Main Ingredient Recipes
HELPFUL TIP: To remove the beard from the mussels, grab it with your thumb and forefinger and tug it toward the hinge of the mussel shell. You can also use a knife to gently scrape away the beard.Ideally, you want to prepare and cook the mussels as soon after buying as possible, but as long […]
HELPFUL TIP: Tea, especially herbal tea, is one of the seminal ingredients in the Ikarian longevity diet. Many herbal teas contain specific therapeutic benefits and are diuretic, which means they help combat hypertension. But black tea such as Earl Grey also has its benefits. Black tea can aid heart health and diabetes and is high […]
You can use any nut you like, or even seeds, such as roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, for the pesto. But if you do use pistachios, I highly recommend the amazing Aegina pistachios from my online shop. A word about mushrooms and eating for longevity: Mushrooms have always been a part of the longevity diet […]
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)
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!
One doesn’t usually think of anything Greek when it comes to a Waldorf salad, named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City. It was first created there, by Oscar Tschirky, maître d’hotel, to be served at a charity ball in honor of St. mary’s Childrens’ Hospital in March of 1896. It has become a […]
FACTS & TIPS: Why Hazelnuts? I had originally created this recipe with bits of cured pork in mind, using a very small amount of meat the way my ancestors would have a few generations ago. But then I wanted to challenge myself and make the recipe totally vegan. Nuts do the trick, and hazelnuts are […]
FUN TIP: Creamy texture doesn’t have to be achieved with, well, cream! In this recipe, I call for an age-old Greek tradition for using nuts as a thickener. Cashews, while not native to Greece, are a much-loved nut. They are super rich in iron and copper, which impacts our metabolism in a positive way. Cashews […]
There’s no end to the good things cauliflower gives our bodies. But did you also know that it is one of the best detox vegetables around? There are many ways to detox but nixing the refined carbohydrates and sugar from our diet is first and foremost. If we focus on adding nutritious vegetables to our […]
FUN FACT: Many of us have seen, tried or at least heard of a Greek salad, but chances are we may also have experienced it in its American version, with lettuce and vinaigrette. Real Greek salad calls for neither! The brininess of the olives and/or capers or sea fennel provides ample acidity and lots of […]