Homemade Granola With Almonds, Walnuts, Dried Cherries, Raisins, Prunes and Almonds
About Granola “Granula” was so christened by its inventor, James Caleb Jackson, who first created it in 1863, perhaps modeling it after the Swiss muesli. He named it after the Latin word for grain, granum. His recipe was adapted by John Harvey Kellogg some 13 years later and renamed granola in a twist of marketing […]
Apricots Roasted With Honey, Rosemary, And Sage
Apricot Appreciation! Apricots, with their delicious tart-sweet flavor, are a great fruit to pair with yogurt for an easy, elegant dessert. They’re also a good source of potassium, phosphorus, and Vitamin A. From a cook’s perspective, because they aren’t super sweet, they pair beautifully when roasted with aromatic, robust herbs like sage and rosemary.
Mediterranean Egg-and-Yogurt Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwich
The combination of sunny-side up or poached eggs and thick, sour Greek yogurt is unique to the Eastern Mediterranean and one of the most delicious combinations in all Mediterranean cooking. Indeed, eggs, ancient and wholesome, are one of the most important Mediterranean diet ingredients; yogurt, too, is an ancient food and one of the most […]
Tahini-Honey Toast
A healthy breakfast is an important part of the Mediterranean diet. One of the most important, nutritious and traditional Mediterranean diet ingredients for breakfast is tahini, or sesame paste. It is chick full of vitamins and minerals and a great source of easy-to-digest calcium. This breakfast is a superfood bonanza and it will keep you […]
Lagana (Flat, Wide Lenten Bread)
Lagana is a special Greek bread, flat and wide and eaten but one day a year, on Clean Monday at the start of Lent. Traditionally, lagana was unleavened, but now commercial bakers use yeast in its preparation. I learned to make this from a local baker in my neighborhood in Athens. Lagana claims another tradition […]
Kayianas – Slow-cooked Omelet With Mushrooms
HELPFUL INFO: Mushrooms are a low-carb, low-fat ingredient packed with about 15 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, zinc and potassium. Mushrooms are also rich in antioxidants and they’re one of the few foods that contain vitamin D, which is essential for building strong bones, reducing inflammation and improving immune function.
Spinach Smoothie
SMOOTHIES AND HISTORY: The term "smoothie" was first used to describe a drink in 1930. Early smoothies were simply fruit, fruit juice and ice, and they were an obscure concept in the United States until the natural food craze of the '60s and '70s. The history of the smoothie is closely tied to the history […]
Avocado Almond Coconut Smoothie
FUN TIP: You may already know that avocados can be cultivated in tropical climates. But did you know that they’re also cultivated in Mediterranean climates? There are excellent avocados from Chania, Crete, in food markets in Greece. The largest avocado producer in the world is Mexico, and other significant producers are Peru, Indonesia, Chile, and […]
Spicy Scrambled Eggs
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: TOFU AS AN EGG SUBSTITUTE Tofu makes a great substitute for eggs, but the trick is to find the right kind of tofu. Experiment with different brands and degrees of firmness or softness and try to opt for a tofu variety that is as close as possible to the final texture of […]
Banana – Nut Butter Smoothies
HELPFUL TIP & A LITTLE NUT BUTTER LOVE: Freeze the bananas before pureeing and reduce the amount of ice cubes to a cup to get an extra-smooth smoothie! It’s the nut butter that adds that extra oomf in this easy smoothie recipe. Why? Almond butter is a good source of monounsaturated fat and protein and […]
No-bake Vegan Cheesecake With Greek Flavors, Coconut Crust And Cinnamon
A PLACE FOR DESSERT: Why a Vegan Cheesecake? Why a dessert at all in a compilation of recipes that aim to be plant-based and life-enhancing? For one, at least in my experience on Ikaria, centenarians don’t avoid eating sweets. They just do so judiciously and make a special occasion out of it. Most traditional Greek […]
Spicy Spanakopita Shakshuka
HELPFUL TIP: The reason I suggest breaking the eggs one at a time into a cup first is so that you have better control of the yolk. The dish looks so much better if the yolk is unbroken!