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Spanakorizo is a traditional Greek Spinach Rice recipe loaded with nutrients from spinach plus flavor from garlic, onions, herbs, and fresh lemon juice. Serve this easy and delicious spinach rice recipe as a vegetarian main or a side dish. Photo Credit: Ali Redmond What is Spanakorizo? A soft and creamy spinach rice recipe, Spanakorizo and it’s cousin Greek Cabbage Rice (Lahanorizo) are considered classic Greek comfort foods. Spanakorizo is one of my go-to dishes, especially when I want something cozy while sticking to healthy, whole foods....

Called Kabak Tatlısı , this traditional Turkish pumpkin dessert is made by poaching pumpkin in a spiced syrup, then topping it with walnuts and tahini. Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and made with just 5 ingredients, it’s an easy holiday favorite! Photo Credits: Ali Redmond At home in Istanbul, we enjoy pumpkin as much in desserts as in savory dishes. Kabak tatlısı, one of our nation’s favorite pumpkin desserts, is the most delicious and easy candied pumpkin treat!...

These vegan crab cakes, made with canned artichokes and chickpeas, are more Greek than Maryland! Aromatic fresh dill, bright roasted red peppers, and a touch of smoked paprika give these meat-free delights a distinctly Mediterranean flare. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond As I have a vegetarian daughter, I am always looking for tasty dishes that are similar to what she ate as a carnivore. After trying these vegan crab cakes, she tells me this ticks all the boxes!...

This vegan chocolate pudding with nutty, creamy tahini and warming baharat spice is rich in flavor, lightly sweet and indulgent. Equally delicious for a date-night dinner or a lazy movie night in, this easy dessert recipe takes just one pot and 10 minutes of hands-on time! Photo Credits: Mark Beahm Vegan desserts have an undeserved reputation for lacking flavor or requiring specialty ingredients to compensate for the missing dairy and eggs....

This veggie sandwich recipe is packed with flavor and color! A rainbow of olives, carrots, tomatoes, basil, and pepperoncini, with creamy whipped feta and whole grain bread, makes for a healthy satisfying meal any time of the day. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Why This Recipe Works It’s great for meal prep: Make the feta spread, slice the veggies (all but the tomatoes), and assemble as needed! You can swap vegetables to use whatever is in season....

Wild rice salad is a feast for the senses! Nutty wild rice, jeweled pomegranate seeds, crisp apples, fresh herbs, and a lemony dressing combine to create a colorful, nutrient-rich, and flavor-packed side dish. Photo Credits: Christine Siracusa You know the saying, “We eat with our eyes first,” — well it’s true! Colorful food is pretty common when eating a Mediterranean Diet , but this wild rice salad takes eating the rainbow to a whole new level!...

Shrimp fra diavolo is a delicious Italian dish made with juicy, large shrimp cooked in a hearty, spicy tomato sauce with garlic, white wine, and fresh parsley. This spicy shrimp recipe is ready in 20 minutes, and it is great served with your favorite crusty bread, pasta, or rice. Fra diavolo Fra diavolo, pronounced fra-dia-voh-loh, is a hearty tomato-based sauce, typically made with familiar ingredients like tomatoes, onions, garlic, white wine, and oregano....

Give delicate rainbow trout a bold Mediterranean flavor with this easy baked trout recipe, complete with savory spices, lemon-garlic sauce, and fresh herbs. All you need is a baking dish and 20 minutes! Photo Credits: Mark Beahm Baking is, without a doubt, the easiest and most fail-proof way to cook fish. That’s true for salmon , cod , trout, you name it. You won’t get that crispy skin, but to me it’s a very worthy trade off for buttery-tender fish with almost no effort....

Burbara is a Middle Eastern creamy wheat berry pudding (or porridge), laced with warm spices, anise and fennel seeds, and topped with heaps of nuts and dried fruit. It is great served warm or cold! In the Levant, this dish is traditionally served on December 4 th to kick off the Christmas season. Big thanks to my friends Mai of Almond and Fig and Hisham Assaad, author of Bayrut: The Cookbook , for the inspiration and for sharing their sweet tradition with me....

This baked cilantro lime salmon recipe is your ticket to dinner in under 20 minutes, with big flavor and no fuss! Photo Credits: Ali Redmond I’m of the opinion that when salmon is cooked just right, it’s delicious with simply a pinch of salt and a generous drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. So I need little convincing to love this cilantro lime salmon recipe, which coats the fish in a zippy cilantro sauce and bakes it the oven until it’s perfectly tender....

