10 Mediterranean Style Snacks Hummus with colorful vegetables makes a fun appetizer or anytime snack. Here is my easy recipe for homemade hummus. Sugar snap peas, raw out of the bag (washed, of course) are a sweet nibble. Yogurt layered with fruit is yummy for breakfast or dessert. Here is my easy recipe for a yogurt and fruit parfait. Whole grain crackers with goat cheese are full of flavor. Add a grape or slice of melon to the top for even more 'wow.' Oat granola, nuts & low fat milk, piled high with fresh berries. Sandwich pinwheels with colorful vegetables. Here is … [Read more...] about Mediterranean Style Snacks!
Olive Oil Basics 1: The Trees
Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 1 of a 3-part series. An Historical Olive Tree in Greece Olive trees, olives, and olive oil are a super important part of the culture and life in Greece. When I visited Greece, I learned fun facts about olives every day. When I visited the Greek Island of Crete, I began appreciating the olives' significance more than I ever had before. Imagine a tree, like the one in this picture, that is more than 3,000 years old. Can you? It was mind-blowing to me when I saw the tree and realized its history - including a branch that was cut, traveled … [Read more...] about Olive Oil Basics 1: The Trees
Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
Quality Ingredients Matter If you ask me, the quality of ingredients really matters when making a great summer basil pesto. Why? Because each ingredient contributes to the flavor you experience when you roll it around in your mouth and over your tongue. Let's look one-by-one at the ingredients in a super tasty basil pesto made in the summertime. If you need a recipe, here's my recipe for summer basil pesto. Fresh Basil: The very best basil for pesto is what you grow yourself. It's really fun to grow fresh herbs - and easy, too. Basically, you need to find a sunny spot in your … [Read more...] about Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
Fresh Herbs Make Flavors Pop and 3 Recipes to Prove It
Fresh herbs make food flavors 'pop' if you ask me. I mean everything with fresh herbs in it just tastes better. The nice thing is that you can easily find fresh herbs in the grocery store now. Or, look for them at your local farmer’s market or grow them yourself. Then, take them home, wash, chop and toss into breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The nutritional payoff with fresh herbs is their antioxidants and pigments which strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation in the body. Here are 3 recipes that are super delicious, easy, and their flavors 'pop' because of the simple … [Read more...] about Fresh Herbs Make Flavors Pop and 3 Recipes to Prove It
Mediterranean Turkey & Herb Meatloaf Recipe
Everyone loves comfort food and meatloaf is a perfect choice. By switching out the ground beef and switching in 93% lean ground turkey, along with flavorful fresh and dried herbs, this is a tasty Mediterranean version of your favorite dinner dish! Mediterranean Turkey & Herb Meatloaf Kids can help by cracking the eggs, measuring the dried herbs, and stirring everything together, with supervision. Makes 6-8 servings 1-1/2 pounds Lean ground turkey, 93% lean ½ large Bell pepper, any color, chopped 1 medium Red onion, chopped 2 large … [Read more...] about Mediterranean Turkey & Herb Meatloaf Recipe
10 Tips for Using Spices and Herbs
Are you an herbs-and-spices kind of cook? With all the good news about how they boost the immune system and lower risk for chronic disease, you'll want to use herbs and spices in your kitchen everyday. But how? 10 Easy Tips for Using Spices and Herbs - Getting Started Get started for using more spices and herbs by tossing out your very old ones. If they've been in your pantry for >3 years, then out they go. Next, go to the grocery store and buy new ones, two per shopping trip. If you see a sale, then buy three. Little by little, you'll own an assortment of fresh and flavorful spices … [Read more...] about 10 Tips for Using Spices and Herbs