Living the Mediterranean Diet: Proven Principles and Modern Recipes for Staying Healthy

I have a friend who lived the Mediterranean Diet and loved it. Olive oils, olives, feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and orzo. She thought I would love it also because we like the same kinds of food. This is a logical “diet” or an approach to eating healthy. Fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood and small amounts of meats are available to eat on this diet. It’s all about portion sizes and getting the freshest vegetable around and not eating processed foods. It’s really just a doable life style change.The Mediterranean Diet is very low carb and mostly gluten free except for the pizza dough. The recipes are fresh and photos are a nice addition. I liked the way they broke up the recipes into the seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter making it easy to get the freshest produce at the right time, instead of getting the recipes and not be able to find the produce to cook it. I enjoyed the wellness notes, bits of information about the vegetable, how to pick a good one and just advice about how to enjoy and experience cooking.

From beginning to end, this is a warm, welcoming, inspiring cookbook. The introductory chapters take a straight-forward look at the benefits of the much touted clean-eating Mediterranean lifestyle and its emphasis on fresh, in-season vegetables, lean meats and seafood, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocados. But primarily, this is a cookbook that shows how easy it is to incorporate the aspects of this traditional healthy diet into everyday life.The recipes are divided by season, which makes it easy to cook with the freshest produce possible when it’s at peak ripeness, and the recipes are very accessible for the average home cook. I had always been intimidated by the idea of cooking a whole chicken, and this book changed all of that. The authors’ recipe for Whole Roasted Apple–Rosemary Chicken made the process incredibly approachable and produced one of the most delicious-looking (and tasting!) chickens I’ve ever seen, if I do say so myself: crispy, brown skin and moist, flavorful meat. I served the chicken with this book’s Simple Sautéed Rapini, and it was a huge hit.I can’t wait to try more delicious, simple recipes that from this book because they focus on quality ingredients prepared with purpose and love. And as an added bonus, the authors are a beautiful couple who are clearly as in love with each other as they are with cooking food that is both good and good for you. Pair that with a fantastic design and mouthwatering photos, and this cookbook is one you won’t want to miss.

This book not only gives recipes but discusses how to “live” the Mediterranean Diet. This is not merely a recipe cook book but the first part of the book discusses how diet and lifestyle go hand in hand. This book makes a point to take a moment and discuss the basics of food and what we should be eating. It is done in an informative but not preachy tone.I love that the book states that one should try to make three meals per week and really enjoy the meals sans television. It isn’t just about shoveling whatever you whipped up from a recipe in a cook book but appreciating the fresh ingredients at its core and then truly enjoying the meal afterwards by yourself or with others. Slow down - appreciate the food and take a moment to enjoy life – for your taste buds and for your health.The book is organized into the four seasons. Each season offers a variety of recipes from dessert to cocktails. It is an inspiring and refreshing cookbook. I happen to pick a very warm spring Sunday to pick up this kindle book, the very same evening I tried the lemon-thyme sorbet in lemon cups. Super easy to make and absolutely refreshing for this unseasonably warm day. I cannot wait to try out the rest of these recipes. A great purchase for the upcoming spring and summer months.

As I was browsing the book for a recipe a “bookmark” (piece of scrap paper) was inside. The bookmarked page had spots from a liquid being spilled. I am thoroughly disgusted.

This elegant cookbook is beautiful inside and out, and obviously written with care and attention to detail. The first chapter is a solid overview and explanation of what the Mediterranean diet and its complementary lifestyle are, including the rituals of eating, the importance of growing your own ingredients or shopping at farmers’ markets when you can, and tips for using the diet to lose weight. The recipes themselves are divided into seasons (rather than the usual courses, like breakfast, sides, etc.), which makes it all the more easy to cook with what’s fresh and available at the market. And the dishes all sound—and look—absolutely delicious: Asparagus Prosciutto, and Mushroom Pizza for spring; Wild Salmon on Pecan Wood with Dill-Yogurt Sauce; Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Honey Crisp apples for fall; and Seared Scallops over Spinach for winter. And there are SO MANY more that just make my mouth water. I’m especially excited to try making their fresh pasta dough, since making my own pasta is something I’ve always wanted to do and their recipe makes it sound easy.The book’s design is just gorgeous, and the recipes are organized in a way that’s so clear and easy to follow. The instructions almost read like the authors are standing in the kitchen with you, gently guiding you through the processes of making their dishes. And the photographs add so much to the book’s overall vibe of eating and living clean, healthy, and well.