Greece has a huge variety of appetizer dishes and salads. With so many kinds of vegetables Greece is a paradise for vegetarians. Here are some famous Greek salads and appetizers

Horiatiki Salata (Greek Country Salad)
Ingredients:
1 kilo tomatoes (not too ripe)
1 medium sized red onion
1 green pepper

1 cucumber
80 gr black olives
180 gr feta cheese
dried oregano
80gr olive oil
vinegar
salt

Method:
Thickly Slice the tomatoes and the cucumber and arrange on a plate. Season with salt. Add the onion and green pepper, both sliced into rings. Arrange thick slice of feta cheese on top and sprinkle with oregano. Arrange olives on top of salad and pour olive oil and vinegar to taste.

Serves 4

Kolokythakia Vrasta (Cooked Courgettes)

Ingredients:
1 kilo small courgettes
fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 teacup olive oil
3 tbspns vinegar
salt

Method:

put the courgettes in a saucepan with water to cover and add salt to taste. Cook until there is no water left, add the vinegar and the mint. Season with salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes and turn the heat off. When cold, sprinkle with olive oil and serve.
Serves 4

Ampelofasoula Salata (Green Bean Salad)

Ingredients:
1 kilo green beans (washed)
150 gr. olives
2 sliced tomatoes
1/2 teacup olive oil
3 tblspns vinegar

salt

Method:
Put the beans in a saucepan with plenty of water and some salt and cook for 10 mins uncovered so as not to lose their colour. Drain and let them dry. Place them in a salad bowl along with the tomatoes and the olives. Season with salt. Beat the olive oil with the vinegar until thick and pour over the salad.
Serves 6

Melitzanes Salata (Aubergine Salad)

Ingredients:
2 medium sized aubergines
1 onion finely chopped
2 sliced tomatoes

1 sliced green pepper
1 sliced cucumber
2 tblspns chives
1/2 teacup olive oil
black olives
salt
dried oregano

Method:
Bake the aubergines in a moderate oven for 40 minutes. When quite cold, peel them carefully and cut into pieces. Place them in a salad bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients.

Serves 4

Melitznosalata (Aubergine Puree Salad)

Ingredients:
1 kilo aubergines
300 gr thick Greek yoghurt
2 cloves garlic
1 teacup olive oil
4 tblspns vinegar
1 tblspn toasted breadcrumbs

finely chopped parsley
salt

Method:
Bake the aubergines in a moderate oven for 40 minutes and when q1uite cold, peel them carefully and mash with a fork. Crush the garlic in a mortar and mix with the yoghurt, the aubergines, the vinegar and the oil. Add the breadcrumbs and salt to taste. Put into a serving dish and garnish with parsley
Serves 6

Taramosalata (Fish Roe Salad)

Ingredients:
200 gr prepared fish roe
250 gr bread

200 gr olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 medium sized, finely chopped onion
black olives for garnish

Method:
Place the bread in water to soak. Place onion into a blender and whizz until consistency is like a puree. Add fish roe and blend in gently. Drain the bread and squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Leave on kitchen paper to dry some more. Add the bread gradually into the onion and fish roe mix, blending gently until smooth. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, gradually, blending continuously until the salad thickens. Serve garnished with the olives.
Serves 6

Pantzaria Skordalia (Beetroots with Garlic Sauce)

Ingredients:

1 kilo fresh beetroots with leaves intact.
salt vi
vinegar
olive oil.

Method:
Clean and wash the beetroots. Cook for 25 minutes and add the leaves. Cook uncovered for 20 m9nutes more. Drain and when cool, slice and sprinkle with vinegar. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with oil.

For Skordalia (Garlic Sauce)

Ingredients:
1 kilo potatoes

2 heads of garlic
Juice from 3 lemons
1 tbspn salt
1 teacup olive oil

Method:
Crush the garlic. Peel and cook the potatoes. Mash them and add the garlic, half a glass of water and season with salt. Stir in the olive oil and the lemon juice. Continue stirring until the consistency is a thick sauce.
Serves 8
Fava Me Kremydi (Split Peas with Onion)

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo yellow split peas
2 sliced onions
200 gr. olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:
Put the split peas in an ovenproof dish, cover with water and bake in a moderate oven until soft and breaking up. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until golden brown. Add them to the mashed split peas. Mix well. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve with raw onion, olive oil and lemon.
Serves 4

Tzatziki (Cucumber Dip)

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo thick Greek yoghurt
4 cloves garlic
1 cucumber
1 tbspn vinegar
salt
olive oil

Method:
Grate the cucumber and squeeze out juice as much as possible. Crush the garlic. Put the yoghurt, garlic, cucumber and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt. Mix well. Stir in olive oil. Leave in the fridge for one hour to chill.
Serves 6-8

Pilafi me Saltsa (rice with tomato sauce)
This is a very easy to make Greek food.
You will need for 2 persons :
half kilo of Carolina rice,one tin of choped tomatoes
and 50gramms of tomato paste,
cinamon,glove,1 onion, some fine chopped garlic,salt
,pepper,and a tea spoon of sugar
prepare the sauce:
Fried in cooking oil the chopped onion and garlic
until they become tender and bit brownish, add the
copped tomatoes and then add one tea cup of water.
When it will start boilled add two big spoons of
tomato paste and sturr it, add a little bit of groun
cinnamon and a couple of gloves, salt, pepper and a
tea spoon of sugar.Live it to cook for 30 minutes 150
dgrees temperature.
Prepair the rice.
This is easy you just boill the rice as hard or soft
you like.After is ready add some butter. You can form
it by using a mug or cup in ball shape. Serve it on a
plate and add the sauce. Alternativelly you can spread
parmesane cheese over the rice before you add the
sauce. Kali Orexi

Briam is a very easy Greek vegetable dish to make and is a verry common Greek food,here is the recipe.

Briam Ingredients:
1 kg courgettes. Washed and sliced.
1 kg potatoes. Washed and sliced.
1 kg aubergines.(egg plants) Washed and sliced.

3 onions sliced
2 green peppers Washed and thinly sliced.
1 kg peeled and deseeded fresh tomatoes or 1 tin tomatoes or tomato paste
salt & pepper
1 bunch parsley finely chopped
1 cup olive oil

Method:

Put all ingredients in a large roasting pan and stir well to ensure the vegetables are well coated in the olive oil. Roast in moderate over for approx 90 minutes. To prevent the vegetables burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water during the cooking if necessary. If liked, 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, you could add crumbled feta cheese to the dish. Serve when the cheese is melted and golden.