Sleek and Greek

Greek menus always begin with appetizers (mezedes) to nibble until the main course is ready. One of the most popular is tarmosalata, a caviar spread made with moistened bread and olive oil. In our low-fat version, pureed white beans are used instead of olive oil. To give the illusion of richness, drizzle the barest amount of olive oil on top of the dip just before serving. Fat doesn’t have to be eliminated from healthy diets, just used sensibly, where it will add the most flavor.

Our souvlakia is pork (rather than lamb) kebabs, made from lean boneless pork loin. If you like, you can tuck romaine, cut up or whole, into the pocket of the low-fat pita bread before adding the grilled meat. Tzatziki, a dressing made of nonfat yogurt, cucumber and herbs is spooned on the top of the meat before eating.

Riso, a small rice-shaped pasta like orzo, is tossed with fresh vegetables and seasonings to make a terrific Greek salad. The juices from the vegetables and fresh lemon juice make a dressing that doesn’t need oil. A few small Nicoise olives and some crumbled low-fat feta cheese add flavor but not much fat.

For dessert, we turned to filo dough, the basis for many Greek desserts. The paper-thin sheets of pastry are usually brushed with melted butter before assembling. In this low-fat recipe, the filo issprayed with nonstick cooking spray instead. If possible, buy fresh filo dough at a Greek or Middle Eastern market. It may be purchased frozen, but often the pastry sheets are stuck together and hard to work with. Easy-to-make yogurt cheese replaces high-fat cream cheese in the filling.

Sprinkle a few strawberries on top of each cup and serve a little honey on the side for anyone that wishes to drizzle a bit on top. You might also want to serve a bowl of whole fresh fruit for each person to cut and eat at their leisure while waiting for coffee.

MENU (LOW-FAT COOKING)

Taramosalata

Tzatziki

Crunchy Bread Dippers

Greek Salad with Riso

Souvlakia

Filo Cups Filled With Honey Orange Yogurt Cheese

SOUVLAKIA

1 pound boneless pork loin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon Greek oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes

Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil

Pita bread

Trim all visible fat from pork. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

Combine lemon juice, garlic, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, oregano, paprika, salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Rub mixture over meat in shallow dish until meat is evenly coated. Cover and marinate 1 hour.

Alternately thread onion cubes and meat on 10 skewers. Grill on stove-top grill pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lightly misted with olive oil, turning to brown all sides evenly, until pork is light pink in center, about 10 minutes. Alternately, grill on outdoor grill. Serve with with pita bread and Tsatsiki.

10 skewers. Each skewer without pita bread:

117 calories; 254 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.

TZATZIKI

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1 tablespoon minced dill

1 tablespoon minced mint

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

White pepper

Combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, mint, garlic, salt and white pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

About 1 1/4 cups. Each 1-tablespoon serving:

7 calories; 126 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

FILO CUPS FILLED WITH ORANGE HONEY YOGURT CHEESE

YOGURT CHEESE

2 cups nonfat yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons orange blossom honey

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILO CUPS

2 sheets filo dough

Nonstick cooking spray

ASSEMBLY

2 large, firm strawberries

Orange blossom honey

YOGURT CHEESE

Spoon yogurt into fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth and place over deep bowl. Cover and refrigerate until yogurt is thick and reduced to 1 cup, 6 to 8 hours. Discard liquid in bottom of bowl.

Combine yogurt cheese, honey, orange peel and vanilla. Cover and chill until ready to use.

FILO CUPS

Cut 2 sheets filo in half crosswise. Lightly spray 1/2 sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place another 1/2 sheet on top and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Continue stacking and spraying until all 4 sheets are stacked.

Cut stacked filo in half lengthwise, then into thirds crosswise to make 6 squares. Press filo squares into 6 muffin cups sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from muffin cups and let cool on wire rack before filling.

ASSEMBLY

Divide yogurt mixture evenly among filo cups. Shred strawberry on coarse side of grater and use to top each cup. Serve honey on side or drizzle over top.

6 cups. Each cup without extra honey:

69 calories; 79 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 0 fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein, 0 fiber.

GREEK SALAD WITH RISO

1 cup riso

2 tomatoes, cored and chopped

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons Greek oregano

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

Salt

2 cups coarsely chopped romaine, plus about 6 whole leaves

1 tablespoon Nicoise olives

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Cook riso in boiling salted water until tender, about 11 minutes. Drain.

Stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, crushed black pepper and salt to taste. Chill several hours.

Stir in chopped romaine just before serving. Spoon into bowl lined with romaine leaves. Garnish with olives and feta cheese.

8 servings. Each serving:

69 calories; 56 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.37 gram fiber.

TARAMOSALATA

1 loaf French bread

1/3 cup water

1/2 (2-ounce) jar red caviar

2 teaspoons grated onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 sprig parsley

Asparagus spears, optional

Crunchy Bread Dippers, optional

Cut French bread crosswise into 3 parts. Set aside 2 pieces to make Crunchy Bread Dippers.

Remove crust from remaining piece and tear remaining bread into small chunks. Place in small bowl, sprinkle with water and mix with hands until bread is evenly moistened.

Blend moistened bread, caviar, onion, garlic, salt, white beans, lemon juice and red pepper flakes on high speed, scraping down sides of blender with rubber spatula until dip is smooth and fluffy.

Spoon dip into serving bowl. Make small indentation in center and spoon in olive oil. Garnish with a small spoonful of remaining caviar and parsley sprig. Serve with lightly steamed or raw asparagus spears and Crunchy Bread Dippers.

1 1/2 cups. Each tablespoon, without asparagus or bread sticks:

45 calories; 129 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.

CRUNCHY BREAD DIPPERS

2/3 loaf French bread, cut in half crosswise

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray

Greek oregano, crumbled

Cut each bread hunk into 8 lengthwise pieces to make 16 bread sticks.

Arrange bread sticks in single layer on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick olive oil cooking spray. Lightly spray bread sticks with olive oil cooking spray, then sprinkle with oregano. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

16 sticks. Each stick:

72 calories; 143 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

* Fern tray in filo dessert from Cheri, Rolling lHills Estates and Ci, at the Beverly Center.