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chef, cookbook author, culinary + travel writer based in Los Angeles

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Previous PostPrevious Getting To Know Venice Beach’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard

xtinaxenos

Personal Chef + Cookbook Author
@foodnetwork Chopped Champion
🍋 Seasonal Greek + Mediterranean recipes

Melomakarona // Greek spice cookies bathed in hone

Tune in to @FoodNetwork on Tuesday Oct. 22nd to ca

Tune in to @FoodNetwork on Tuesday Oct. 22nd to catch me compete on #Chopped. It’s the first ever all-Greek episode and I’m so honored to be one of the chefs competing. It’s pretty incredible when one of your most far-fetched dreams becomes a reality and I can’t wait to share it with you all! 8pm ET/PT, 7pm CT.

So excited for the @downeygreekfest this weekend.

So excited for the @downeygreekfest this weekend. Join me this Sunday for two cooking demos where I’ll teach you my delicious spins on classic Greek dishes.
3pm: Spanako-Orzo 🍃
5:30pm: Keftedes with Avocado Skordalia 🥑

You also get to eat everything I make in addition to all the incredible food and pastries at the festival. See you there 🇬🇷💙🇬🇷💙

#greekfood #greekrecipes #greekcooking #greeksummer

This eggplant and olive stuffed salmon takes me ri

This eggplant and olive stuffed salmon takes me right back to Greece with the smokey favors from the crushed roasted eggplant and salty tangy notes from the olive tapenade.

I’m always looking for opportunities to take everyday dishes to the next level. And incorporating amazing products like these from @navarinoicons is such an easy way to do it.

The best part is that it’s super easy to make and cooks in less than 15 minutes.

Recipe
2 6 to 8 ounce Salmon Filets, center cut
1/2 cup @navarinoicons Roasted Crushed Eggplant
2 tbs @navarinoicons Olive Tapenade
2 tbs Feta cheese
1 Lemon, zest and juice
@navarinoicons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chives
Parsley
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425F
Chop chives, parsley, zest lemon
Combine eggplant, olive tapenade, feta, and 1 tsp parsley.
Make a pocket for the filling: Starting 1/4 inch from the top, make a slit down the center of your salmon filet, but making sure to not to slice it all the way through the bottom. Keeping the skin on the filet helps with this.
Bruch each filet with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Stuff half of the filling into each filet.
Place on a roasting pan (I like to line mine with parchment so the salmon doesn’t stick).
Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or to your desired level of doneness.
Garnish with chives and the rest of the parsley, and a squeeze of lemon.

#greekfood #greekrecipe #easyrecipe

One blink and it's May 🌸 Καλή Πρωτομαγιά; Happy May!

Wanted to take a second to say hello to you all! It's been a second since I've posted here as I've been laser focused running my personal chef business in Los Angeles, and developing new and delicous recipes for future book projects that I can't wait to share with you all! If only we could clone ourselves and do it all and then some!

Still, I love sharing all my cooking inspiration with everyone here and will definitely do it as much as I can. I love hearing from you all, so drop me a line and let me know what you're up to, what you're cooking, and what you're most excited about going into this beautiful spring and summer 🌞

Wishing you all the best! Have a safe, healthy, and beautiful May! And happy Greek Easter for those who are celebrating this Sunday!

#cheflife #greekcooking #greekfood #ΚαλήΠρωτομαγιά #kalomina

We’re in the countdown to Greek Easter, so if yo

Celebrating #OurOliveWorld with @garciadelacruzoli

Celebrating #OurOliveWorld with @garciadelacruzoliveyou and @melissasproduce. Love doing a deep dive into Garcia de la Cruz’s sustainable olive farming practices and oil production.

We started with the Mediterranean Sunset Cocktail from @divinadolci a delicious blend of Ojai Pixie Tangerine juice, lime, simple syrup, prosecco and Garcia de la Cruz’s olive oil.

And the amazing chef team at Melissa’s created a delicious menu featuring their produce and showcasing Garcia’s oils including this beautiful Ojai Pixie Tangerine Olive Oil Cake, Steak and Dutch Yellow Potato salad, Yellow Potato Salad with Garcia’s Premium Stuffed Olives, Black Eyed Pea + Chickpea Hummus with Garcia’s evoo, and a variety of grazing boards.

