Kathara Deftera, which means Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent. During this period the Orthodox abstain from eating meat and dairy products.
Vegan
Akoumia Symiaka (means doughnuts or donuts from Symi island). Symi is a small island of the Dodekanese to the north of Rhodes. These akoumia are not widely known even by Greeks because they are Symi’s local traditional doughnut recipe and are made only on the island of Symi.
Koupes with Mushrooms is a snack we love eating in Cyprus, during the fasting period. These are available in most bakeries but you can also buy them frozen in the supermarkets.
Spanakoryzo also written spanakorizo, pronounced spah-nah-KOH-reeh-zoh, is a traditional healthy and delicious Greek vegan dish, made with spinach and rice.
Briam is a Greek delicious and healthy roasted vegetables dish made with potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
Bourekia me kima is a type of fried or baked pastry made with flaky homemade phyllo and filled with cooked minced meat.
Ganache is a French term referring to a smooth mixture of chopped chocolate and heavy cream, used as a glaze, sauce or icing used as filling for pastries, to make truffles or to glaze cakes.
Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean and appear during spring. They are a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a food.
Fassolada (or fassoulada, as the peasants call it), is a hearty navy beans stew, or soup if you like and is considered to be the national food of the Greeks.
Hoummous soup is made with the same ingredients as for hoummous dip. More hot broth is added until it reaches the consistency of a soup and is served with croutons. The cooked chickpeas can be freezed, so when making this soup, I usually boil more in order to make the dip whenever I like.