Mediterranean Diet Recipes

1. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat broiler. Toss zucchini, yellow squash, and bell peppers with half of dressing in a large bowl, then marinate 5 minutes.
3. Broil half of dressed vegetables on oiled rack of a broiler pan 5 to 7 inches from heat, turning over once, until golden brown and tender, about 16 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board, then broil remaining dressed vegetables in same manner. When cool, cut into 1-inch pieces.
4. While vegetables are broiling, heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add couscous and toast until lightly golden brown. Sauté onion in remaining tablespoon oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, then add couscous and sauté, stirring, 2 minutes. Add broth and simmer, covered, until couscous is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in broiled vegetables, basil, remaining dressing, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook farro in a medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still al dente, 30–35 minutes; drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, toss squash and 1 Tbsp. oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until soft and browned, 20–25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining 3 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add farro, squash, radishes, and kale and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Top salad with feta just before serving.

1. Toss first 9 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
2. Gently mix in cheese.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

(Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature a few minutes before serving.)

To make the Baharat:

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and dry roast the whole spices/seeds (set aside the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg) until they become very fragrant, about 3-5 minutes, tossing regularly to prevent scorching.
2. Transfer them to a bowl and allow them to cool completely before grinding them in a spice or coffee grinder along with the paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep stored in an airtight glass jar.

To make the Koshari:

Note: Prepare the rice, macaroni and lentils while the sauce is simmering and leave them covered in the pots to keep warm.

1. To Make Rice: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and sauté it for 2 minutes, then add the vegetable stock. Bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
2. To Make Macaroni: Cook the 2 cups of macaroni according to package directions until al dente.
3. To Make Lentils: Rinse the lentils under cold water and add them to another medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Add the garlic, cumin and bay leaf and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Once cooked, add the salt and stir to combine. Strain any excess liquid if necessary.
4. To Make Sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, baharat, salt, pepper, chili flakes and red wine vinegar. Bring it to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. To Make Crispy onions for Garnish: Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onions and fry until dark brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain and cool.
6. Combine: Add the rice, lentils, and macaroni to a large bowl and toss to combine. Garnish with a little baharat over each portion and serve topped with some of the spicy tomato sauce. Top with garbanzo beans, crispy onions and another sprinkle of baharat. Serve warm.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Before you begin mixing the filling, be sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand.
3. To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined.
4. Unroll the phyllo (fillo) sheets and place them between two very lightly damp kitchen cloths.
5. Prepare a 9.5″ X 13″ baking dish. Brush the bottom and sides of the dish with olive oil.
6. To assemble the spanakopita: Line the baking dish with two sheets of phyllo letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush with olive oil. Add two more sheets in the same manner, and brush them with olive oil. Repeat until half of the phyllo is used up.
7. Now, evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the phyllo crust. Top with two more sheets, and brush with olive oil. Continue to layer the phyllo sheets, two-at-a-time, brushing with olive oil, until you have used up all the sheets. Brush the very top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with just a few drops of water.
8. Fold the flaps or excess from the sides, you can crumble them a little. Brush the folded sides well with olive oil.

9. Bake in the 325 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour, or until the phyllo (fillo) crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cut into squares and serve! Enjoy!

1. Stir together yeast, honey, and ½ cup warm water in a large bowl, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
2. While yeast mixture stands, stir together flours in another bowl. Whisk ½ cup flour mixture into yeast mixture until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Stir in oil, salt, remaining 3/4 cup warm water, and remaining 2½ cups flour mixture until a dough forms.
3. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, working in just enough additional flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and put in an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough and cut into 12 pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten 1 ball, then roll out into a 6½- to 7-inch round on floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer round to 1 of 2 baking sheets lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Make 11 more rounds in same manner, arranging them on baking sheets. Loosely cover pitas with 2 clean kitchen towels (not terry cloth) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
5. Set oven rack in lower third of oven and remove other racks. Preheat oven to 500°F.
6. Preheat pizza stone for 30 minutes. Transfer pitas, 1 at a time, directly onto pizza stone. Bake until just puffed and pale golden, about 2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and bake 1 minute more. Cool pitas on a cooling rack 2 minutes, then stack and wrap loosely in a kitchen towel to keep pitas warm. Bake remaining pitas in same manner. Serve warm. 

1. Heat one Tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add half of the spinach and sauté until spinach wilts. Toss spinach using tongs, about two minutes.
2. Repeat with remaining spinach, using one more tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Pour off any remaining liquid from pan and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and sauté. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for two minutes.
4. Stir in the feta and beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.
5. Preheat oven to 350^o Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
6. Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with a clean towel. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3x11-inch strips and re-cover with a towel.
7. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter.
8. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1-inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, and then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding a flag. Brush the triangles lightly with butter, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve hot or warm.

1. Place the drained garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and oil in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Chop or blend until smooth, adding enough water to obtain a creamy dip.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl.
4. If liked, serve immediately, but it will be tastier if refrigerated overnight.
5. Take out of the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
6. Serve with pita bread.

1. Combine water, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and yeast in large bowl and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Combine flour, remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt in second bowl.

3. Whisk eggs and 2 tablespoons oil into yeast mixture. Add flour mixture and stir vigorously with rubber spatula until dough comes together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Line second sheet with parchment paper and dust heavily with flour. Place half of dough on well-floured counter and pat into rough rectangle with floured hands, flipping to coat with flour. Roll dough into ¼-inch-thick rectangle (roughly 12 by 9 inches). Using pizza wheel cut dough into twelve 3-inch squares and transfer to floured sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

5. Either use a deep-fat fryer OR add enough of remaining 2 quarts oil to large Dutch oven to measure about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350°F. Place 6 beignets in oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through frying. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325 and 350°F. Using slotted spoon or spider, transfer beignets to prepared wire rack. Return oil to 350°F and repeat with remaining beignets. Dust beignets with confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately.

