Dakos

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In Greek: ντάκος, Dakos

I love it when I’m anxious about something and I can effortlessly pull together something amazing to eat. I get lost in the art of making Greek inspired recipes. When I can cook with ingredients that are in season and organic while creating something that nourishes people and brings a smile to their face- tada! 🙂

Today dakos for lunch and tonight a Greek cooking class for dinner! Traveling has been so fun and eye opening. All of the different cultures amaze me and the various ways of living teaches me new concepts about how to live a healthy sustainable life. Greeks sure do things differently! From enjoying the small things in life to eating a healthy Mediterranean diet, Greeks do many things right (even though it may not seem like it with the current economic crisis ;))!

Dakos, delicious, healthy and a great representation of the Mediterranean diet, straight from Crete. It’s similar to the common bruchetta but definitely has its own personality. Dakos refers to a recipe that uses Cretan barley rusks (paximadi).

These rusks are traditionally made with barley flour (whole grain), salt and yeast. Barley contains soluble fiber that helps lower bad cholesterol. The tomato, olive oil and oregano are excellent sources of antioxidants. When you buy rusks from the market they are hard so you rinse them in a splash of water to soften them a bit. It is a rich source of fiber so this small bite fills you up!

If you don’t have Cretan rusks you can substitute with thick whole grain bread that is toasted or left over from the night before. You can also crumble the rusks in salads. The recipe is fast and east, makes for a great appetizer as well!

Dakos

Serves: 4

4 round Cretan barley rusks or 4 thick slices whole grain bread, toasted
1 medium tomato chopped or grated
1/2 cup cottage cheese or crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
Dry oregano
Kalamata olives, optional

Instructions:

Quickly rinse the rusk under running water (skip this step if your using bread!!). It should still be crunchy but not too hard.Top with about 1 tablespoon cottage cheese or feta cheese. Sprinkle tomatoes on top, oregano, then olive oil and olives if desired.

Enjoy and Yasas!

~Niki