its Grilled Shishito Peppers to its Spicy Edamame. Aodake Ramen is available to order through Grubhub and Seamless – its full menu can be found online here, along with its gluten-free menu here.

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Greek New Year’s Day Cake

Ingredients:

• ½ pound butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup milk

Instructions:

• Butter the bottom and sides of a 12×3 – inch round cake pan
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Melt the butter and beat on medium high with the mixer until light in color. Set aside
• Beat eggs until light in color for about 3-4 minutes
• Add sugar and continue beating until fluffy another 3-4 minutes
• On medium low speed add milk, baking powder, orange zest to eggs
• On low speed add flour and cooled butter alternately to batter
• Do not over beat
• Place wrapped coin in the bottom of the pan
• Pour batter into baking pan
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes until lightly brown
• Test with a toothpick for doneness
• Let cool
• Place on a cooling rack or plate on top and flip over. Flip once more so top is face up
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve

Recipe and image link

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Greek Turkey Stuffing With Sausage

Ingredients:

For the stuffing

• 1 lb ground sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 red onion diced
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 cup boiled chestnuts halved
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 5-6 dates diced
• 5-6 prunes diced
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2-3 cloves
• 1/2 cup broth chicken or veg
• salt
• pepper

For the turkey baste

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tbsp butter melted
• 3 oranges juiced
• 3 lemons juiced
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 sage sprig
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large pot add the butter. In medium heat, sauté the onion until soft and fragrant. Add the ground beef and sausage. Break with a spoon any large pieces. Brown ground meat all over, 3-4 min.
2. Add the rice. Stir well. Sauté mixture for 1-2 min. Add 1/2 cup broth, the raisins, chestnuts, dates, prunes, cloves and the pine nuts. Stir mixture well gently. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Remove from heat.

Prepare the turkey baste

1. Mix orange and lemon juice with the chicken broth. Add the melted butter. Season with a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Stick the rosemary, thyme and sage sprigs in the baste to infuse it while you cook the turkey. Keep it in a warm surface. 

Stuff the turkey and roast

1. Spoon your stuffing into the neck cavity, very loosely. Fold neck skin over opening.
2. Stuff the large cavity of the turkey loosely, stuffing will expand as it cooks.
3. Using kitchen twine cross the legs together and tie them securely.
4. Lightly baste the turkey every 15 minutes after the first hour of cooking. Apply the baste warm to the turkey. Stop basting during the last 30 minutes of cook time.
5. When turkey is ready, empty the stuffing in a serving bowl and serve. Enjoy!

Recipe and image link

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In charge of dessert on Thanksgiving? No need to turn your oven on because Artopolis is taking preorders for 8-inch Thanksgiving pies! You have the option to choose from pumpkin ($12), apple ($14) and pumpkin cheesecake ($24) – just make sure to place your order online by Sunday, Nov. 22, and your delicious pie will be ready for pick-up the day before Thanksgiving. Artopolis will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. 

Meli Cafe & Juice Bar in Greektown will be open on Thanksgiving Day for to-go orders until 3 p.m. Start your Thanksgiving feast early with a delicious brunch from Meli – the cafe offers omelets, breakfast bowls, French toast, waffles, crepes and more to satisfy everyone in the family!

The newest addition to the Greektown neighborhood, Rye Deli & Drink, will help you create the ultimate Thanksgiving spread. The restaurant is offering pastrami by the pound ($14), bagels by the baker’s dozen ($24), labneh by the 8oz container ($9), and pastrami beet cured cold smoked salmon by the pound ($19). The full rye menu and all bulk cocktails will also be available to order to-go. All orders must be placed by Friday, Nov. 20 and must be picked up on Wednesday, Nov. 25 – the only day that Rye Deli & Drink is open during Thanksgiving week.

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Greek Style Red Potatoes 

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash potatoes and cut into halves or quarters, depending on size. Zest lemon and set zest aside.
2. Place potatoes in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Add the juice from the zested lemon, olive oil, spices and garlic. Toss potatoes in the pan until well coated with the oil and spices. Pour the chicken broth into the corner of the pan, so as not to rinse the seasonings off the potatoes.
3. Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, uncover (keep your foil!) and stir gently. Return potatoes to the oven uncovered, and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
4. Recover potatoes with the foil and let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe and image link

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Greek Chicken and Potatoes 

Ingredients:

For Chicken and Potatoes:

• 3 lb chicken pieces, bone in and skin on (i.e. 2 breasts and 3 legs)
• Salt 
• 4 gold potatoes (about 2 lb), scrubbed clean, cut into thin wedges
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved then sliced
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 6 to 12 pitted quality kalamata olives, optional
• Fresh parsley, for garnish

For the Lemon-Garlic Sauce (can also be used as marinade) 

