My Moussaka (Greek Eggplant Casserole)

My version of Moussaka (Greek Eggplant Casserole) and it wasn't half bad considering I've never had it before since it's traditionally made with flour and either beef or lamb. This one was inspired by my latest trip made with ground turkey and completely gluten free. Not bad for a gal that never had it before!

It makes roughly 6 servings.  

Medium eggplant

Ground meat, I used ground turkey .5 to 1 lb depending on how much meat you like

3-4 potatoes, depending on the size

1 medium onion

2 gloves of garlic

Mix in the mixture of cinnamon, allspice, oregano, parsley, clove, salt, pepper and chili powder.  (I did this by taste but about 1/2 teaspoon of each.)

One 14oz can of diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 tablespoon butter 

2 tablespoons of gluten free flour

1 cup of milk (low fat or unsweetened almond milk will work.) 

2 eggs

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup feta cheese 

3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

Dash of both nutmeg and salt

I sliced one medium eggplant into 1/2 and inch slices and sprinkled salt on them to drain for a least an hour.

I fried the potatoes on medium heat with olive oil and sprinkled them with a touch of sea salt.  The potatoes becomes the first layer.  

 Brown the chopped onion with half the garlic in olive oil.

Brown the ground turkey.

 Mix in the mixture of cinnamon, allspice, oregano, parsley, clove, salt, pepper and chili powder.

 One 14oz can of diced tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Let it cook and absorb the juice for about 15 minutes on medium heat. 

Once it thickens put this layer over the potatoes.  

Squeeze out the excess fluid from the eggplant and then fry both sides with olive oil on medium heat.  (About 8-10 minutes on each side.)

Add the eggplant layer to the casserole dish.  

The white sauce I added just a tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of gluten free flour whisking it together to make a roux.  I then added a cup of milk (low fat or unsweetened almond milk will work.) I then whisked in 1 egg, 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup feta cheese and 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  I gave it a sprinkle of both nutmeg and salt.

Evenly spread the white sauce over the eggplant and then sprinkle the top with feta cheese and any shredded cheese.  Pop it in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let it sit for another 10.

I took mine out of the oven and let it sit for another 10 minutes before cutting into a 2 x 3 to give me six servings. 

I served it up with my version of a Greek salad and it was pretty darn tasty for someone that have never had it because of the gluten and red meat in it! 

Berrylicious Parfait

I just got back from Greece and am totally geeking out on Greek yogurt.  It is almost summer time so that means berries are less expensive, which means organic berries are more affordable!  Because I'm allergic to gluten, I mainly ate yogurt drizzled with honey for breakfast when I was in Greece.  Most of the hotels did not have too many fruits so that was disappointing.  My version is full of fruits and served in a wine glass to make it extra special.  

I love fresh organic strawberries so I started with a layer of sliced strawberries followed by a few spoons of plain Greek yogurt.  From there I drizzled some of the honey we brought back from Crete.   Of course any local honey would be fine.I only had crumbs of lightly frosted cereal flakes around so that was the next layer.

  Then repeat with the strawberries, yogurt and cereal.  I ended mine with more strawberries and you can top with either mint or basil.  

We had basil from the garden and it was delicious.  I may sprinkle some basils in throughout on the next one.   Enjoy!   

Of course any fruit will work and granola or other types of cereal would be fine.  Maple syrup or agave nectar would also work instead of honey. 

Ingredients:

Plain Greek Yogurt 

Strawberries

Honey

Cereal or granola

Mint or basil (optional)