Orecchiete With Mastiha or Tomato Sauce

Orecchiete with 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 […]

Simple Trahana Soup with Spiced Red Pepper Puree, Greek Feta and Olive Oil

  The best Mediterranean diet recipes are the oldest, most traditional and easiest ones, and this Greek recipe for trahana is a perfect example. What is trahana, for those of you who may not be familiar with the world’s oldest slow fast food? It’s a fermented grain product made by cooking wheat or flour with […]

Spinach Tagliatelle with Creamy Walnut Sauce

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)

Cold Tahini Noodle Salad

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 […]

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 […]

Warm Orzo Pilaf with Broccoli, Olives, Ouzo, Halloumi & Pistachios

warm orzo pilaf with broccoli

  Orzo, called kritharaki in Greece, is the stuff of comfort food and often baked with tomatoey chicken and/or lamb. This Greek recipe for orzo pilaf is a vegetarian’s dream, packed with healthful vegetables and a great example of green Mediterranean diet cooking. The halloumi cheese adds a special twist.

Spaghetti with Fresh Mastiha-Tomato Sauce and Bocconcini

  This Greek recipe is a decided hybrid and paean to Greco-Italian friendship! Bocconcini meets mastiha in this scrumptious pasta recipe, a perfect example of the delicious Mediterranean Diet in a bowl. Try adding delicious Greek garlic cloves in brine to this, for an intensely fruity garlic flavor that adds depth to the dish.

Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Olives

Baked Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Olives

  Pasta pies, a fun Greek recipe category, come in many shapes and sizes, and are filled with everything from aromatic ground meat to seafood and vegetables. The most classic, one could say, is traditional Greek pastitsio. This Greek recipe for baked pasta is an easy weekend treat that young and old will love and […]

D|K