Such an amazing day 🫒🫒🫒🥂☀️
#ouroliveworld #oliveoil #inmelissaskitchen

Out of the kitchen and onto the red carpet! Oscars

Out of the kitchen and onto the red carpet! Oscars night @academymuseum was just magical made only better by the best parea 🥂💫🍾

Kalo Mina! Happy October, Everyone 🎃🍂⁠ ⁠

Kalo Mina! Happy October, Everyone 🎃🍂⁠
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Easing into this new month, reflecting back on one of my favorite memories from the last few weeks at @lalovesalexs. This year the event raised more than $1.3 million to fund pediatric cancer research for @alexslemonade 🍋🍋🍋⁠
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This is a cause close to my heart for many reasons, and it's always a joy to attend, support, and volunteer over the last decade. Not to mention all the amazing food, wine and cocktails from some of the best chefs in the country.⁠
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Hoping this new month and new season bings you as much joy, inspiration, and deliciousness ✨✨✨ ⁠
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#kalomina #lalovesalexs #alexslemonadestand ⁠
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It's World Spanakopita Day! And I can't think of a

It's World Spanakopita Day! And I can't think of a better day to celebrate my favorite food than by sharing my favorite recipe for it 🍃

Save this recipe or find all my tips on MySweetGreek.com

Spanakopita
2 lbs fresh or frozen spinach
3 bunches scallions (about 6 oz), chopped
3/4-lb (12 oz.) Feta cheese, (or up to 1 pound)
1-2 cups shredded Kefalotiri, or another shredded hard salty cheese like Pecorino Romano
1 cup fresh herbs (dill, mint and flat leaf parsley), chopped
2 eggs
1 1-lb box Phyllo dough
1 to 1-1/2 sticks butter or 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, for brushing phyllo
2 teaspoons black pepper

Make the Filling:
For Fresh spinach: In a large pan, wilt the spinach. Squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop. If using frozen spinach, defrost + squeeze out all excess moisture.
Transfer spinach, scallions, herbs to a large bowl.
Add the both the cheeses, black pepper, and eggs.
Mix well.
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Melt 1 stick of butter in a pan or in the microwave. If using olive oil, pour out at least 1 cup in a bowl (you may need up to another 1/2 cup).
Make sure the box of phyllo is at room temperature. When you're ready to use it (not before or it will dry out), unwrap it so it is in one rectangular pile.
Dip your pastry brush in the melted butter or olive oil and brush a 9" x 13" baking pan with it.
Pick up one leaf of phyllo and lay it in the pan. Lightly brush phyllo with oil/butter. Repeat layering the phyllo buttering each individual leaf. Layer about half of the leaves in your package.
Dampen a kitchen towel and lay it on top of the unused phyllo. This keeps them from drying out.
Pour the filling on top of the phyllo leaves in the pan. Evenly distribute it across the pan.
Start making your top crust by adding a leaf of phyllo, brushing it with butter/olive oil it and adding another on top. Repeat the process for the rest of the leaves.
Make sure to butter/oil your top piece of phyllo.
Score the pie with your knife. You should be able to divide the pie evenly into 12 square pieces.
Bake pie until top is brown, and phyllo layers are visible (like in the photo) about 45 minutes, to an hour.

#Spanakopita #worldspanakpitaday #spanakopitarecipe

Want to take your dishes to the next level? Here’s one of my chef hacks: Always have incredible, high quality products on had to work with.

Can’t express enough how much I love using @globalgardens amazing olive oils, fruit balsamic and other gourmet goodies! They’re one the secret ingredients / chef hacks I use to take my dishes to the next level.

Posted this to let you all know that you can sign up for their club online. When you join their club you get select incredible oilve oils, balsamic fruit vinegars, and other gourmet food products, spice blends, snacks and more shipped to you anywhere in the US 4 times a year.

