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Portokalopita is the easy make-ahead dessert recipe that dreams are made of. A decadent (butter-free) custard cake made with phyllo dough and finished with fragrant Honey-Orange Syrup. Photo Credits: Mark Beahm I was first introduced to this delicious Greek Orange Cake, called Portokalopita , while on a Mediterranean Dish community trip in Greece. Our group of 25 was taking a traditional cooking class in the heart of Athens, where we learned to make a meal of Greek classics....

Make the most of your summer tomatoes with this effortless dairy-free tomato tart recipe with peppery Dijon mustard and fresh herbs. The olive oil crust combines whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a perfectly flaky, nutty, and rustic touch. Photo Credits: Mark Beahm French tomato tart is a savory summer pastry with a rich and flaky dough, lined with a thin coating of pungent Dijon mustard, and piled with thick slices of juicy tomatoes....

Gelo di fragole , or Sicily’s version of strawberry pudding, is light, refreshing, and just sweet enough! This easy, make-ahead dessert takes only 7 ingredients, zero specialty equipment, and 15 minutes or less of hands-on time. Make it the night before your next dinner party or date night in! Photo Credits: Katherine Irwin We love our puddings in the Mediterranean and Middle East. We make them in just about every variety, from this fresh and light strawberry pudding, to floral and silky-smooth Mahalabia (Rose Water Milk Pudding) , to creamy cinnamon-scented Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding) ....

Skordalia is a beautiful Greek-style garlic dip that has a thick base of either day-old bread or mashed potatoes. This easy skordalia recipe is made of mashed potatoes and flavored with garlic, crushed almonds, and lemon juice. Extra virgin olive oil is the way to whip it all together into a smooth, tantalizing dip that you can serve chilled or at room temperature–as a starter to a tasty Greek meal or a side next to fish or even grilled souvlaki ....

This list of all-star Easter Recipes has something for everyone! From fall-apart tender Easter roasts to spring sides , bright salads and scrumptious Easter desserts that are anything but the ordinary pie. And a few Easter brunch recipes for those who love their eggs! Easter recipes with a Mediterranean twist! For my family, Easter dinner will be just the four of us at the table this year. But that won’t stop us from having a special meal!...

Make the most of spring with this collection of light and healthy spring recipes! Each celebrates the season’s sunny fruits and vegetables, like artichokes, peas, spinach, arugula, radishes, and asparagus. From spring salads to soups, sides, and spring dinner ideas, you’ll find 30 recipes filled with color and flavor. Photo ofPea Salad with Feta and Mintby Andrea Gralow I’m notoriously averse to rules, but I do have three Mediterranean Diet principles: Eat with the seasons, use mostly whole foods, and above all else, share....

Adas polo is a traditional Persian rice and lentil recipe seasoned with cinnamon and saffron, layered with caramelized onions, raisins, and dates, and finished with a crispy tahdig layer. As pretty as it is delicious, this fragrant golden rice deserves center-stage on your dinner table! Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Adas Polo is similar to Mujadara but with a different flavor profile. Both of these Middle Eastern recipes have rice, lentils, and onions as foundational elements, but they are seasoned differently....

These simple baked eggplant fries are the perfect snack or appetizer for a crowd. Crispy on the outside, velvety tender on the inside! Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Eggplant fries with Greek Tzatziki sauce make the perfect Mezze (appetizer) for a crowd. Plus, they are easy to prepare and a great way to use up eggplant when your garden is bursting with them. In this recipe, eggplant batons are coated in a simple seasoned breading and then baked in the oven....

My family’s secret homemade spaghetti sauce is easy to make using a few staple ingredients you may already have on hand! Perfectly thick and packed with flavor, you’ll be ditching that store bought pasta sauce! You can make this quick vegetarian pasta sauce ahead and freeze it for later use! And I’ve included a spaghetti meat sauce option for meat-lovers. Be sure to watch the video and grab all my tips below....

This hearty, healthy Italian Minestrone soup recipe is a great way to use up whatever vegetables you have on hand. Add in bite-sized pasta, fiber-rich beans, and flavorful tomato broth for a meal you’ll make again and again. Photo Credit: Ali Redmond When it comes to making dinner, this vegetarian soup recipe is at the top of my list. It’s healthy, budget-friendly, and totally adaptable to what you have on hand....

