Greece! Keftedes with Tzatziki sauce!

This one is a long intro but I promise you it's wild! Ever since I was a little girl, my whole life's goal and dream was to one day have the privilege to travel the world and visit Greece. Funds were tight for me, and living in America it was just too far away which made plane tickets incredibly expensive for a college student working a part-time job. After years of dreaming about traveling to Greece, I jumped online to check the prices just out of curiosity. To my surprise they were super cheap and without giving it another second thought I bought the tickets for my husband and I.

*I underline privilege because leisure travel IS a privilege that 80% of the world can not afford to do. I also carry an American Passport which gives me the privilege to travel almost anywhere in the world. Some countries limit their citizens to where they can and can’t travel. So, next time you’re sitting in a window seat in an airplane waiting to arrive at your tropical destination to drink some cocktails with your toes in the sand, take the time to really appreciate this luxury!

Well the day finally arrives when it's time to leave for Greece and with the luck my husband and I have combined, WE SLEPT THROUGH OUR ALARM!! We woke up just ONE hour before our flight departed, and I just knew there was no way we would make it to the airport on time. I was a sobbing mess, crying all around the apartment because my lifelong dream that was so close to happening, now felt like a total nightmare! My husband wasn’t going to give up though, so he ended up buying the next flight out for that afternoon for us. (What a guy!) We had a lot of layovers since it was a cheap last minute flight but it's okay because I got to try airport German Franks in Frankfurt which totally made the layovers worth it!

We found the cutest hotel on the island of Naxos, and to get there we needed to take a 6 hour ferry ride. Turns out, everything happens for a reason because if we would have taken our original flight, we would have been homeless for the night in Athens because all the ferries for the day before had been cancelled due to the harsh weather! The ferry ride was an adventure on its own! They had a restaurant on board, TV, and an outdoor deck to take in the gorgeous views!

Once we finally arrived at the island of Naxos, we were greeted by the friendliest host ever! They were kind enough to wait up for us in the middle of night when we arrived and were super understanding of the situation we were in. They welcomed us with a bottle of their own homemade wine which was AMAZING and much needed after the luck we had the day before. The room was super clean and cozy, and the view from my room made me feel like I was living THE dream! If you ever find yourself in Naxos, I highly suggest staying here at Saint George Hotel on the beach! https://www.saint-george-hotel.com/

We ended up renting an ATV the next day and for a whole 24 hours it was only 25 dollars!! It was such a great deal that I only wish I would have done it again! We took the ATV down random roads, explored different towns, and made our way to the highest mountain peak in Naxos. There was a point where we had to park the ATV and climb the rest of the way, but it was so worth it as we made friends with the mountain goats along the way!

Once we reached the summit of the mountain, we came across a cave hidden in the rock walls! My husband wanted to explore it but I was wayyyy to scared to go in! It was so dark and the only lighting we had was our cell phone flashlight. We took a good half an hour to soak up the amazing view of the whole island from the top and then made our way back down to the ATV.

As we drove back to our hotel, we stopped in a small town called Filoti to ask for directions and a quick bite to eat because we realized we hadn't eaten all day! This adorable old lady approached us as I'm sure she saw how lost we were and asked us if she could help us. We told her we were looking for food and our way home, and without hesitation she immediately brought us over to her place and offered us a warm homemade meal. My husband and I were taken back by her kindness and generosity. We sat down and chit chatted for a bit and learned a bit about the island. Turns out, the mountain we had just scaled is the highest mountain in Naxos and of all the Cyclades called Mt. Zas (Zas meaning Zeus). It stands tall at 3,290 ft./1003 m., and legend has it, that the cave we came across in the mountain is the cave that Zeus was born and raised in! How crazy is that!

As I'm sitting there in awe from all the information I had just received, I could smell something amazing approaching me and my eyes soon fixated on the source of the wonderful smell. On the plate were 6 meat patties, similar to meatballs that sat next to crispy golden french fries. Keftedes was what she had made for us and they were so good that my husband and I fought for the last one! Once we finished our meal she served us some Greek iced coffee called Freddo (sooooo GOOD) to help us stay alert on the road and sent us on our way as the sun was starting to set.

On our way home, the locals all waved to us, smiled, and pointed us towards the right direction. Everyone was so incredibly friendly, warming and kind to us on our trip in Greece. I love the people there just as much as I loved the food and the scenery which makes Greece my most favorite place I’ve ever been to! 100/10! Truly recommend!

A month after our trip, my husband and I started going through the pics and reminisced together of our adventure which made us miss the kind lady we had met and the phenomenal meal she made for us. So I quickly jumped online to find as many recipes as possible to try and recreate this meal as authentically as possible. After many attempts, I think I finally perfected this recipe as much as I possibly could!

Καλή όρεξη! (Kalí óreksi!)

Keftedes!

Ingredients:

Keftedes

• 500 g. Ground beef

• 200 g. Ground pork

• 1 red onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• 10 large mint or spearmint leaves, finely chopped

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 1 tbsp. Olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

*Preheat the oven to 180 C. / 350 F.

Step 1:

Combine all the ingredients together and mix well with your hands.

Step 2:

Form into golf sized balls.

Step 3:

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Tip: take a keftede out at the 15 minute mark and cut it in half and taste it to see if it is cooked to your liking. You don't want to cook them for too long because it will result in dry keftedes.

Alternative cooking method:

The traditional way to cook keftedes is to roll them in flour and fry them in a pan with oil, but since we’re going for healthy meals, baking is a healthier alternative! I’ve tried making these both ways and baking is just as tasty!!

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 2 cups cucumber, finely grated (1 medium sized cucumber)

• 1.5 c plain Greek yogurt (450 g)

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 8 large mint leaves, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice, OR half a lemon squeezed

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

• 1/2 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Step 1:

Grate the cucumber and with a cheesecloth, squeeze out all the water from the cumber. *Cucumbers carry a lot of water and if it's not squeezed out, it will end up being released in the sauce which will ultimately make it watery and runny.

Step 2:

Combine the grated, squeezed out cucumber with the rest of the ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for a minimum of one hour to let the flavors all come together. *The longer you let it rest, the better the flavor!

This recipe makes about 16 meatballs, and each serving is 4 meatballs. Each serving of keftedes is 424 calories. For the tzatziki sauce, each serving is ¼ cup which is 64 calories! In total this meal is 488 calories! Serve this with a side of Greek salad and you have yourself a healthy meal!