Fig and Honeydew Pops

We have quite a bit of pop season left here in Florida but this recipe is coming in just under the wire for some of you. Enjoy a few icy treats while you still can. I'll waste no time with paragraphs - let's chill.

Gather:
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3 cups diced honeydew melon* 
6 figs, sliced
3 tbsp honey
juice of one lime
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

*I used an orange flesh honeydew - it's like regular honeydew with a hint of citrus!

• Process melon and yogurt until smooth. 
• Add honey and lime juice. Pulse a few times to combine. 
• Stir in coconut flakes. 
• Distribute fig slices amongst popsicle molds and top with honeydew mixture.
• Freeze until solid - if you can stand it, just let them freeze over night. (If necessary, straighten pop sticks after one hour or use tin foil caps with slits to hold sticks in place.)

Makes 8 sm/md pops.

Fig Pizza

I have a tendency to obsess over things. Right now, one of those things is le fig. I want to put them on and in everything. Mostly because they are pretty. Tasting delicious is a bonus. Let's get fancy...

Gather:
small red onion, sliced thin
5 tsp EVOO
salt
whole wheat pizza crust
ricotta, asiago and goat cheeses (amount to taste)
6 figs, sliced (I used a mixture of Brown Turkey and Black Mission figs.)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

• Saute onion slices over low heat with 4 tsp EVOO and a dash of salt until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Top pizza crust with a thin layer of ricotta. Grate a layer of asiago over the ricotta and finish with goat cheese crumbles. 
• Layer fig and onion slices on top. 
• Drizzle with 1 tsp EVOO and honey. Sprinkle with rosemary. 
• Bake for 10 minutes. 

Baked Grouper with Strawberry Salsa

Fish is a staple of the Mediterranean "diet" - shoot for fish dinners twice a week. Being a seafood lover living on the Gulf Coast (fresh!), I am happy to dine on creatures of the sea. And bay. And river. And lake and pond. I've never met a fish that I did not like (to chew on). I often hear people say that they do not enjoy fish because it's too...fishy. If you fall in that camp, try kicking it up a notch with fruit salsas. Let's bake!

Baked Grouper
2 large or 4 small grouper fillets
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried cilantro
salt
black pepper

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat bottom of baking dish with EVOO. 
• Place a layer of lemon slices on bottom of dish.
• Top lemon slices with grouper. Salt and pepper lightly. 
• Evenly sprinkle fillets with garlic powder, basil, and cilantro and top with remainder of lemon slices.
• Bake until fish flakes when you scrape it lightly with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Strawberry Salsa
1 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp honey

Mix all together and serve on top of baked grouper.

Fresh Raspberry Soda

Last time I tried to give blood, Diet Dr. Pepper spewed forth from my veins. On my quest to healthier insides, I began replacing some of my soda with...soda. Fruity, pink, good for you soda. Grab a sieve and let's get girly.

Gather:
1 cup raspberries
1 tsp lime juice
2 tsp agave nectar
1 cup soda water
Optional: splash of vodka

• Place sieve over a bowl and & drop raspberries in. Mash the berries with the back of a spoon so that juice flows through the sieve into the bowl. 
• Mix raspberry juice, lime juice and agave nectar in a glass and add a few cubes of ice.
• Grab the sieve full of raspberry bits and hold it over the glass of mixed juices and nectar. Pour soda water over raspberry bits and allow it to drain through sieve into your glass. 
• Add a splash (or two) of vodka if you so desire.

Snack Week Recipe: Roasted Cantaloupe Salad and Smoothies

Snack week continues with roasted cantaloupe salad and cantaloupe smoothies.

Cantaloupe doesn't stand a chance in my house. It's one of my favorite fruits and sometimes disappears before it reaches the fridge. This week I practiced restraint all in the name of food blogging. Let's roast!

Roasted Cantaloupe Salad
2 cups bite-sized pieces of cantaloupe
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup coconut flakes

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and cube cantaloupe. 
• Place cantaloupe on baking sheet and roast until it begins to caramelize, roughly 35 minutes. 
• Allow to cool.
• Toss cooled cantaloupe, chopped nuts, Greek yogurt and coconut flakes. Makes about 1 cup.
• Hint: if you want to serve this to folks, set aside a few of the prettiest pieces of roasted cantaloupe, a spoonful of nuts and some coconut flakes. Sprinkle each over the top of the salad. Looks matter. 
• Eat!