#dayingthelife #personalchef #privatechef #personalcheflosangeles #privatecheflosangeles #chefhack #chefhacks

What's your favorite summer food?⁠ ⁠ Love me a

What's your favorite summer food?⁠
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Love me a souvlaki pita with skewers just off the grill. So many memories of being in Greece for everything πανηγύρι to just a quick snack. Nothing says summer food more than this ☀️⁠
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#souvlaki #souvlakipita #πανηγύρι #panigyri #greekfood #greekdiet #greekrecipe #greeksummer #streetfood #souvlakia #summerfood #greekfestival #greekchef #greeksouvlaki

People inevitably always ask me what makes Greek f

People inevitably always ask me what makes Greek food so good. And the secret is there's no real secret. It's just simplicity and high quality, fresh, seasonal ingredients — and maybe a squeeze or two of lemon 🍋
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Snapped these at Atlantikos, my favorite hidden seafood spot in Psyrri. One of the best places to get a taste of the islands in the big city 🇬🇷⁠
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#greekfood #greekrecipes #ig_greece #thisisgreece #ilovegreece #iloveellada #ig_chania #ig_crete #greeksummer #cheflife #visit_greece #secretgreece #greeceinstagram #greekdiet #greekcuisine #traveltheworld #passionpassport #traveleurope #greekchef #personalchef #privatechef #travelwithme #hiddengreece #athensgreece

Fully embracing stone fruit season with this Peach

Fully embracing stone fruit season with this Peach + Cherry summer salad with Halloumi croutons 🍒🍑🍃
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Peaches and cherries are at their peak right now, and pairing them with salty halloumi and peppery arugula makes for the perfect summer salad. ⁠
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There's no strict recipe here. I used 3 smaller peaches (you can definitely sub nectarines if you don't like the fuzz), about 1/2 cup of cherries (pitted and halved), and then a couple handfuls of arugula. ⁠
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For the halloumi croutons, I used about 8 ounces of halloumi, cut it into squares and seared it for a little over a minute on each side to get some color/texture.⁠
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Finished it all off with a drizzle of lovely @globalgardens olive oil pomegranate balsamic. You can use any other balsamic or expiriment with other fruit balsamics, petimezi, or saba — whatever you have in your pantry.⁠
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#summerfood #summersalad #sweetgreeksummer #halloumi

🍅 Chicken Saganaki // Saucy Tomato Chicken with

🍅 Chicken Saganaki // Saucy Tomato Chicken with Feta 🍅

I love the iconic Greek dish Shrimp Saganaki, but don't always have shrimp on hand. So, I started making it with chicken.

It's a recipe perfect for summer, super versatile and easy to make. Sometimes I add in a pinch of saffron when I'm making the tomato sauce or throw in a few olives at the end. I love using skin on chicken thighs for this because you start by rendering the fat out of the skin, which just amplifies the sauce.

You can serve it on its own with some crusty bread, or some orzo pasta (my favorite), mashed potatoes, or roasted cauliflower.

For more recipes Follow ➡️ @xtinaxenos

🍅 Chicken Saganaki: Saucy Tomato Chicken with Feta 🍅

2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Feta cheese
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 pinches saffron muddled with 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Parsley

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper.

Heat oil over medium high heat in at least a 3-5-quart oven-proof sauté pan or braised. Brown chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.

Turn down heat to medium. Add onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt along with the saffron salt (optional). Cook for 2 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until it is fragrant.

Pour in tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes, or until they start to release some of their moisture.

Put the chicken back in the pan and submerge up to the skin.

Crumble Feta over the top, cover and bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Remove and make sure chicken is cooked to at least 165ºF. Garnish with parsley and serve.

