Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: mediterranean diet recipe

Question:
We're starting the mediterranean diet. I really like the idea of fresh veggies and fruits, sees, lean meats, etc. My little guy and I went shopping today and got a ton of stuff. Anyone have any good mediterranean diet recipes ? Right now we have lean chops, peppers, onions, and garlic in the crockpot. Smells awesome and the colors are wonderful!

Answer:
I ordered this cookbook a couple days ago: www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471262889/sr=8-1/qid=1142924017/ref=pd_bbs... I expect to have plenty of good Mediterranean recipes whenever it arrives. In the meantime, here are a few recipes which might be considered Mediterranean. Broiled, Butterflied Chicken with Gremolata 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 lemon, zested Extra virgin olive oil Onions, carrots and celery cut into 3 to 4-inch pieces 3 to 4-pound broiler/fryer chicken 1 cup red wine 8 ounces chicken stock 2 to 3 sprigs thyme Canola oil Position the oven rack 8 inches from the flame/coil and turn broiler to high. Crack peppercorns with a mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Add garlic and salt and work well. Add lemon zest and work just until you can smell lemon. Add just enough oil to form a paste. Check out your refrigerator for onions, carrots and celery that are a little past their prime. Cut vegetables into pieces and place in a deep roasting pan. Place chicken on a plastic cutting board breast-side down. Using kitchen shears, cut ribs down one side of back bone and then the other and remove. Open chicken like a book and remove the keel bone separating the breast halves by slicing through the thin membrane covering it, then by placing two fingers underneath the bone and levering it out. Turn chicken breast-side up and spread out like a butterfly by pressing down on the breast and pulling the legs towards you. Loosen the skin at the neck and the edges of the thighs. Evenly distribute the garlic mixture under the skin, saving 2 teaspoons for the jus. Drizzle the skin with oil and rub in, being sure to cover the bird evenly. Drizzle oil on bone side of chicken as well. Arrange bird in roasting pan, breast up, atop vegetables. Place pan in oven being sure to leave the oven door ajar. Check bird in 10 minutes. If the skin is a dark mahogany, hold the drumstick ends with paper towels and flip bone-side up. Cook 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Juices must run clear. Remove and place chicken into a deep bowl and cover loosely with foil. Tilt pan so that any fat will pool at corner. Siphon this off with a bulb baster. (This fat is great in vinaigrettes). Set pan over 2 burners set on high. Deglaze pan with a few shots of red wine and scrape brown bits from bottom using a carrot chunk held with tongs. Add chicken stock, thyme, the remaining garlic paste and reduce briefly to make a jus. Strain out vegetables and discard. Slice chicken onto plates or serve in quarters. Sauce lightly with jus and serve. Mike Edelman's Greek Chicken Put some chicken parts in a casserole, add some quartered or eighthed potatoes, and throw in as much crushed garlic cloves as you like. Add a good sprinkling of Greek oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Squeeze lots lemon juice all over and drizzle with olive oil. Bake an hour or so until potatoes and chicken are browned and tender. [BOB'S NOTE: You can add rosemary too.] Macaroni with Spicy Lamb Ragout Serves 6 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil 1 cup diced, peeled onion 1/2 teaspoon minced, peeled garlic 1 pound lean ground lamb or beef 1 15-oz can (2 cups) tomato sauce 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1 pound macaroni or ziti 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1. In a large skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion is soft and yellow. Add garlic and meat, increase heat to moderately high and cook 5 minutes, breaking up meat with a spoon, until it loses most of its red color. Start pasta water. 2. To meat mixture, add tomato sauce, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sauce from sticking. 3. While sauce is cooking, boil pasta for required time. 4. Add parsley to sauce and turn heat off, but leave pan on burner for a moment. After about a minute, remove the pan from the heat. Beat the yogurt smooth, add to the sauce, and stir to blend. 5. Drain pasta and put into large bowl. Toss with the remaining butter or margarine. 