Feed 8 Friends for Under $100 with this Green Frugal Feast: A Greek Celebration

Greek foods lend themselves to a healthy, green diet. After all the island of Crete has one of the highest populations of centenarians in the world. All those veggies, a lack of meat, fresh fish, and antioxidant-laden wines make the Mediterranean diet far superior to the majority of American's diets. Greek foods can also be inexpensive to prepare yet as fresh and enticing as a pricey night out with friends. With a little planning you can throw this feast together on the cheap.

Start off with a simple homemade hummus

Check out Emeril's delicious hummus recipes. Pair with a simple crudité or some whole wheat pita.

Cost: About $12.00

Make your own spanakopita

I make my spanakopita a little differently than the traditional and I call them spanakopita burritos because they end up resembling burritos.

Spanakopita Burritos

2 tbsp organic olive oil

5 bunches fresh spinach, stems removed, chopped finely

6 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 cup feta

sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

24 sheets phyllo dough

1/2 cup melted organic butter

Method

1. Thaw out the phyllo dough for about two hours and then put it in the fridge.

2. Saute the spinach in the olive oil and garlic until cooked down. Place in a towel to remove all excess moisture.

3. Put in a bowl, add in feta, and combine.

4. Remove two sheets very carefully from the fridge. Place them on a clean surface and put an ample amount of the spinach mixture inside. Roll it up like burrito. Carefully folding in the two sides evenly and then rolling it up.

5. Seal the edge with the melted butter and then paint the outside with a layer of the butter.

6. Bake for about 12 minutes until browned.

Yield: Serves 8 or 9.

Cost: About $20.00

Symbolic of Greece's coastal geography and fishing culture, pick an inexpensive, sustainable fish at the fish market.

Use my guide to picking seafood and choose a simple preparation to highlight the natural flavor of the fish. Some good inexpensive choices are farmed mussels and clams, U.S. farmed crawfish, catfish, mahi mahi, squid, smelts, and rainbow trout. Checkout my recipe for pistachio crusted mahi mahi.

Cost: About $51.00

Make the quintessential Greek dessert, baklava.

Though a bit labor intensive, Emeril's Roller Honey Three Nut Baklava is a killer way to end this feast!

Cost: About $16.00

Total: $99.00

Ask your friends to bring over a bottle of red or white greek wine to complete the meal.

Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.