Explore the benefits of the Mediterranean diet with delicious recipes, nutrition tips, and lifestyle advice - Irini Savva
All in Main Meals
Pastitsio, also known as makaronia tou fournou, is a very well known and loved family meal made in both Greece and Cyprus. Almost every Greek grows up eating some version of this creamy layered bake. Try this lighter dairy-free version now.
If you’ve visited Cyprus before, you will know that souvlaki restaurants are as popular as cafe culture. A favourite among locals, and eaten regularly across the island as an easy and delicious dinner.
Butter beans are quite “meaty” and filling in this protein packed salad.
Cypriot fasolada, is a white bean Mediterranean stew. You can make the tomato sauce like a soup by adding more water or a thick stew as in this recipe below. It makes a very nutritious main meal when served with crusty sourdough bread.
Try a healthier pizza alternative - pizza base made with spelt flour and topped with a variety of seasonal, Mediterranean style vegetables.
The Mediterranean is known to be abundant in fruit and vegetables all year round. Having just spent a good part of the summer in Cyprus, I got to sample the summer varieties from everyday tomatoes and cucumbers to juicy peaches, jammy figs and sweet-sour grapes picked off the vines. It’s hard not to miss how seasonal fruits and vegetables often feature as the main ingredient in a meal.
The recipe below is a variation of the traditional beef bolognese, with added vegetables which are finely chopped or grated and ideal for fussy eaters as the eggplant melts and makes the most deliciously thick sauce . Serve this with pasta or zoodles of your choice.
For an easy entertaining recipe, try this slow roasted sea bream with lemon and herbs. Serve this with a Greek salad, steamed seasonal vegetables or a side of roasted root vegetables.
Keftedes or keftedakia are small balls of meat usually made with pork or beef but can also be made vegetarian with seasonal vegetables such as tomatoes or courgettes. Traditionally fried in oil, they can also be grilled and are loved by both kids and adults alike. They make for a simple and inexpensive weekday meal and are convenient for lunchbox leftovers or healthy on-the-go snacks.
This recipe for slow roasted leg of lamb makes for a delicious, healthy and homemade festive meal together with your favourite sides and vegetables.
Quinoa is one of the staple carbohydrates in a “free-from” diet. On its own, it’s not the most interesting food to eat, its flavor sits somewhere between couscous and brown rice but when paired with other ingredients and whole foods, it makes a wonderful base for pilafs, a side dish for stews and roasts and an excellent ingredient in salads.
They say learning something new is good for your brain as well as your self-confidence. In celebration of World Food Day, I decided to learn a new recipe using as many locally or regionally sourced ingredients as I could find. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization hopes to achieve zero hunger by wasting less, eating healthier and adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. The recipe, Ratatouille, is ideal as the ingredients are very simple and inexpensive. Fortunately one of my neighbour’s, whose family lives in South of France, was willing to teach me her family’s version of this classic dish.
