Learn how to make this rosemary focaccia bread recipe with an extra kick of flavor from roasted garlic. Once you master this crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside Italian bread you’ll make it on repeat! Photo Credit: Alison Bickel Making rosemary focaccia (fuh-kaa-chuh) bread is an immersive experience. Watching the dough transform from a sticky mass to a chewy, golden sheet of pillowy bread dotted with rosemary, roasted garlic, and olive oil is nothing short of miraculous....

Fluffy and fragrant, this recipe for saffron rice (also known as yellow rice) is quick, easy, and comes together in less than 30 minutes, adding vibrant color and floral notes to your weeknight dinner routine. Photo Credits: Mariam Hamdy Saffron rice is a vibrant, flavorful, and delicious staple of Persian cuisine. To make it, cook white rice in an aromatic vegetable broth or chicken stock, scented with saffron, giving the once plain rice a bright yellow color, along with subtle floral and earthy notes....

This flavor-packed rosemary chicken and vegetables is a winner on all fronts! It takes one sheet pan, and you’ll love the comforting Mediterranean flavors from piney rosemary, garlic, warm spices, a splash of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. If you ask my husband or one of your closest friends, they’ll probably tell you I’m dubbed “the one-pan queen.” I do use my cast iron skillet as much as I use my sheet pan, but you get the idea–fewer dishes is always my goal!...

This sweet potato salad recipe is both hearty and refreshing at the same time. Loaded with almonds, red onion, feta, couscous, arugula, and a honey-lemon dressing, this salad isn’t just full of color and texture—it’s filling enough to be a meal on its own. Photo credit: Ali Redmond As someone who loves hosting, I constantly search for ways to incorporate more salads into my menus, especially during the chillier months of the year....

Perfectly creamy, garlicky, and tart—this four-ingredient tahini sauce recipe makes everything taste better! Photo Credits: Suzy Karadsheh Tahini sauce–or “awesome sauce” as my girls like to call it–is a rich and savory condiment that’s loved all throughout Mediterranean and the Middle East. It’s a blend of nutty tahini paste with fresh lime or lemon juice, raw garlic, and a little bit of water. Just like with hummus , good tahini paste gives the sauce a velvety quality that’s totally addictive....

Delicate, flavor-packed fried eggplant with green peppers and tomatoes. This humble Mediterranean dish makes a great vegetarian main with your favorite grain or warm pita bread. You can also serve it as a side dish, or as an appetizer with other mezze favorites. Be sure to check out important cooking tips and see the step-by-step tutorial below. I was first introduced to this fried eggplant recipe with green peppers and tomatoes while on a tour of Turkey back in 2006....

These lasagna roll ups are my fun little twist on classic lasagna. For me, traditional Italian lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, but it can be a little heavy. True to my nature and my taste, I tried to incorporate all the flavors of lasagna, but with more nutrition and less fuss. Photo Credits: Andrea Gralow I’ve played with different versions of lasagna throughout the years including my gluten-free eggplant lasagna or turkey lasagna soup , but this vegetarian lasagna roll up recipe has to be one of my favorites....

Curious about following the world’s best diet, while eating delicious food and never feeling hungry? There are many reasons the US News and World Report recently selected the Mediterranean diet as #1 among the 40+ diets they examined. In today’s post, we dig into this important question: What is the Mediterranean diet and how to follow it? I put together a simple and complete resource that will help you start and enjoy this delicious way of eating....

Feta cheese is one of the most versatile ingredients in Mediterranean cooking, adding tangy, creamy, salty flavor to everything from salads and dips to roasted vegetables and sheet-pan dinners. Tirokafteri (Spicy Greek Feta Dip)Photo Credit: Mariam Hamdy If there’s one ingredient I almost always have in my fridge, it’s feta. This beloved brined cheese—traditionally made from sheep’s milk or a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk—has been a staple across Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean for centuries....

Thanksgiving is typically pie’s moment to shine, but there’s no reason to limit a spread of Thanksgiving desserts to pie exclusively! These make-ahead-friendly Mediterranean Thanksgiving dessert ideas prove that there’s room for more. Baklava CheesecakePhoto Credits: Mark Beahm Thanksgiving is a marathon, not a sprint, and when it comes to dessert, I want to offer something that feels as special as the rest of the meal. For me personally, pie will just never be it....