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, coarsely shred the Brussels sprouts.  On a half-sheet pan, toss the Brussels sprouts with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer.
2. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and browned in spots; rotate the pans and stir the Brussels sprouts halfway through the roasting.
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, toss and bake for 1 more minute or until the cheese is melted.
4. Transfer to a bowl and serve. The Brussels sprouts can be baked up to 2 hours ahead; rewarm them before serving.

1. In a large bowl, add the tuna, reserving the olive oil in a separate small bowl.
2. Break tuna into bite-size pieces with a large fork.
3. Add the beans and capers.
4. Into the bowl of olive oil, add the red wine vinegar. You should have 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil - add more extra-virgin olive oil if necessary.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour dressing on the tuna, bean and caper mixture and allow the flavors to infuse while slicing the vegetables.
7. Add the onion and tomatoes to tuna mixture and toss gently.
8. Place the arugula on large decorative platter and top with tuna mixture.
9. Tear fresh basil leaves over the top and serve immediately.

1. Pre-prep: Mince shallots. Squeeze lemon to make ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
2. Stir the shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper.
3. Taste (dip a piece of the salad greens into the sauce) and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.
4. Alternatively, you can shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar.

1. Combine salt, mustard, thyme and pepper: mix well. Rub both sides of salmon fillets with honey and sprinkle with seasoning mixture.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in nonstick skillet. Brown both sides of salmon fillets.
3. Toss spinach and garlic with remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 13x9x2- inch baking dish. Place salmon on spinach, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for 10 minutes.
4. Sauté grapes in skillet used to brown salmon. Add wine, bring to boil, season to taste with remaining seasoning mixture and salt; reduce by half.
5. Serve salmon on spinach; top with grape sauce.

1. Combine the lemon juice, honey, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a large glass or ceramic dish. Add the chicken and turn over so that it is thoroughly coated with the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, preferably overnight, to develop the flavors.
2. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
3. Place the chicken and the preserved lemon in a roasting pan. Roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
4. While the chicken is cooking, place the reserved marinade and ½ cup of the chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat.
5. Heat a small sauté pan over a medium heat, add the almonds and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until toasted.
6. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, add the onion and chile and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until both have softened.
7. Add the remaining stock and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the couscous and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to separate the grains.
8. Add the marinade mixture, almonds and currants to the couscous, and cook, stirring, over a low heat for 2 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.
9. When chicken is done, transfer the chicken and lemon to a serving plate.
10. Carve the chicken across the grain into thick slices, spoon the couscous among the serving plates, sprinkle with cilantro leaves, top with chicken and serve with baked lemon wedges.

1. In a 10-inch omelet pan or skillet with ovenproof handle, cook sausage, green pepper and fennel seed over medium heat, stirring to break sausage apart, until sausage is browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.  Return to pan.
2. In medium bowl, beat together eggs, ricotta cheese and garlic powder until blended. Pour into pan over sausage mixture.    Cook over medium heat until eggs are almost set, about 8 to 10 minutes. 
3. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil about 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. 
4. Cut into wedges and serve from pan or slide from pan onto serving platter.

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Heat oil in a 12 inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes, and add feta.
5. Using a spoon, make 6 depressions in mixture and crack a shell egg into each depression. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

1. Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 2 tablespoons of oil in a small bowl. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 5 minutes or until frothy.
2. Place flour and half of the sea salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture. Use a spoon to stir until combined, and then use your hands (wearing disposable gloves) to bring the dough together in the bowl.
3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a bowl with oil to grease. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush a baking sheet with 2 teaspoons of remaining oil. Punch down center of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes or until dough is elastic and has returned to original size.
5. Place dough on oiled baking sheet, forming into an oval or circle. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place to proof for 20 minutes or until doubled in height.
6. Use your finger to press dimples into the dough. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle over rosemary and remaining salt. Press the olives into the dough.
7. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden and focaccia sounds hollow when tapped on base. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Brush baguette bread slices on both sides with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake slices until just crisp, about 3 minutes a side.  Remove from oven and leave on baking sheet.  (Bread can be toasted 3 hours ahead; cover and leave at cool room temperature.)
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, artichokes, basil, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil and lemon juice.
4. In food processor, combine goat cheese and Parmesan cheese. Process, pulsing machine, until mixture is a coarse puree. (Puree can be prepared 3 hours ahead; cover and leave at cool room temperature.)
5. Place balsamic vinegar in a small stainless steel or non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat. When the vinegar comes to a boil, reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering.  Cook until reduced to ½ -⅓ cup.   
6. When ready to serve, spread each bread slice with a mound of goat cheese puree and top with chopped artichoke and tomato mixture.
7. When ready to eat, bake until cheese is melted and bruschetta are warm, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle bruschetta with salt & black pepper and drizzle with balsamic reduction.  Serve warm on a platter.

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the pepper into 1/4" (or smaller) pieces.
2. Heat a large frying pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Put the onions into the pan and sauté them until they are transparent, reducing the heat if necessary so as not to burn them.
4. Add the green pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Be sure to stir often, so vegetables do not burn.
5. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
6. Pour the crushed tomatoes and paprika into the pan and mix well. Continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Tips:

• If using as an ingredient in another recipe, allow to cool for a few minutes before using. 
• If serving as a sauce with fried eggs or rice, serve warm. Because tomato sauce mellows and becomes sweeter overnight, many Spanish cooks like to make a double recipe and use it throughout the week. It will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.