Big Fat Greek Salad

Ok, so let be honest, this isn't really a Greek salad. Not in the traditional sense at least. But it has some of my favourite Greek food ingredients. And, it sounded better then Marinated Octopus, Grilled Haloumi and Pomegranate salad with a tangy yogurt dressing.

Marinated Octopus has to be one of my favourite foods.  My Dad pretty much always had a jar of this in the fridge when we were growing up. And Olives. Mmmmm
I havent come across a jar of marinated octopus at a supermarket for sometime, so when I was shopping the other day and found some, I may or may not have actually squealed a little bit. I know, I totally need to get out more.

Im aware that not everyone is a fan of eating marinated octopus, or seafood for that matter, so if you fall in that category just replace with lamb or chicken.

This is a hearty salad and is definitely fit for a main course. Try it, I think you will love it. If not, send me your marinated octopus =)

Grilled Haloumi, Octopus and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients

For the Salad

1 Jar (300grams) Marinated Octopus

180 grams Haloumi cheese

150 grams Rocket and Spinach Mix

100 grams sun-dried tomatos

150 grams fetta stuffed bell peppers (can find these in the deli) sliced in half

100 grams your favourite olives

1 tomato cut into wedges

1/2 Pomegranate 

1/2 Lemon

For the dressing

Juice of half a lemon

5 Tbs Natural Greek Yogurt

1/4 tsp Minced Garlic (Optional)

Method

1. Slice haloumi cheese in half so each piece is 1cm thick. Spray pan with oil and grill for 2-3 mins on each side or until golden brown. Once cooked, squeeze half a lemon over the top and slice into bite sized pieces

2. Place washed rocket and spinach in a bowl or plate. Add sundried tomatos, olives, tomato and bell peppers. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the top.

3. Add the marinated octopus and haloumi cheese.

4. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon and garlic. Dollop over the salad

ENJOY!

*Variation

If using chicken or lamb in place of octopus, coat with lemon juice and sprinkle with dried oregano before cooking.

Instant Summer Slushie less then 10 calories

So yep, I think its official, summer is here. I cant say its not a welcome delight, but sheeez, im not exactly summer ready.
My thighs are bearing the hallmarks of my winter indulgences, and well, its just not a good look.
To make matters worse, im stripping down into my togs in 10 DAYS to get my picture taken. It was a gift, so I cant even get out of it.
So today, Thursday 29th of November marks day 1 of my rather panicked 10 DAY get into shape regime. I let you know how it goes.
Thing is, its 38C right now and all I want to do is munch my way through an extra large slurpee from 7/11. But for over 200 cals per serve, it doesnt quite fit in with my get in shape regime.
So whilst I was sweltering out daydreaming about slurpees, I had this idea to make my own diet slushy/slurpee concoction in the thermomix.
This my friends was the result, and I must say, satisfied those cravings perfectly. And I didnt have to drive anywhere for it. Winning!

You can change the cordial to fruit juice if you are making it for the kids, I promise, they will love it

Instant Summer Slushie - Low Cals

Ingredients

1 cup ice
30mls diet cordial (I used orange and mango)
*you can adjust quantities to suit your taste

Method

Add ice and diet cordial to Thermomix or food processor and blend at top speed for 30 seconds

Scrape down sides and repeat

*Depending on how powerful your food processor is, you may need to repeat this step a few times until you get the right consistency