Marinated Feta

The other night we wrapped up our Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). A year long program with 23 sessions,16 consecutive and 7 staggered, aimed to improve lifestyle habits. Nutrition, exercise, mental health, all with the aim to prevent/reduce the risk for developing diabetes. Enter this marinated feta to celebrate our final session!

Changing habits is hard. Period. DPP helps people begin to make changes towards leading a healthier lifestyle. This is definitely not meant to make people change overnight. However, I think my participants would tell you that. Slow is actually preferred, consistency is important, along with aiming to continue to make changes.

DPP: Snacks With A Purpose

Each week I would bring a snack for the participants to try. There was a range of snacks for them to sample throughout the year. Always looking for a BOGO deal to make it practical. Everyone didn’t love every example for a snack that I brought. However, the idea was to give a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats with the snack choices. This combination is important for not only blood sugar control but also to keep you fuller longer! Examples inclue: cottage cheese and pineapple, popcorn (100 calorie packs) and peanuts (1/4 cup), lower sugar options for yogurt (intending to aim for plain yogurt and more!

The last week was the theme of hors d’oeuvres. Celebrating how far we’ve come but also tying in with the theme of the holidays and parties galore. There was a Greek Salad Skewer, which features the marinated feta. Spiced nuts in the slow cooker, ending with a toast of Kombucha. Surprisingly everyone LOVED the snacks, even my toughest critic in class loved them! For most, this was their 1st exposure to Kombucha, a fermented tea. Not one to leave a teaching moment out, I wanted them to leave with the idea of knowing that Kombucha is a fermented food, with possible health benefits. Always a reminder to always for one that doesn’t have fruit juice and ideally is just tea. Sugar is what helps it ferment, so also looking for the lowest possible amount of added sugar as well.

How To Make Marinated Feta

I love buying feta and marinating it to use throughout the week. While I only marinated this feta for 15 minutes, as you’ll see in the recipe instructions, the longer you marinate it the better the flavor becomes! Shmear it on toast or crackers, serve it with olives for an easy party app, crumble it onto a salad, or even sprinkle it on your pasta. The possibilities are endless. I made cute hors d’oeuvres this time around, but many times I use this combo over mixed greens to make a great Greek salad. Hope you enjoy it as much as my DPP participants did!

Marinated Feta

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This marinated feta is filled with simple flavors that make an easy appetizer recipe. Fresh garlic, dill, parsley, lemon juice, and quality olive oil are what make this recipe so delicious.

• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 16 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 big block of feta (8-oz), cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

1. Combine – in a small bowl the lemon juice, garlic, dill and parsley.  Season with black pepper.
2. Whisk so that it emulsifies.
3. Add the feta and gently toss until cheese is fully coated in the marinade. 
4. Let sit for 15 minutes. (& again, longer if you have more time!)

Notes

*Feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.  I went with the Greek theme – parsley and dill – but rosemary, thyme, they all work.  It just depends on your preference.  And if you think you don’t like dill, you might want to give it a try if you’ve only experienced it with pickles.  Just saying.

*I then assembled the feta onto skewers – I layered feta, olives, grape tomatoes, and cucumber onto festive toothpicks – for a quick grab and go hors d’oeuvres.  If you were making a salad with mixed greens, kalamata olives, cucumber, and tomato, you can sprinkle this feta on top with a drizzle of the olive oil mixture and you’ve got yourself a complete salad, not just a chunky salad.

• Author: Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5
• Category: Snacks