My top 10 Greek vegan dishes by Tonia Buxton

28 September 2016

What most people don't realise is that due to the Orthodox Church calendar, Greeks are vegan for half of the year. Greeks fast for religious purposes 40 days before Christmas, 40 days before Easter, for two weeks for the assumption of the virgin Mary in August, and for lots of other Saints days in between; and when they do - they eat vegan! I've created my top ten vegan Greek dishes for Female First readers to enjoy themselves.

Tonia Buxton

Tonia's top 10 Greek vegan dishes:

Fava and Green Pea - Fava is traditionally made from yellow chickpeas beaten with onions, garlic & olive oil, at The Real Greek they make an amazing green pea one too that is delicious.

Dip Selection: Houmus Tzatziki and Tahini - These wonderfully nutritious dips are a meal in themselves when eaten with flatbread or crudités. My favourite of all is tahini and I make it with extra garlic and very lemony.

Gigantes Plaki - These are giant butterbeans cooked slowly in a tomato-based stew, it tastes amazing hot straight out of the pot or even better cold the next day.

Revethia - This means chickpeas, and Greeks eat them in so many different ways. I like them with finely chopped celery, carrots and onion fried off with lots of olive oil or in a slow cooked tomato stew flavoured with cinnamon.

Melinzanes - Aubergine with tomato sauce- I absolutely love this dish. Cooked slowly in the oven with a whole bulb of garlic broken into cloves, this is another of those dishes that tastes so good the next day, it's worth making extra just so you can have leftovers!

Aubergine or Courgette Fritters - Thinly sliced aubergines or courgettes dipped in a basic batter and quickly fried off and served with tahini or tzatziki, these are just so moreish - you can't stop eating till they are all gone.

Anginares a la Polita - Lemony Artichoke stew, brimming full of vegetables & flavoured with dill and lashing of black pepper is my favourite autumn stew, you need lots of crusty bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.

Chickpea and Cumin Soup - This is a store cupboard soup, so simple to make and so good for you, I like mine with extra chilli.

Pougouri - This is made from cracked wheat, you can add tomatoes too, it is so easy to make. I like mine spiced with cinnamon but many think the flavouring should be left to the onions anf olive oil. I always serve it with a big dollop of hummus.

Try a selection of vegan mezes at one of The Real Greek's near you or try your hand at one of the recipes from The Real Greek cookbook.