Long Beach Grecian Festival by the Sea Cookbook

Avocado Salad ( Avokanto Salata) Bake: none Prep: 5 minutes Serves: 2-3   Question: What does city of Chania, located on the Greek island of Crete, and Long Beach, CA have in common? Answer: They share a similar Mediterranean climate ideal for growing avocado trees. Avocado trees were introduced to Southern CA from Central America in the early 1800’s and found their way to the town of Chania in the 1960’s when many visitors to Greece noted the climate similarities and the lack of avocados. Now about 90% of the avocados in Greece are grown in Crete. The recipe below was developed in honor of the avocado . 1 large avocado, cubed 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 large orange, cubed 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped* Salt and pepper, to taste   Peel and cube the avocado and orange. Make dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and peppe...

  Greek Salad  (H oriátiki Saláta )   Bake: none Prep: 10 minutes Serves: 4-6   A traditional Greek salad is made with locally sourced ingredients such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Lettuce is not traditionally included. Tomato seeds were first brought to Europe from South America by the conquistadors making their way to Italy in about the 16th century and introduced to Greece in the early 1800’s. Tomatoes are now a staple of Greek cooking.   6-8 medium red tomatoes 1 medium red onion 1/3 cup olive oil Salt, to taste 1 large cucumber 8 - 12 kalamata olives 5 - 7 ounces Greek feta 2 teaspoons fresh oregano   Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Halve the onion and cut into thin slices. Peel and cut cucumber into thin slices. Place tomatoes, onion, cucumber and olives into serving bowl. Add 1/3 cup olive oil with oregano and mix into vegetables well. Cut feta into str...