#chickensaganaki #GreekCuisine #FoodiesOfInstagram #LowCarbRecipes #mediterraneanfood #greekdiet #summerrecipe #recipeinspo #whatsfordinner #heresmyfood #greekrecipes #HealthyEating #MediterraneanDiet #HomeCooking #InstaFood #SimpleButDelicious #SoulFood #personalchef #privatechef #thefeedfeed #personalcheflosangeles #easyrecipe #chickenrecipe #mealprep #summerdinner #greekfood

8 years flies by ✈️⁠ Looking forward to many

8 years flies by ✈️⁠
Looking forward to many many food/travel/sunset adventures. Happy Anniversary @alexlyras 💙💙💙⁠
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#greece #happyanniversary #love #santorini #crete

Swinging into summer with Pasta all Norma. It's a

Swinging into summer with Pasta all Norma. It's a humble Sicilian dish of pasta with eggplant, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and basil that originated in Catania. ⁠
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This time, instead of frying the eggplant, I tossed it in olive oil and fired up the air fryer for an easy breezy prep that didn't have me hovering over a frying pan.⁠
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Do you love Pasta alla Norma as much as I do? Let me know in the comments 🍝⁠
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#pastallanorma #sicilianfood #eatrealfood #ricettadelgiorno #ricetteperpassione #mediterraneandiet #foodaddict #pomodoro #bluezones #piattitipiciregionali #primipiatti #mediterraneanfood #feedfeed #sicilianrecipe #siciliantravel #hiddenkitchen #carbsarelife #personalchef #privatechef #personalcheflosangeles #whatsonmyplate #lovetocook #thecookfeed #catania #pastalove #lacucinaitaliana #meatlessmonday #mediterraneanfood

If anyone is in Heraklion, please send me back a b

If anyone is in Heraklion, please send me back a bougatsa and freddo cappuccino from Κιρκορ immediately.

Who else wants one 🇬🇷💙
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#breakfastofchampions #cretegreece #creteisland⁠
#bougatsatiri #μπουγάτσα #dessertporn #americangreeks #greekpastry #greekchefs #eatingfortheinsta #greekfoodies #greekfood #greece #londongreeks #greekstagram #ελλαδα #visit_greece #secretgreece #greeceinstagram #greekdiet #greekcuisine #traveltheworld #passionpassport #beautifuldestinations #traveladventures #traveleurope #thisisgreece #ig_greece #greekrecipes

Celebrating summer with this Watermelon Feta Salad

Celebrating summer with this Watermelon Feta Salad 🌞 🍉 ⁠
Had so much fun sharing this recipe on @wxyzdetroit this week 🍉🍉⁠
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I've been obsessed with watermelon as along as I can remember (photo is in the carousel to prove that). The flavors always bring me to Greece 🇬🇷 The sweetness of the watermelon pairs perfectly with the salty/briny/creamy qualities of the feta. And the subtle licorice flavor of the fennel makes me think of sipping ouzo seaside. Is there anything better? ⁠
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Herbs — especially basil and mint — take it to the next level. You can make it as simple or fancy as you like. Other delicous additions include cucumber, arugula, and cherry tomatoes.⁠
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🍉 Bookmark + Share! Find the full recipe along with tips on buying the perfect watermelon on MySweetGreek.com 🍉⁠
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Watermelon + Feta Salad⁠
Serves 4⁠
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1 seedless watermelon (football-ish sized)⁠
1 fennel bulb, sliced really thin⁠
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (you can always add more)⁠
1/4 cup mint or basil, chiffonade⁠
2 lemons, zest and juice⁠
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil⁠
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Cube watermelon. ⁠
Toss all ingredients together and serve.⁠
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#🍉 #summersalads #greekfood #mediterraneandiet #greekrecipes #greekrecipe #personalchef #privatechef #cheflife #mediterraneanfood #feedfeed #greekfoodbloggers #vegetarianrecipe #veganrecipe #veganfood #greekdiet #personalcheflosangeles #karpouzi #summerrecipe #summerrecipes #easyrecipe #healthyrecipe #watermelonrecipe #greekchef #summerfood #fetawatermelonsalad #watermelonfetasalad #fetaday #fruitsalad #sweetgreeksummer

Happy Summer, Everyone 🌞🌞🌞⁠ To celebrat

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With a passion and intense drive to discover the best in Los Angeles, I spend my days chronicling the City of Angels as the editor of WhereLA.com and as a Forbes Travel Guide correspondent. Additionally, I look for new ways to make authentic connections and organically build communities through social media and digital marketing. Take a look around, explore my portfolio, drop me a line, and let's connect soon.

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