Cantaloupe Smoothies
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt 
1/2 cup reduced fat organic milk
2 tbsp agave nectar

• Throw all ingredients in a food processor. Process until desired texture is reached. I let mine run about 1-1.5 minutes for a smoothie with no chunks . Makes a pint and a half.

Snack Week Recipe: Fruit & Nut Squares

Snack week continues with fruit & nut squares! Which coincidentally was my nickname in high school. Let's do this.

Gather:
1.5 cups mixed nuts
3 cups dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, pineapple, papaya, coconut)
1 tbsp honey
Additional 1/2 cup dried fruit for topping

• Pulse mixed nuts in food processor until finely chopped. Set aside.
• Process dried fruit and honey until it forms a paste. 
• Add nuts back to mixture and pulse until combined. 
• Roll "dough" out on baking sheet and cut into squares.
• Sprinkle remaining dried fruit over squares and press into top.
• Refrigerate for one or more hours prior to serving. (Squares will taste great if you skip this step but will hold up much better after spending some time in the fridge.)

Makes roughly 15 1 inch x 1 inch squares. Store in air tight container in refrigerator. 

Snack Week Recipe: Black-eyed Pea Hummus

Snack week continues with black-eyed pea hummus! 

I have yet to meet a hummus that I do not like. I usually eat chickpea based hummus, but black-eye based is a delicious departure from the norm. 

Grab the vegetable chips we made yesterday and get cookin'.

Gather:
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained 
1 head roasted garlic*
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp cajun seasoning 1 tsp
1/2 cup tahini 1/3 cup
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
dash of sea salt

• Place black-eyed peas, roasted garlic, lemon juice, paprika and cajun seasoning in food processor. Process until pureed. 
• Add tahini, olive oil and sea salt. Pulse until well combined.
• Garnish with fresh chives, cilantro, a few drips of evoo and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with baked pita chips or vegetables.

*Don't want to wait for roasted garlic? Cut the top off the head, place it in a microwave-safe dish and drizzle it with evoo. Add a little water around the garlic (about 1/4 as high as garlic) and cover the dish. Microwave for a few minutes at a time, checking to see if the garlic has softened up.

P.S. The owner of my favorite produce market/Asian grocery store questioned my use of black-eyed peas on a recent tahini trip. What's your verdict? Yea or nay? 

Snack Week Recipe: Vegetable Chips

Snack week continues with vegetable chips!

I generally prefer to eat vegetables raw. Wash and go. It's a texture thing - squash may be the worst offender when it comes to cooked vegetables. I can't stand the squish. 

Chips don't squish. Let's make some chips.

Gather:
Vegetables (such as potatoes, carrots, zucchini, kale, beets, fennel, squash, etc)
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil per vegetable used
1/4 tsp sea salt per vegetable used
1/4 tsp seasoning per vegetable used

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Wash and DRY desired vegetables and thinly slice (I used sweet potatoes, beets, zucchini and kale). 
• Toss with olive oil, sea salt, and seasonings (I used Cajun seasoning and dried cilantro) until evenly coated.
• Place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake until crisp. (10 min for kale; 30 - 40 min for others, flip half-way through)

Your chips should last a few days stored in airtight container. Pop them in a hot oven for a few minutes if they feel a little soft.

The kale chips are definitely my favorite. If you try this recipe, give me a shout - let me know which you like best.

Snack Week Recipe: Roasted Chickpeas Two Ways (Salty and Sweet)

It's snack week on Turning Mediterranean! I am a snacker. I often eat snacks for meals. And snacks for snacks. First order of snack week: roasted chickpeas.

I may love chickpeas too much. I toss them in salads and mash them in sandwiches and pluck them straight from the can. With a side of hummus. In my book, chickpeas are the perfect snack food: healthy, easy and delightful to the tongue. Why am I still typing? Let's cook!

Gather:
Two cans chickpeas
1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
(alternatives are offered for the following - see recipe)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried cilantro
2.5 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Step One: Crunch 

• Drain and rinse two cans of chickpeas.
• Rub peas between two paper towels to dry them out a bit. Remove any loose skins.*
• Spread chickpeas in even layer on baking sheet and place in oven. After 15 minutes, give the baking sheet a little shake to toss the chickpeas. Return to oven and bake until almost crisp (about 10 min). Leave the oven at 400 for the next step.

Step Two: Season
While still hot, divide crunchy chickpeas in half.