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 12 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary (or dried oregano)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt (lift the skins and apply salt underneath as well). 
3. Arrange potato wedges and onions in the bottom of a baking dish or pan. Season with salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Add the chicken pieces.
4. Make the lemon-garlic sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice, minced garlic, rosemary, and nutmeg. Pour evenly over the chicken and potatoes.
5. Arrange lemon slices on top. Pour chicken broth into the pan from one side (do not pour broth over the chicken).
6. Bake in a heated oven uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until chicken and potatoes are tender. (Chicken’s internal temperature should register at 165 degrees F). If you like, place the pan under the broiler briefly to allow the chicken skins to gain more color (watch carefully).
7. Remove from heat and add kalamata olives, if you like. Garnish with a little bit of fresh parsley.
8. Serve with Greek Salad, Tzatziki sauce and a side of pita bread, if you like. Enjoy! 

Recipe and image link

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Greek Semolina Cake (Revani)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour 
• 1 cup fine semolina
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 3 eggs separated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Zest of 1 lemon 
• ½ tsp rose water or orange blossom water 
• 1 cup milk 
• Pinch of salt 

Ingredients for Simple Syrup:

• 1 ½ cups water 
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• Two 3-inch strips of orange zest/peel 
• 1-2 sticks of cinnamon (optional) 
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• ½ tsp rose water or orange blossom water 
• Dried rose petals for decoration along with raw or toasted almond slices 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, semolina and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer or standing mixer, cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, add egg yolks one by one.
5. Continue mixing until the batter turns a light yellow in color.
6. Then mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest and rose water.
7. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the milk.
8. Clean the beaters well and beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
9. Fold the egg whites using a spatula into the batter until just blended. Do not over mix or your egg whites will deflate.
10. Pour the batter into the pan, level with a spatula and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is nice and golden.

Directions for the Syrup

1. While the cake is baking, add the water, sugar and orange zest to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the lemon juice and rose water and set aside to cool.
3. Immediately after you remove the cake from the oven, ladle the syrup gently onto the cake evenly. Then pierce it gently all over with a knife edge or a fork to allow the cake to absorb the syrup fully.
4. Sprinkle with toasted almond flakes and dried rose petals and allow to cool completely before serving.
5. Once cool, cut and serve pieces. Otherwise, cover and keep refrigerated. Can be served at room temperature or cold.

Recipe and image link: Greek Semolina Cake (Revani)

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• 9 Muses: 9 Muses uses the finest ingredients to create delicious, authentic and natural Greek dishes paired with expertly crafted cocktails and imported, family-owned wines. Enjoy the neighborly outdoor seating and devour Greek favorites including the gyro pita, Mediteranean chicken, skordato, skewers, Greek fries and more! 
• Greek Islands: Visit this traditionally decorated outdoor space and enjoy fresh and authentic Greek cuisine with friends and loved ones. Favorite menu items include flaming saganaki, homemade gyros, chicken shishkabob, spanakotiropita and much more! 
• Santorini: Sit back and relax on Santorini’s gorgeous patio and enjoy a selection of traditional dishes, appetizers, salads, kabobs, chicken, steak, seafood and more. 
• Athena: Continuously voted as one of Chicago’s best outdoor dining experiences, Athena is thrilled to welcome guests back to their beautiful patio this summer. Decorated with a fountain and columns inspired by ancient Greek architecture, diners will feel as though they’ve been transported to Athens.    
• Artopolis: Place your order at the counter and enjoy limited seating at the front of the restaurant. Favorite items include artopitas, a light and flaky pastry filled with feta cheese or spinach, or order an artisan gourmet wood-fired pizza, made from old world recipes using the finest cheeses and olive oil.   
• Spectrum Bar & Grill: Now open with limited open-air dining, enjoy Greek favorites, starters, salads, toasted sub sandwiches, paninis, burgers, homemade thin crust pizzas and much more. Cheers to summer with a fresh cocktail, cold beer or selection of Greek wines.

The post Greektown Chicago’s Outdoor Dining Updates appeared first on Greektown Chicago.

Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint – Serves 8 

Ingredients: 

• 8 lb. whole seedless watermelon, chilled (about 12 cups of cubed fruit)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 whole limes, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (sheep’s milk feta preferred)

Instructions:

1. Note: This salad is best made just prior to serving. Prepare one hour or less before your meal.
2. Cut rind from the watermelon, then chop the fruit into 1 inch chunks. Place chunks in a colander to drain as your chop.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper to create a dressing.
4. Place watermelon in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing and chopped mint over the watermelon and toss gently to coat. Pour the crumbled feta into the salad bowl and stir gently to integrate the cheese into the salad. Serve.

Recipe and image link: Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint 

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