Basbousa is a rich and flavorful egg-free semolina cake drenched in a cinnamon syrup and topped with crunchy almonds and shredded coconut. My recipe, passed down from my aunt Maha, will teach you how to make Egyptian basbousa at home! Photo Credits: Mark Beahm Basbousa may not be as internationally famous as baklava , but for me, it’s pure childhood nostalgia. Growing up in Egypt, basbousa was a staple dessert at just about every celebration....

You’re going to love this colorful beet salad recipe with peppery arugula, juicy oranges, crisp apples, and creamy feta! Use pre-cooked beets for a restaurant-fancy salad you can make at home any night of the week! Photo Credits: Ali Redmond One of the first things I tell people about the Mediterranean Diet is that it’s as much about vibrant color as it is bold flavor. This beet salad is a perfect example: effortless, yet layered with so much flavor, color, and texture in one simple side dish!...

This chicken paella recipe is loaded with a medley of veggies and bold Spanish flavor. Endlessly impressive yet secretly easy, this is the one-pan chicken dinner you’ll add to your rotation! Photo Credits: Mark Beahm Saffron-infused paella is the quintessential Spanish meal, whether it’s classic Seafood Paella , Chicken Paella, or its vermicelli noodle cousin Fideuà . With its impressive presentation and layered flavors of saffron, paprika, and sofrito , it seems reserved for special occasions....

This easy rice pudding recipe is a favorite in my household! A Middle Eastern classic, this basic stove-top pudding is infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves. Make the night before your next dinner party, and serve with your favorite toppings—I love a Baklava vibe with crushed pistachios, cinnamon, and honey. Photo Credits: Mariam Hamdy I was inspired to make this easy rice pudding recipe after a particularly delicious lunch with my family at a local Turkish restaurant....

When you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen, try this easy turmeric chicken recipe with fennel, orange, and warming spices! Photo Credits: Suzy Karadsheh This turmeric chicken recipe is a no-fail situation that takes just 15 minutes of hands on time–the oven does the rest! It’s loaded with flavor from the savory, warming spice mix, and an easy marinade of olive oil, white wine, and citrus. Everything cooks in one pan!...

Straight from my Egyptian home, today is all about how to make dukkah–Egypt’s famous blend of nuts, seeds and warm spices. The heady seasoning you never knew you needed! Make this quick dukkah recipe and store it for use as a snack (with bread and olive oil ); as a crust for your meats; or as a nutty topping to add texture and flavor to anything from soups and salads , to chicken, fish or roasted carrots ....

You’ll love this easy farro recipe with mushrooms and peas, creamy and packed with flavor from fresh thyme, garlic, and a little Parmesan cheese. Think of this as a farro risotto type dish, but with far less TLC than your typical risotto requires! This farro recipe is perfect as a vegetarian main next to some fresh salad, or serve it as a side next to your favorite protein (I’ve got some ideas below)....

A quicker Fasolada (Greek Bean Soup) makes for a delicious and satisfying weeknight dinner. You’ll love the bold Greek flavors in this vegan and gluten free white bean soup with garlic, onions, celery and a generous drizzle of good Greek extra virgin olive oil . This Fasolada recipe takes a bit of a modern approach–a little shortcut makes all the difference! Fasolada Fasolada is a popular Greek bean soup, occasionally referred to as the national food of the Greeks!...

Made with just sesame seeds, honey, and no specialty equipment, Pasteli is an easy, gluten and dairy-free dessert you will make on repeat! Sweet, toasty, and satisfyingly chewy, this Greek sesame candy is perfect for snacks, holiday gifts, crumbling on yogurt, serving on cheese platters, and beyond. Photo Credits: Miriam Novoa Pasteli is a two-ingredient sesame candy that’s sweet, nutty, and buttery (but completely dairy-free). It’s often sold in little kiosks on the streets of Athens but is beloved all throughout the country....

You’ll love this tender, flavor-packed chicken kofta recipe made with a tantalizing mixture of ground chicken, fresh herbs & spices. Cook indoors or outdoors! And so many ways to serve it! Just last week, a reader wrote to ask if she can make kofta kebabs using chicken instead of ground beef or lamb. Why not?! With a few small tweaks to the original–mainly in the selection of spices and herbs–you can easily make chicken kofta....