Mediterranean food is well known because it offers you an infinite number of benefits for the body. In addition to this, this diet offers a variety of flavors that will delight your palate and make you feel much healthier. For these reasons, this diet is among the healthiest today.
Among the main benefits of this diet are its potential to fight cancer and strengthen the heart. In fact, a recent study found that it might also be effective in preventing premature aging and reducing calcium loss from bones.
Discover the best recipes for Mediterranean food and manage to prepare delicious and healthy dinners.
4 delicious Mediterranean dinner recipes
1. Greek chickpea salad
With this salad you will enjoy many flavors of Mediterranean cuisine. It is a very simple and complete salad that has very tasty ingredients that will give this salad a delicious flavor. In turn, you will nourish your body so that you feel much healthier.
Ingredients for the salad:
- 2 cups chickpeas, well washed and drained.
- 1 red pepper, one yellow and one green.
- 1/2 small red onion.
- 15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/3 cup of pitted olives.
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 2 cups of feta cheese, crumbled
Ingredients for the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- 2 garlic cloves, finely crushed
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
- Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Then add it over the salad and stir again. Taste them and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate. You can also serve it immediately. If you want a much more concentrated salad, you can refrigerate it for 2 to 3 days.
2. Bowls of Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This recipe is ideal for those days when you want to prepare a delicious and different dinner. It is very easy to prepare and contains few ingredients.
You can easily prepare it on a special occasion and invite your family and friends and leave them delighted with dinner.
Ingredients for the roasted red pepper sauce
- 3 roasted red peppers.
- 1 clove garlic.
- ½ teaspoon of salt or to taste.
- juice of one lemon.
- ½ cup of olive oil and ½ cup of almonds.
For the Mediterranean bowls
- Cooked Quinoa.
- Spinach, kale, or cucumber.
- Feta cheese.
- Kalamata olives.
- Pepperoni.
- A red onion cut into thin wheels.
- Fresh basil or parsley.
- Olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper.
Preparation
- Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a food grinder or blender until mostly smooth. The texture should be thick.
- Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the package, or if you wish, you can cook it in a rice cooker.
- When you see that the quinoa is ready, serve it on the plates and add a little of the sauce. To make it last a little longer, it is better to save what you have left on separate plates and combine them just before eating.
3. Grilled avocado stuffed with chickpeas and tahini
This is a very crunchy and healthy recipe that you will not be able to stop trying. On the other hand, it is ideal for all those people who are lovers of vegetables and who want to have a gluten-free diet.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas, well cleaned and drained.
- Grape seed oil.
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- Salt and pepper.
- 2 large avocados.
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 15 cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. For each serving you should have an additional lemon.
- 2 teaspoons of Tahini.
- Coriander, for garnish
Preparation
- Preheat the grill over medium-high heat.
- Place the rinsed chickpeas on a paper towel and pat them dry. Transfer them to a small bowl.
- Drizzle the chickpeas with Pompeian grape seed oil, then mix with the smoked bell peppers, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chickpeas at the bottom of a grill pan, form a kind of flat layer and cook for 10 minutes, add oil again.
- Place on the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Then sprinkle the chickpeas again with grapes and stir.
- Cook for another 10-12 minutes until slightly charred and crisp. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Drizzle them with grapeseed oil and add a little salt and pepper to taste. Then grill them for about 5 minutes.
- While the avocados are cooking, combine the cucumbers, tomato, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Divide the cucumber mixture between each avocado half, making sure to place them well in the center of the avocado.
- Top each avocado half with 1 tablespoon of chickpeas and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of Tahini and finally garnish with the cilantro.
4. Mediterranean pizza
With this recipe you will be able to prepare a delicious dinner in 25 minutes . It is a tasty bread made with vegetables including artichokes, tomatoes and red bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes, diced small
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 1/4 cup artichokes, chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers
- 4-5 garlic cloves roasted, finely crushed
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup of feta cheese
- 4 balls of pizza dough
Preparation
- Add the tomatoes, olives, artichokes, red bell peppers, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley to a small bowl. Mix well until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 230 °. Roll out the pizza dough into a medium rectangle approximately 8 “x 12”.
- Put a little oil on a tray and add the pizza dough.
- Drizzle some olive oil over the pasta, add the mixture and the feta cheese.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the dough is crisp, and finally add the parsley.
Reference
- Pashman, H. 11 Mediterranean-Inspired Dinners to Spice Up Your Weeknight Routine. For Greatist. [Revised November 2016]
