Date Night In: All Over the Mediterranean

So we have 18 inches of snow…at least. With another 6ish due today, plus 40MPH winds all day. Rochester is shut down for yet another day after a hurricane-like wind storm last week and now the biggest snow storm of the year. Everybody’s been stuck at home, either by governmental decree or by necessity. (Who wants to go out and drive in 18 inches of snow? I can barely get out the garage door just to start shoveling my driveway.) Everybody, in this instance, means everybody but my husband, who is currently driving to a certain neighboring city which refused to cancel their educational concert this morning, despite the fact that all the schools are CLOSED. Don’t even get me started…

Today I *melted* and we’ve got Cars on as the snow blows. The boys are content for a big chunk of time and I can work on the DNI blog. They both assured me they wouldn’t be talking in Mater voices for the rest of the day, so we’ll see how that goes…

Is there anything cozier than Date Night In during a blizzard? I can’t think of many things that would top an evening in with your husband, kids bedded, with wonderful food to enjoy together. Last night only confirmed our suspicions.

This was Greek night. I told Roy we needed to listen to My Big Fat Greek Wedding soundtrack while we ate. We forgot in our hunger and haste, but it most definitely had the feel and flavors of a Greek feast. And it was entirely vegetarian as we had lamb! ;)

Menu:

Gordon’s Cup with Caraway

Fresh Carrot Salad

Mediterranean Lamb Tostadas

Stewed Apricots with Cardamom Yogurt and Marcona Almonds

We skipped the cocktail once again. I by necessity, Roy by choice. We plan on going back through some of the missed drinks after this pregnancy is over. But I’ll be honest and say I’m a little skeptical of gin with caraway syrup. Ashley’s surprised me many times, but herbs in drinks isn’t my preferred combo.

Roy had actually made the carrot salad before, using a few substitutions. Last night we had it exactly as written, with jalapeno and cilantro. I wasn’t overly impressed after I initially mixed it together, but it improved dramatically with a four hour rest between prep and dinner. It still wasn’t my favorite salad ever, but it was tasty and it definitely complemented the star of the show, the tostadas.

 

Can there ever be too much cilantro?

So it was kind of like eating a Greek taco? Nachos? We had toasted pita topped with seasoned lamb, all kinds of fresh veggies and herbs, and topped with feta and homemade Tzatziki. This date night in felt substantially healthier than any other so far. Way less salt, way more fresh veggies. (We calculated that we had 5 servings of fruits and veggies apiece just from dinner.) And zero heavy cream. Gotta be a first.

 

There are a lot of goodies buried under all the Tzatziki and lettuce too.

Which was OK, because we ate our weight in Greek yogurt instead. Between the Tzatziki and dessert we met our dairy quota no problem-o. :p

 

You can pick out mint, lamb, tomatoes, feta, and parsley a little more clearly here.

The dessert was sweet and spicy and justifiably healthy enough that I had the leftovers for breakfast this morning. ½ c of Greek yogurt mixed with ground cardamom and a drizzle of honey, topped with stewed apricots (broken down in white wine, vanilla, cinnamon, and honey). We forgot about the almonds, but they would definitely add a textural complexity and a bit of extra protein.

 

This photo probably doesn't do a whole lot for you, but that tiny bit of creamy yogurt peeking through makes me ready to create it all over again immediately.

It was nice to go to bed not as worried about getting up three times to guzzle water. (Although it feels like I’m up that many times to pee at this point anyway.) And I had no indigestion, even though we ate a LOT in volume. This was a pregnancy DNI win-win! I’ll definitely make the tostadas again and consider adding it into our normal routine of meals. It requires a decent bit of prep with chopping fresh veggies, but it’s tasty and healthy enough that it doesn’t feel so much like an indulgence. I suspect swapping ground turkey or beef for lamb and using similar seasonings would yield a less pricey, but everyday-acceptable protein as well.

Mediterranean food is not my favorite cuisine. It's probably not even in my top 5. (Here's looking at you French, Italian, Mexican, and anything from Asia.) That being said, this date night in menu was, in a word, refreshing. It lacked the carbs and cream and hit us instead with fresh herbs and aromatic spices. I didn't mind eating a cold salad in March during a blizzard. Not sure I can lavish more praise on it than that.

(That being said, we're rapidly approaching night 3 of this storm, which began late on Monday and is still blowing fiercely outside. So I made the chocolat chaud from last month for us to sip on tonight under blankets.)