• SALTY: Toss half of the chickpeas with
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• garlic powder, Slap Ya Mama and cilantro (experiment! try spices such as paprika, cumin, curry powder, lime salt, black sesame seeds, etc if garlic and slap aren't your faves)
• SWEET: Toss remaining half of chickpeas with
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• brown sugar and dried rosemary (try with honey, cinnamon and nutmeg if brown sugar and rosemary isn't your bag)

After chickpeas are evenly coated, return baking sheet. Make a tin foil barrier between the two to keep flavors from mixing. Place in oven until crispy (about 10 min). Store cooled left-overs in an airtight container.

*It is entirely possible that I just eat the skins as I remove them. This is a judgement-free zone.

Recipe: Watermelon Gazpacho

There is only one thing better than picking vegetables from your very own garden when you are eating fresh - picking vegetables from someone else's garden. Enter my pops. He grows a terrific garden every year. And it's only a couple minutes away from my house. 

If you have two minutes, hang in the garden with me. If you hate relaxing things like nature scenes and bird songs, skip to the recipe.

A decorating blog I read on the regular, Decor8, features Liz and Jewels, two girls who cook on two continents, once a month. Jewels just posted about Watermelon Gazpacho on Decor8. That's a bit of a web to weave but hopefully it's not too tangled. I'm not a huge fan of watermelon (texture issues, I got 'em) or gazpacho, but something about this recipe made me want to give it a try. 

Jewels says to use any colorful vegetable you desire in the recipe. So I did. Let's get processing!

Watermelon Gazpacho (adapted from Decor8)

3 slices watermelon (I'll add more next time, I was a bit watermelon shy. Don't be like me.)

1/2 each of green, red and yellow bell pepper

1 cucumber

1 large tomato

1/4 red onion

1/2 cup chopped eggplant

generous handful of cilantro 

juice of one lemon

dash of salt 

goat cheese, crumbled

Throw everything except the goat cheese into a food processor (or blender) and process the heck out of it. When you reach the desired consistency, serve it up and throw a little pico de gallo (made from the left-over pieces of vege for the gazpacho), cilantro and goat cheese on top. Eat!

**Also, sorry I stopped blogging for 1.5 months. I'll not do that again.

Recipe: Saucy Singles Egg Bake with Goat Cheese

I believe I've already mentioned (500-ish times) that I like my weeknight recipes to be easy. Just like my men! Bazinga. Here's another that fits the bill. And if you think ahead, you can get multiple meals out it. 

This may be my favorite recipe on the blog so far. It's eggy, a little spicy, fresh and comfortable. I want to put on a cable-knit sweater and eat this every day. I call it a singles egg bake because it is cooked in single-serving ramekins, but it also makes for a great single person meal. Leftover sauce can be saved in the fridge for a few days. When you're ready to eat it, break and bake, baby.

(makes 2 individual egg bakes)
tbsp EVOO
1/8 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 clove garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, diced
sprinkle each of crushed red pepper, paprika, chili powder
1/2 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp goat cheese (+ extra to top)
tbsp cilantro
sprinkle of sea salt
sprinkle of black pepper
scallion, diced
2 eggs

1. Heat EVOO in sauce pan over med heat. 
2. Cook onion until translucent. 
3. Add garlic - cook for about one minute. 
4. Add diced tomatoes.
5. Stir in crushed red pepper, paprika and chili powder. Cook about 10 min (until tomatoes are soft and sauce looks juicy), stirring occasionally. 
6. Heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray individual ramekins with oil.
7. Remove sauce from heat and stir in oregano and goat cheese. 
8. Place 1/2 of sauce in each ramekin. Push a little dent in the middle with a spoon. 
9. Break one egg into the dent. 
10. Bake until white is cooked but yolk is runny (roughly 10 min). 
11. Allow dish to cool. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, scallion, cilantro and extra goat cheese.

Recipe: Shrimp Spring Roll 3 Ways

Tonight I'm injecting a little Asian persuasion into Turning Mediterranean because I can't think of a better, or easier, way to showcase fresh ingredients than inside a spring roll. Plus. I like eating with my hands. 

Now boil some small shrimp and let's get this party started.

Note: Amounts of ingredients will vary depending on the size of your rice paper, how full you like your spring rolls and how many spring rolls you are making. I have included photos of my ingredient plates as a reference for how much of each ingredient I put in one roll. 

Gather ingredients.

