You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to experience heart-healthy Mediterranean cooking. Dr. Sutherland, AHI Cardiologist, has provided recipes for simple Mediterranean meals you can make at home. A typical Mediterranean-style diet emphasizes bread, root vegetables, green vegetables, olive oil, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds and fruit. It de-emphasizes beef, lamb and pork. Enjoy these heart-healthy and delicious meals!
4 cloves - Peeled garlic
2” piece - Fresh ginger root
6 - Scallions, trimmed
1 fistful - Fresh cilantro
1 - Jalapeno pepper or
1/2 tsp - Ground hot chile pepper
1/3 cup - Fresh lemon juice
Pinch - Saffron (optional)
2 tsp - Paprika 1/4 tsp - Salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste 1/2 cup - Olive oil
Coarsely chop the garlic, ginger root, scallions and coriander leaf. Trim and chop the jalapeno pepper, if used. Place the chopped ingredients in a blender or food processor to pulverize them. Add lemon juice and spices and process to make a thick paste. Slowly add the olive oil with the blender/processor running into you have a smooth emulsion.
3 lbs - Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups - Onion, grated
6 cloves - Garlic, chopped 1/4 cup - Canola oil 1/4 cup - Chopped cilantro
1 tsp - Ground ginger
1 tsp - Sweet paprika 1/4 tsp - Ground cumin 1/4 tsp - Ground black pepper
1 pinch - Saffron
1 cup - Water or broth
1 cup - Kalamata olives, pitted
2 - Preserved lemons, rinsed and chopped
Juice to 2 lemons
1. Place the chicken, onion, garlic, oil, cilantro, spices and water in a crock pot. Mix thoroughly.
2. Cook on low heat for 6 - 8 hrs.
3. Add the olives, preserved lemons and lemon juice and cook for 10 min.
4. Add more water or boil and reduce the sauce as needed before serving.
In a food processor or blender, chop the garlic and citrus peel. Add paprika, salt and pepper. Add potato and blend, adding water as necessary to make a smooth paste. Slowly pour in the olive oil. Add the cilantro and pulse to blend.
1/2 cup - Olive oil
3 - Trout, cleaned 1/2 cup - All-purpose flour 1/4 cup - Chopped onion
2 TBS - Orange peel, julienned
1 cup - Dry white wine 1/2 cup - Fresh squeezed orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp - Salt
1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Role the trout lightly in the flour. Saute the trout in the oil for about 4 min on a side, turning once, until the it are lightly browned. Transfer the fish in a single layer to a deep dish.
3. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and sauté until it is golden.
4. Add the orange peel and cook for 30 sec.
5. Add the white wine and stir until it comes to a boil. Add the orange and lemon juice and cook for another minute.
6. Pour the contents of the skillet over the fish. Allow to cool, and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature.
1 10-oz box - Couscous
2 tbs - Olive oil 1/2 tsp - Salt
Fresh vegetables - baby carrots, cauliflower florets, fresh green beans, asparagus, frozen baby peas, small fresh tomatoes - whatever looks good
1 pkg - Fresh basil, chopped 1/2 cup - Raisins
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the olive oil, salt and couscous, stir, and remove from heat. Let sit 5 min and turn out into a bowl. Stir with a fork to break up any lumps and allow to cool.
2 tsp - Cumin seed 1/2 tsp - Black peppercorns
1 - Small fresh hot pepper
1 handful - Fresh cilantro
2 tbs - Fresh mint
3 cups - Non-fat unflavored yogurt
Toast the cumin seed and peppercorns in a dry skillet until the cumin is very lightly browned; grind the spices. Chop the fresh hot pepper, coriander and mint together. Mix the spices and herbs into the yogurt. You can use this mixture both to baste the vegetables as they grill and as a sauce for the finished product.
1 cup - Lentils de puy
1 quart - Water 1/4 cup - Cognac (optional) 1/2 cup - Oil
2 tbs - Sherry or wine vinegar 1/2 tsp - Salt
1 tsp - Dijon mustard
Rinse and clean the lentils. Add the water and bring to a boil, skimming if needed. Simmer 20 min, add the cognac if desired, and cook another 10 min or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils and place in a serving bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients to make a vinaigrette and stir into lentils. Let stand for several hours before serving.
Trout, cleaned
1 cup - Flour 1/2 cup - Olive oil 1/2 cup - Onion, diced
1 cup - Freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup - White wine
1 tsp - Grated orange rind
Juice of 1 lemon
Roll the trout in the flour to give them a light covering. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the trout for 3 - 4 min on each side. Remove the trout to a deep dish.
Sauté the onion in the oil until it is golden. Stir in the orange juice, white wine, orange peel and lemon juice and heat until the mixture is just bubbling. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the trout.
Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate. The trout should marinate for at least 12 hours before serving.
In a blender or food processor, mince the garlic and ginger root. Grind the whole spices and add to the garlic and ginger. Add the paprika, ground cinnamon, lemon or lime juice, salt and oil and blend briefly. Add the yogurt and blend.
6 tbs - Sesame seeds
1 tsp - Cumin
1 1/2 tsp - Ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp - Salt
Ground pepper to taste
2 tbs - Fresh lemon juice /4 cup - Honey
Toast the sesame and cumin seeds in a dry skillet until they are very slightly browned. Grind the sesame seeds and spices and combine with the other ingredients. (You may need to warm the honey slightly in the microwave.)
5 - Lemons 1/4 cup - Salt
2" - Cinnamon stick
3 - Whole cloves
6 - Coriander seeds
4 - Peppercorns
1 - Bay leaf
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1. Slice the lemons in quarters but leave the quarters attached at one end.
2. Sprinkle the cut lemons with salt.
3. Pack the lemons into a sterile Mason jar.
4. Add the rest of the salt and the spices to the jar.
5. Cover the lemons with additional lemon juice as needed.
6. Allow to marinate in a warm place for 30 days. Shake the jar periodically.
2 lbs - Fresh swordfish steaks, sliced ˝ thick
1 tsp - Salt
2 tbs - Lemon juice
1 tsp - Fresh oregano 1/4 cup - Olive oil
Black pepper to taste
Combine sauce ingredients. Grill the fish for 1 ˝ min on each side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter; spoon the sauce over the fish and serve at once.
You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to experience heart-healthy Mediterranean cooking. Dr. Sutherland, AHI Cardiologist, has provided recipes for simple Mediterranean meals you can make at home. A typical Mediterranean-style diet emphasizes bread, root vegetables, green vegetables, olive oil, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds and fruit. It de-emphasizes beef, lamb and pork. Enjoy these heart-healthy and delicious meals!