6. Divide pasta among heated soup plates or dinner plates. Spoon sauce over pasta and serve. Good with toasted French bread and a salad of escarole, cucumbers, beets, and black olives. Tracy Karachi's Moroccan Lamb with Potatoes and Olives [as found in RFC] 2 lbs Lamb (I use the shoulder/blade steaks) one sliced onion (about a cup) sliced celery (about a cup) a chopped tomato some chopped parsley salt pepper ginger cumin paprika garlic saffron 4 Idaho potatoes cut into wedges 1/2 cup or more of green olives -spanish stuffed is fine.(You can use peas if you don't like olives.) olive oil water Heat a large dutch oven--add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the meat. It is not necessary to brown it--just toss it around a bit till it doesn't look raw. Add the onions and celery and put a cover on the pot. Let it cook on med/low till onions and celery are soft. Add the tomato and repeat--let it cook till the tomatoes have softened. Add spices and parsley I did not give measurements because I don't measure. But approximations would be--about 1/4 tsp ginger, a tsp of cumin, a tablespoon of paprika-I recently started using Penzys half sharp--it's awesome, but makes the dish a bit hot--use what you like) For garlic I sometimes use both chopped garlic and powdered, about a 1/2 tsp dry and a couple cloves. Salt and pepper to taste. I tend to salt and pepper throughout--at each stage--ends up tasting better. Once you are all seasoned--add enough water to not quite cover the meat. This is tricky--because you do not want a lot of water left when it is done but you need some to cook the potatoes. Maybe 2-3 cups. Turn down the heat to low put the cover on and simmer very gently for about an hour or more. (Moroccans will let this go for hours.) The meat should be very tender-fork tender. Add the olives and the potatoes. There should still be enough water in the pot so the potatoes will be mostly submerged. I force them down and put the meat on top. Put the cover on and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are almost done. Take the cover off and let it cook about 10 minutes more. A skin should appear over the top--this is a good thing! We eat this Moroccan style--everyone eats from one big platter--no forks, just bread. Mediterranean Salad Posted in RFC by Trudy T This simple salad makes a delicious side dish for any type of Mediterranean cuisine - including Greek, Italian, Spanish, Provencal, Moroccan or Turkish. (2 serves) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 clove garlic - minced (crushed) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 handfuls roughly torn romaine (Cos) lettuce leaves 2 fresh Roma tomatoes - cut into 1/2-inch rounds (you can also use regular tomatoes and cut them into wedges) 1/2 green pepper (capsicum) - julienned 1/4 small red onion - thinly sliced (you can vary this amount depending on how much you like raw red onions) MIX together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. Variations: There are lots of possible additions to this basic salad, but keep in mind that it should remain a simple and light salad to accompany a meal. Toss through some garlic-rubbed croutons or a handful of chopped toasted nuts (like walnuts, pine nuts or hazelnuts), finely chopped capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes or chopped anchovies, or a small amount of shaved or crumbled cheese. Salad Nicoise with Seared Tuna from foodnetwork.com Vinaigrette: 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salad: 1 pound small red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved 8 large eggs 1/2 pound haricots verts or French green beans, stems trimmed 2 pounds fresh sushi-quality tuna 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pint teardrop or cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup nicoise olives 16 anchovy fillets 16 caper berries with stems 1/2 bunch fresh chives, snipped in 1/2 To make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a mason jar. Screw the cap on the jar and shake the vinaigrette vigorously to emulsify. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry. Cooking the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in the same pot cuts down on prep time and clean up. To do this, put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the potatoes for 12 minutes to give them a head start, and then add the eggs. Place a steamer basket or colander on top of the simmering water. Put the green beans in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam the beans for 5 minutes until crisp-tender while continuing to cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain out the water and put the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in a colander; rinse briefly under cold water. Peel the shells off the eggs and cut them in 1/2 lengthwise. Place a large skillet over medium-high ... cho what 'just an old fish hag' wrote, practice makes perfect.