With tender roasted eggplant topped with a garlicky fresh tomato bruschetta, this Eggplant Bruschetta recipe is the vegan, gluten free appetizer or vegan entree everyone will love! Photo Credits: Bella Karragiannidis To be clear: this Eggplant Bruschetta it’s not exactly traditional (as if that’s ever stopped me). While Italians keep their bruschetta simple with good bread, olive oil, a rub of garlic, and sometimes chopped tomatoes, I think even nonna would like this fresh and zippy summer number....

Fried goat cheese with a savory za’atar and breadcrumb crust is a crunchy, creamy, tangy appetizer perfect for pleasing a crowd. But don’t stop there! Use these golden morsels to top your favorite salad or to replace croutons in a cozy bowl of tomato soup . Photo Credits: Andrea Gralow Fried goat cheese pulls out all the stops. Just like fried feta , it’s crispy, creamy, and tangy, so it has all the best flavors and textures covered....

Nutty parsnips become tender and beautifully bronzed when roasted with honey mustard glaze and finished with toasted hazelnuts in this simple side dish. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Parsnips are the underdog of the root vegetable world. They may look like beige carrots, but behind their mellow looks is a deep, nutty flavor with a hint of pepperiness (think parsley stems meets Yukon gold potatoes). They’re great steamed and mashed, pureed into soup, and deep fried in strips, but my favorite way with parsnips is to roast them....

Learn how to grill watermelon and turn it into a special summer appetizer everyone will love! This juicy grilled watermelon recipe is next level delicious thanks to a dash of Aleppo chili pepper flakes and a drizzle of honey-lime sauce. A must-try! I love fresh, sweet watermelon – especially in this Mediterranean watermelon salad with a bit of salty feta and herbs, or in a refreshing summer cocktail like my watermelon sangria ....

Ready to make the best steamed clams?! This recipe & tutorial will guide you through everything you need to know. Which clams to use? How to clean them? And most of all, how to prepare them Mediterranean-style in my delicious white wine broth with onions, garlic, bell peppers and fresh herbs! Watch the video below for how to cook clams. I grew up eating all kinds of seafood including clams, which I ate in all sizes–cold or hot....

This Mediterranean three bean soup recipe is one power-packed vegetarian and gluten free dinner to feed a hungry crowd! And if you ever thought beans are boring, this delicious, cozy soup, finished with a bold tomato pesto will blow your mind! Admittedly, I have had a long and stable love relationship with soup . Whether we’re talking a chunky soup like lentil soup with veggies or this Mediterranean fish soup , or something velvety like carrot soup or tomato soup , I’m all over a warm-your-belly pot of goodness....

You’ll love this satisfying and delicious farro salad recipe, prepared Mediterranean-style with peppery arugula, fresh veggies, feta and a good handful of walnuts. It makes a light weeknight meal and is even better for lunch the next day! This post is in partnership with California Walnuts in celebration of plant-forward eating. All opinions are my own. The answer to a delicious plant-forward dinner may already be in your pantry!...

A known dish in the Magreb, particularly Morocco and Algeria, Pastilla (or bastilla) is a savory chicken pie made with crispy, flaky phyllo dough and a tender shredded chicken filling, seasoned with warm North African flavors including Ras El Hanout , ginger, and cinnamon. You can make it in a skillet! I think of chicken pastilla, also known as bastilla or b’stilla, as an exotic North African version of chicken pot pie....

Pomegranate molasses is a beloved staple in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African cooking, prized for its intensely tangy-sweet flavor. It’s easy to make at home! Photo Credits: Elena Lepkowski You just need one ingredient to make pomegranate molasses: pomegranate juice! If you have a bunch of pomegranates on hand, this recipe will use up plenty of them. But there’s certainly no need to juice them from scratch. Bottled pomegranate juice also produces amazing results, and it’s my preferred method because it is so dang easy....

This juiciest roasted turkey breast makes a show-stopping holiday centerpiece without all the fuss! This easy recipe is perfect for entertaining crowds big and small. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Turkey wasn’t a staple in my childhood in Egypt, so creating a Thanksgiving turkey breast recipe was my chance to reimagine it completely. Naturally, I gave things my full Mediterranean treatment! I dry-brine the meat with a bold blend of warming Mediterranean spices like allspice, paprika, and nutmeg....