SHAVED ZUCCHINI TIP: The best vegetable parer for shaving zucchini is the Y-shaped one. You always want to shave the zucchini right before preparing the recipe. You can turn any excess shaved zucchini into a simple and refreshing salad by tossing it with olive oil, salt, some grated or shaved cheese and toasted nuts or […]
NOTE: People in the Eastern Mediterranean have been drinking fermented dairy products like kefir and labneh as refreshments in warm months for eons. They’ve also been enjoying tart, fermented yogurt forever and consider it one of the healthiest foods in the world. This garlic-free iteration of tzatziki, with its delicious and light cucumber and aromatic […]
AVOCADOS 101 There are many different varieties of avocado available in the market. The most common and one of the creamiest is the Hass variety, with its pebbly skin, which darkens slightly as it ripens. That’s the variety I’d recommend for this and most mashed avocado dishes because its texture is silky and its nutty […]
SCALLOP NUTRITION There’s something really special about the elegant scallop! It’s one of the world’s most revered shellfish, often served forth in rich sauces. But it’s also a delicious and highly nutritious addition to salads and will make them extra special. Scallops are a very high quality protein with little fat and an excellent source […]
FLAXSEED AND OMEGA 3 I thought I was reinventing the wheel when adding flaxseed to my salads, assuming it was a habit carried over from contemporary vegetarian ways of eating. But alas, the ancient Greeks knew of the flaxseed and used it as both food and medicine – food was medicine in ancient Greece. There […]
HELPFUL TIP: Bread salads abound across the Mediterranean and were typically a way to make use of leftover bread. Remember, the Mediterranean diet and the Ikaria diet are both about making use of everything and eating a balanced diet in good measure. Always add your bread or rusk to this salad or any bread salad […]
ABOUT MUSSELS I love mussels, and love them even more after visiting a mussel farm off the coast of Thessaloniki while we were filming season 4 of My Greek Table. Mussels are perhaps the oldest farmed seafood in the world – the ancient Greeks used to farm them! Nutritionally, these inexpensive blue-black bivalves are impressive. […]
ABOUT MARINATING CHICKEN WITH YOGURT Marinating chicken in yogurt produces very tender, almost flaky meat. All acid marinades (i.e. wine, citric acid [lemon juice], acetic acid [vinegar], and lactic acid [dairy]) help to tenderize meat but yogurt, which falls under the lactic acid category produces a different result, especially with chicken. Perhaps that’s why it’s […]
ALL ABOUT BULGUR Bulgur is a kind of miracle cereal grain! I love to work with it because it’s super easy and fast to cook, very versatile, and it has a beautiful earthy flavor that pairs so well with most Mediterranean cooking. Indeed, it’s one of the oldest grain products in the region. A lot […]
SORBET INDULGENCE: I love anything cold and sweet and am always up for a great sorbet, even if it does mean indulging in a little sugar. Part of the philosophy of eating the Ikaria way is to eat with a sense of balance, and the occasional indulgence makes life pleasant! Fruit sorbets are a good […]