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INTRODUCTION

At the heart of any successful diet are the foods that you will enjoy. Regardless of the rules of origin of a diet, it’s important to know what you’ll be eating and how best to prepare and enjoy your meals.Happily, the Mediterranean diet offers wonderful variety and has very few “forbidden” items. Aside from replacing butter with olive oil, processed foods with fresh, and most meat with fish and plant-based proteins, there is very little that you have to sacrifice to follow the diet.You can eat a snack at your own will, enjoy delicious desserts, and visit your favorite restaurants on the Mediterranean diet without counting calories or weighing your food.Transitioning from a typical Western diet to the Mediterranean diet is about learning how to shop for the freshest ingredients and reorganizing your daily food pyramid to emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables, healthful fats, and seafood over meat starch.It’s an easy transition to make, and most people find that within a few weeks, they are looking forward to their meals and learning to savor them in a way that they hadn’t before.

When most people think about the word “diet,” they think of deprivation and a lack of variety and excitement. However, transitioning to the Mediterranean diet, you can still enjoy your favorite meals and some of your guilty pleasures.The Mediterranean diet is full of never-ending varieties of healthy, fresh, and delicious foods. Although there is more of a focus on certain types of ingredients, none are excluded. People who eat a Mediterranean diet can enjoy the dishes they love, while also learning to appreciate how good the freshest, healthiest foods can be.You must have the right ingredients on hand, know about some of the foods you’ll be eating, and have an idea of the meals you’d like to prepare. You’ll also want to gradually (or immediately, if you’re eager) rid the house of the foods that you’ll no longer be eating.

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While there are no supplements or specially packaged foods to buy, there are several key ingredients that you’ll need to stock up on, and you’ll also want to locate sources for the freshest and most healthful fruits, vegetables, and fish.Preparing for the Mediterranean diet is largely about preparing yourself for a new way of eating, adjusting your attitude toward food into one of joyful expectation and appreciation of good meals and good company. It’s as much a mindset as anything else, so you’ll want to make your environment one in which the Mediterranean way of eating can be naturally followed and easily enjoyed.Preparing for the Mediterranean diet can be as simple as getting out the good dishes so that you can fully enjoy your meals or visiting a few local markets to check out the freshness and prices of their offerings.You can take a month to prepare your pantry and yourself, or you can take just a few days, but a little time spent in advance can make all the difference in those first few weeks of your healthful new lifestyle.

Eating the Mediterranean way can not only improve your health and help you lose weight, but it can also encourage you to slow down, at least two or three times a day, and take a break from a hectic schedule and a busy life.The Mediterranean diet isn’t just about healthful living; it’s about joyful living!

Chapter 1 appetizer and SnaCk reCipeS

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1. Cucumber Sandwich Bites

2. Yogurt Dip

PreParation time: 5’

PreParation time: 10’

Cooking time: 0’

Cooking time: 0’

ServingS: 12

ServingS: 6

ingredientS

ingredientS

direCtionS

direCtionS

• 1 cucumber, sliced • 8 slices whole-wheat bread • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, soft • 1 tablespoon chives, chopped • ¼ cup avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed • 1 teaspoon mustard • Salt and black pepper to the taste

• 2 cups Greek yogurt • 2 tablespoons pistachios,

toasted and chopped • A pinch of salt and white

pepper • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped • 1 tablespoon kalamata olives,

pitted and chopped • ¼ cup zaatar spice • ¼ cup pomegranate seeds • 1/3 cup olive oil

1. Spread the mashed avocado on each bread slice, also spread the rest of the ingredients except the cucumber slices.

1. Divide the cucumber slices into the bread slices, cut each slice in thirds, arrange on a platter, and serve as an appetizer.

1. Mix the yogurt with the pistachios and the rest of the ingredients, whisk well, divide into small cups and serve with pita chips on the side.

nutrition: • 187 calories • 12.4 g fat • 2.1 g fiber • 4.5 g carbohydrates • 8.2 g protein

nutrition: • 294 calories • 18 g fat • 1 g fiber • 2 g carbohydrates • 10 g protein

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3. Tomato Bruschetta

4. Olives and Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

PreParation time: 10’

PreParation time: 10’

Cooking time: 10’

Cooking time: 0’

ServingS: 6

ServingS: 24

ingredientS

ingredientS

direCtionS

direCtionS

• 1 baguette, sliced • 1/3 cup basil, chopped • 6 tomatoes, cubed • 2 garlic cloves, minced • A pinch of salt and black

pepper • 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • ½ teaspoon garlic powder • Cooking spray

• 24 cherry tomatoes, top cut off, and insides scooped out • 2 tablespoons olive oil • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes • ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled • 2 tablespoons black olive paste • ¼ cup mint, torn

1. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, grease with cooking spray. Cook it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

2. Combine the tomatoes with the basil and the remaining ingredients, toss well and leave aside for 10 minutes. Divide the tomato mix on each baguette slice, arrange them all on a platter and serve.

1. In a bowl, mix the olives paste with the rest of the ingredients except the cherry tomatoes and whisk well. Stuff the cherry tomatoes with this mix, arrange them all on a platter, and serve as an appetizer.

nutrition: • 162 calories • 4 g fat • 7 g fiber • 29 g carbohydrates — 4 g

protein

nutrition: • 136 Calories • 8.6 g fat • 4.8 g fiber • 5.6 g carbohydrates • 5.1 g protein

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5. Red Pepper Tapenade

6. Coriander Falafel

PreParation time: 10’

PreParation time: 10’

Cooking time: 0’

Cooking time: 10’

ServingS: 4

ServingS: 8

ingredientS

ingredientS

direCtionS

direCtionS

• 7 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped

• ½ cup parmesan, grated • 1/3 cup parsley, chopped • 14 ounces canned artichokes,

drained and chopped • 3 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ cup capers, drained • 1 and ½ tablespoons lemon

juice • 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans • 1 bunch parsley leaves • 1 yellow onion, chopped • 5 garlic cloves, minced • 1 teaspoon coriander, ground • A pinch of salt and black

pepper

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper • ¼ teaspoon baking soda • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder • 1 teaspoon lemon juice • 3 tablespoons tapioca flour • Olive oil for frying

1. In your blender, combine the red peppers with the parmesan and the rest of the ingredients and pulse well. Divide into cups and serve as a snack.

1. In your food processor, combine the beans with the parsley, onion, and the rest of the ingredients except the oil and the flour and pulse well. Transfer the mix to a bowl, add the flour, stir well, shape 16 balls out of this mix and flatten them a bit.

2. Preheat pan over medium-high heat, add the falafels, cook them for 5 minutes on both sides, put in paper towels, drain excess grease, arrange them on a platter and serve as an appetizer.

nutrition: • 200 calories • 5.6 g fat • 4.5 g fiber • 12.4 g carbohydrates • 4.6 g protein

nutrition: • 122 calories • 6.2 g fat • 2 g fiber • 12.3 g carbohydrates • 3.1 g protein

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