Fregola Sarda With Broccolini and Basil is a simple yet vibrant vegetarian dish that combines nutty, toasted fregola sarda pasta with crisp-tender roasted broccolini, creamy cannellini beans, and fresh basil. PHOTO CREDIT: Ali Redmond If you’re a fan of pearl couscous , prepare to fall head over heels for its rustic Italian cousin: fregola sarda. The toasted pasta has a nutty flavor and chewy texture and is undoubtedly the shining star of this satisfying vegetarian meal that features traditional Italian flavors....

Flavorful, succulent, fall-apart tender boneless leg of lamb, seasoned Greek-style with loads of garlic, rosemary, oregano and citrus. Let your slow cooker do all the magic as this lamb leg cooks along with pearl onions in a special wine broth. Watch the how-to video toward the end of this post, grab all my tips and step-by-step below. (Don’t have a slow cooker? No worries! See braising instructions.) Turn this awesome leg of lamb into a Greek feast!...

This homemade chicken souvlaki recipe takes you to the streets of Athens! Complete with the best souvlaki marinade; instructions for indoor or outdoor grilling; and what to serve with your souvlaki. Be sure to see the video tutorial below. You simply cannot go to Greece without experiencing souvlaki. It’s a major Greek street food, and happens to be one of my favorites. What is Greek Souvlaki? Like Kabobs , the word Souvlaki simply means “meat on skewers....

This Greek sheet pan chicken recipe is a quick and easy dinner but so vibrant and flavorful. Chicken thighs, veggies, and big hunks of tangy feta stew in lemony, garlicky ladolemono dressing until everything is tender and golden brown. Photo Credits: Andrea Gralow I was once called the “sheet-pan queen” while testing recipes for my first cookbook . I wear this title as a badge of honor! I’ll admit a sheet-pan dinner’s main selling point is its convenience: One pan, 45 minutes, and a complete meal is on your table....

Whole grilled trout, stuffed with lemon and thyme, and drizzled with a bright green caper-herb sauce, is perfect for a backyard party. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond For trout that’s crispy on the outside and flaky and moist on the inside, grilled whole trout is the answer. The direct heat gives rainbow trout a delectable smoky flavor and sears the skin until it’s nice and crispy. In this recipe, we stuff rainbow trout with lemon and thyme sprigs to keep the flesh moist and add flavor....

Whether you call it a Holiday Sangria, Winter Sangria, or Christmas Sangria, this easy wine cocktail recipe is a delightfully cozy twist on the classic red or white Spanish Sangria. Simply stir together a big pitcher (or punch bowl!) for fuss-free entertaining this holiday season. Photo Credits: Elana Lepkowski Spanish sangria may bring to mind chilled glasses on a hot, sunny day, but think again—winter is citrus season! Fresh citrus is at its most lively during winter’s coldest days, which is why holiday sangria should be part of your festivities this year!...

Maamoul (Ma’amoul) are delicate date-filled butter cookies with a decorative pattern on the outside made by using a maamoul mold, a fork, or pinching the dough. Maamoul is on the dessert table throughout the Middle East for holidays and celebrations of all kinds. Photo Credits: Caitlin Bensel Molded, cut-out, and shaped shortbread cookies are a tradition in so many cultures for holidays and gatherings. My own Lebanese tradition of maamoul, molded filled butter cookies, is one that we look forward to as much for the making as the eating....

This healthy Mediterranean-style steamed salmon with garlic, lemon and fresh herbs is the perfect quick dinner (25 minutes start-to-finish!) You get spectacular results–perfectly cooked salmon that is tender, moist, and flavor-packed–with very little effort. Be sure to check out the step-by-step tutorial, and grab my tips and suggested sides and salads! I’m a big fan of salmon. It’s healthy. Quick. And frankly, it’s the perfect dinner when you want to look fancy but don’t want to work too hard for it....

If you’ve never made Mussels Marinara before, now is the time to discover what you’ve been missing. This healthy, zesty seafood recipe combines fresh mussels, garlic, tomatoes, and wine, plus a pinch of hot pepper. Photo Credits: Kathrine Irwin Mussels Marinara is a classic Italian-American seafood dish, starring fresh mussels in their shells, fresh tomato sauce, white wine, garlic, and spicy red pepper. A quick simmer brings it all together, creating a rich broth perfect for dunking grilled bread or Focaccia ....

Mahiche, Persian Braised Lamb Shanks, is a celebratory dish where lamb slowly simmers with warm spices, saffron, and a medley of aromatic vegetables until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Photo Credits: Ali Redmond Mahiche, Persian Braised Lamb Shanks, is a celebratory dish where lamb slowly simmers with warm spices, saffron, and a medley of aromatic vegetables until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Every bite is rich, flavorful, and perfect for serving over fluffy Persian dill rice....