One: Strawberry Shrimp Spring Roll

(Trust me. Strawberries taste good with almost everything. )

small shrimp                               unsweetened coconut flakes
sliced strawberries                     crumbled goat cheese

slivered almonds

Two: Traditional Shrimp Spring Roll

small shrimp                              cilantro

sliced red cabbage                     sliced scallion

slivered almonds                        unsweetened coconut flakes

Three: Spicy Shrimp Spring Roll

small shrimp                               lime juice

sliced red cabbage                      chili paste

cilantro                                       sliced scallion

To assemble:

Fill a shallow dish with warm water. Dip rice paper into water, one sheet at a time, for a few seconds then place on a flat, dry surface. Allow the rice paper to sit until pliable - around one minute. Place ingredients on one side of rice paper. Do not overfill. Gently pull edge of rice paper closest to filling over ingredients and firmly tuck filling under. Roll. After one or two rolls, stop and fold ends in. Continue to roll carefully but firmly to the end. 

It is best to eat these fresh as rice paper doesn't store well. If you must transport them, wrap each roll individually so that they do not stick together.

I intended to tell you which roll was my favorite but I can't! They were all so good. Tell me, how do you roll?

Recipe: Healthy Chicken Casserole

Not really a looker but...

Y'all. This healthy chicken casserole doesn't taste a bit healthy. So garlic-y and flavorful and fulfilling. This is comfort food. Fried chicken strips who? 

Plus, after a bit of prep, you throw it in the oven and take care of business while it gets itself ready for your mouth. 

Gather:
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, brought to room temp
basil pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
almond flour

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Saute chicken bites in olive oil and Italian seasoning until just beginning to brown on all sides. 
• Combine Greek yogurt and chicken in small casserole dish and drizzle generously with pesto.
• Sprinkle cheese over top.
• Add a thin layer of almond flour.
• Bake 30 minutes. 
• Eat! Remember, 1/2 vege, 1/4 whole grain, 1/4 lean protein.

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Recipe: Chickpea Salad

Sometimes your grannie's 90th birthday party starts at 5:45 and you get off work at 5:00 about 45 minutes away from party central and still have to swing by your house so you need something (a) super easy (b) healthful and (c) tasty that you can throw together the busy night before and grab out of the fridge in a mad dash to be fashionably late. During those times, you need chickpea salad.

1 cup spinach, finely chopped in food processor
4 cans chickpeas
10 oz grape tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 lime

Rinse and drain chickpeas and place in a large bowl. 
Add all ingredients except lime and goat cheese. Toss.
Just before serving, squeeze juice of lime and crumble goat cheese over top. Toss again.
Eat. Remark on the freshness.

(Hack: Go heavier on the tomatoes and onion and add a jalapeno pepper or two for a sort of chickpea pico de gallo for enchilada night with your Bible study group. I did.)

Recipe: Super Easy Pesto Chicken Pizza

It's possible that I forgot to photograph this pizza when it was fresh out of the oven and looking its best.
It's possible that I warmed up a slice for breakfast just so I could take a photo. The sacrifices I make for blogging.

Turning Mediterranean is not about giving up food you like to eat. It's about making food you like to eat better. It's about saying yes. Today we say yes to pizza.

Confession: I do not like pizza sauce. I've been called un-American for this very reason. Pretty sure pizza sauce is not American so I remain secure in my citizenship. For now. Basil pesto has been the basis for many a pizza in my household (the word "household" totally applies when it's just you and a cat). It's herby and garlicy and olive oily - pretty much the best things that food can be. Grab your greens and we'll hop to.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
tbsp extra virgin olive oil
tbsp chili paste
pre-made whole wheat pizza crust of your choice (I used Mama Mary's. See my crust reviews.)
basil pesto (make it fresh - your taste buds will think you the coolest)
goat cheese, crumbled
mozzarella cheese, grated
cherry tomatoes, cut into slices/chunks

Preheat oven according to directions on pizza crust.
Heat EVOO and chili paste in saute pan over medium-high heat.
Saute chicken breast strips until just cooked through.
Spread pesto over pizza crust (as thick as you like it - remember, pesto is pretty flavorful).
Sprinkle mozzarella, tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese over top.
Strategically (or not) place strips of chicken on top of the other goodness and sprinkle more mozzarella & goat on top.

Bake about 10 minutes (may vary depending on type of crust used). When the cheese is melty and the tomatoes are soft, it's time to stuff pizza in your face take sweet nibbles between healthful bites of salad.

Product Review: Premade Whole Wheat/Grain Pizza Crusts

Unfortunately, I became a pizza girl just before turning Mediterranean. Once or twice a week I would drop by the Publix Deli to pick up a ball of pre-made dough (ain't nobody got time for homemade dough) and make a sauce-less pizza. Sometimes it was a honey and walnut sitch. Other times it was more along the lines of freshly grated cheese and tomatoes.

