Spinach Tagliatelle with Creamy Walnut Sauce
The concept of using ground nuts, especially walnuts, to help thicken a sauce is rooted in some of the regional Lenten traditions of Greece. It was a brilliant way for cooks to mimic the texture of, say, ground meat, during periods of fasting, and to provide important nutrition. (read more on Notes below)
White Beans with Eggplant and Vegan Feta
PRACTICAL FACT: Beans are one of the most important foods to consume when thinking about a healthy longevity diet. They’re rich in fiber and complex carbs and they are crucial to one of the most important aspects of health: our gut! Ikarians and Greeks in general cook beans every which way, but it’s when combining […]
Simple Onion Pie – Kremmydopita
Miracle Onions and Leeks. Onions and leeks are miracle ingredients, bursting with nutrients and compounds that help fight cancer and diabetes. Too boot, they’re also really tasty and the foundation of so many great Greek recipes. They even star in a few, like this simple onion-leek pie from Ikaria! One of the major phytochemical compounds […]
Homemade Chicken Gyro
Do you ever get the yen for a healthier version of fast food? Is there anything more irresistible than a down-and-dirty gyro, dripping with tzatziki, the garlicky Greek yogurt sauce, oozing with ripe tomato rounds, and filled with thin slices of smoky chicken? Gyro is one of the best ever street food classics and this […]
Biftekia Baked with Briam
Greek Biftekia and Briam are both classic recipes. I combine them in this dish, essentially a Mediterranean sheet-pan recipe, for an all-in-one, easy, healthy meal. This is a great example of how to change the geography of your plate, placing equal of not more emphasis on vegetables over protein. Kids will love it, too!
Cold Tahini Noodle Salad
This Mediterranean diet recipe calls for a very traditional, nutritious Greek-Mediterranean ingredient: tahini! Used all over the Eastern Mediterranean, tahini is one of the superfoods of the Mediterranean diet. While this isn’t a traditional Greek recipe per se, but rather inspired by the delicious cold sesame noodles in Chinese cuisine, the extra virgin Greek olive […]
Spanakopita Shakshuka
Shakshuka, a classic egg dish in Middle Eastern cuisine, is also made, by various different names, throughout Greece. Greek recipes, indeed, abound for eggs cooked in greens and/or tomato sauces. They tend to be great examples of satisfying and healthy Mediterranean diet dishes. This one is a particular favorite, created in my Athens kitchen, using […]
Small Lamb Burgers With Onion Juice Marinade
A spicy mini burger with Eastern Mediterranean flavors! This regional classic is a delicious change from the over-sized American burgers so many of us are used to. So….try a Greek recipe for a change and serve it up with Mediterranean diet sides such as tzatziki or plain Greek yogurt and slices of ripe tomato!
Asparagus, Basil and Tomato Frittata
Here’s an easy, elegant Greek recipe packed with flavor, extra virgin Greek olive oil, fresh herbs, Greek cheese, and a special Greek superfood, mastiha! Enjoy it as a Mediterranean diet breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Seafood Chowder with a Greek Twist
This chowder could never pose as a Greek recipe, but I love it nonetheless, being a Yankee as well as a Greek! I add my touch to it, a little spritz of ouzo, which goes beautifully with both the seafood and the dairy. It’s a great main-course soup for a freezing winter day.
Sympetherio
Bean lovers rejoice! This Greek recipe, called Sympetherio, hails from Crete and is the absolute perfect paradigm of the healthy Mediterranean diet. In the Greek diet, as you know, beans have played a major role forever. Here, a medley of beans, grains and vegetables are mixed together into a nutritious whole. Feel free to use […]
Linguine or Spaghetti with Greens and Feta Pesto
Pesto doesn’t have to be the classic Genovese recipe! I make this easy Greek recipe for pesto with any sweet greens I have on hand and like to think of it as the perfect—and literal–example of the green Mediterranean diet! Here’s an added benefit: The almonds are a good-mood superfood, high in plant protein and […]