Braised Green Beans With Garlic Confit and Herbs
HELPFUL TIP: It’s preferable to buy whole beans and stir clear from trimmed or pre-packaged beans. No matter the color or the variety, you need to prep them by trimming them. Make sure you do this just before you need to use them as they tend to oxidise and dry out quickly. Before trimming them, […]
Spring Greek Salad Wrap
Greek salad is a legendary part of the Greek-Mediterranean diet, and there are many Greek salads to speak of, each enjoyed in its season with whatever is fresh. This Greek salad is typically savored in spring, when tender lettuce is at its peak. It’s usually served shredded and dressed with a simple olive oil-lemon vinaigrette. […]
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 […]
Spanish-style Baked Omelet With Chorizo and Vegetables
CHORIZO 101: Chorizo is a name given to a variety of sausages, both fresh and cured originating in the Iberian peninsula. It is made with chopped pork meat and pork fat, seasoned with paprika and garlic, all stuffed into a natural gut. Although there are many regional varieties, most chorizo can usually be placed into […]
Quinoa Bowl With Broccoli, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Lemon-yogurt Dressing
HELPFUL TIP: Just a little bit of yogurt in a dressing goes a long way. Used here, it creates a creamy dressing that is healthy and packed with both nutrients and flavor.
Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed With Briam
PRAISE FOR THE PORTOBELLO Because they’re so substantial, fleshy and succulent, portobello mushrooms easily satisfy even the most tempting cravings for red meat. They’re nothing more than the mature form of button and cremini mushrooms. All of these mushrooms are, in fact the same species at different stages of maturity. Portobellos are rich in flavor, […]
Orecchiete With Mastiha or Tomato Sauce
HELPFUL TIP: Orecchiette means little ears in Italia, for the shape of these small thumb-size discs with an indentation makes them perfect for “clinging” to the sauce. The shape is a traditional one from Puglia in the Italian boot, and there it’s usually served with a simple chunky tomato sauce. You can substitute Orecchiette with […]
Cabbage-Fig Salad with Grape Molasses Vinaigrette
In the Mediterranean diet, salad is an important part of almost every meal and important in its own right since so many Mediterranean recipes for salad can stand on their own as a main course. This Greek salad is a perfect paradigm for the variety and intensity of flavor in of classic Mediterranean ingredients brought […]
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.
Vegan Quinoa – Spinach – Chickpea Avgolemono
A LITTLE HISTORY: Avgolemono is a Greek sauce made from eggs, lemon, and warm broth. Commonly added to soups for thickening, the sauce is used to dress up everything from roasted vegetables to fish dishes. “Vegan avgolemono” sounds like an oxymoron but it really is something that can be found in Greek cuisine, especially on […]
Low Carb Tabbouleh
HELPFUL TIP: Did you know that bulgur wheat technically doesn’t have to be cooked, but rather soaked, thanks to the grains already being parboiled? Just soaking works very well for fine bulgur wheat. But for medium or coarse the soaking method takes a while, so giving it a simmer and then a soak speeds things […]