I won't lie - the dough was my favorite part. Maybe I had a bite or two raw. Maybe the toppings were just an excuse to eat the dough.

I almost gave up on pizza as I was certain that nightmares are made of a whole wheat/grain crust, but I'll try almost anything once. Enter my first two test subjects: Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain and Mama Mary's Whole Wheat Gourmet Crusts.

Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain

If you like a doughy pizza (as I normally do), this may be your whole grain guy. Cook it not quite long enough and you end up with some nice crust love-handles. The taste isn't quite like regular pizza crust. It is good, but I didn't feel 100% satisfied by it. Maybe I'll try cooking it a little longer next time.

Specs: 16 grams of whole grain per serving, 190 cal, 5g fat, 30g carbs, 3g sugar, 6g protein.

Rating: 4 out of 5 turkey pepperonis. 
 
Mama Mary's Whole Wheat Gormet Crust

So I kinda forgot to take a photo before tearing into this baby.

 
Mama Mary's is the WYSIWYG of the pizza crust world. There is no rising. There is no spreading. Basically, you pop a little heat on it and gets a little crusty. The toppings are the star of the show. That's really not such a bad thing. A slice (or two) of pizza made with this lady won't weigh you down. As far as taste - it really didn't seem much different from a regular thin crust.

Specs: made with 100% whole grain and honey, 90g cal, 3g fat, 18g carb, 0g sugar, 3g protein.

Rating: 5 out of 5 turkey pepperonis!

Up next, a pizza recipe of course. What kind of person would I be if I left you hanging with a crust review? 

Have you tried whole wheat/grain crusts?  Tell me about it.

Recipe: Flourless Pancakes

I. Love. Pancakes. Almost to an inappropriate degree. I knew I would need a <good> pancake alternative when I began turning Mediterranean. 

Most wheat flours I've looked at have been discouraging upon checking the ingredients, but almond flour has one ingredient. Almonds. Imagine that. Almond flour is just very finely ground almonds - the basis of this (white) flourless pancake. 

I'm happy with the outcome: a bit sweet and bit nutty. Like regular pancakes with an earthy kick. 

Let's do this.

Pancakes
1.5 cups almond flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp pure honey
1/4 cup organic milk

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on skillet. Flip after the edges are firm. Cook on reverse side 30/45 seconds. Makes about 7 medium pancakes.

Syrup Alternative
Rather than smothering my healthy pancakes with unhealthy syrup, I mixed 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp pure honey together, put a couple dollops on top and sliced a banana over it.


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Recipe: Shrimp & Tomato Soup

I'm all about easy cooking on weeknights. And a recipe that only calls for dirtying one pot? Yes ma'am. This dish is the sort that you can toss together while you pay more attention to the latest episode of The Walking Dead than to the stove. Invite a couple pals over because it's also the kind of dish that will have folks believing that you really know your way around the kitchen. It tastes...fancy.

1 tbsp evoo	couple shakes of onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced	1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cans of no-salt-added diced tomatoes (w/ juice)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro	1 scallion, chopped
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, precooked	2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onion powder and garlic; cook one minute. 
Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. 
Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer 5 minutes. 
Remove from heat, stir in cilantro, scallion, pepper and shrimp. 
Sprinkle with feta just before serving.

Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Meatballs

I love meatballs and I don't want to give them up to turn Mediterranean. Enter spicy chicken meatballs. They taste wonderful + it's almost shameful how easy they are to make.

One of my exes recently gave me a bag full o' Asian delights because I am such an awesome ex-girlfriend that my exes want to do things like give me food stuffs and hire me to build websites and ask me to go to cook a specialty dish for him and his new girlfriend (no, really). Chili paste, fish sauce and fried garlic, oh my! You know what is perfect for all of these ingredients? Chicken meatballs. The chili paste adds a nice subtle heat and the fish sauce adds a salty note. If I have to explain why garlic is a good thing, you are doing food wrong. 

Gather the following:
1 lb ground chicken                                 3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 scallion, sliced                                     handfull of chopped cilantro
1/2 tbsp fish sauce                                  1 tbsp Huy Fong chili paste
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil                      pinch of fried garlic

Mix all ingredients together. Get your hands in there!
Roll into preferred size meatballs and place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 minutes. Turn! Bake until they start to brown a bit.
(Cut one open to make sure they are cooked through - better safe than sorry.)

Optional Meatball Dip: Blend a block of light cream cheese with 4.5 tbsp of organic low fat milk until well combined. Stir in a bit of cilantro and the juice of two limes.