I cook from the heart. In other words, I follow my whims and cravings. And, I have the hardest time following an exact recipe.
I do enjoy free-form cooking, but I have a few cherished cookbooks. My collection of cookbooks is small. On purpose. I only purchase books that I know will inspire me and support my family’s lifestyle.
And of course, I purchase cookbooks that I can take to bed at the end of a long day. What? You don’t do that?! You don’t thumb through pages of food-inspired stories and mouthwatering images until you fall asleep, only to dream of your next delightful recipe?!
For those who do…
And for all the home cooks who love to create something simple and new, here is a list of my current favorite cookbooks for a Mediterranean diet (and by diet I mean lifestyle):
Mediterranean Cookbooks and Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks
Mediterranean Cookbook; Editor in Chief Marie- Pierre Moine. Read my full review on this cookbook.
My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories; David Lebovitz
Jerusalem: A Cookbook; Yotam Ottlenghi and Sami Tamimi
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook; Yotam Ottlenghi and Sami Tamimi
Little Foods of the Mediterranean; Clifford Wright. This is an oldie-but-goodie; I’ve owned it since 2004!
And two more books which I will soon be reviewing here on the blog:
Rose Water and Orange Blossoms; Maureen Abood.
Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking;
The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey; Laila El-Haddad
As my cookbook collection grows, I promise to share more with you.
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So delighted to have found this site !!
I grew up as a teenager with wonderful Turkish exchange students in my home. (I’m 79 now so you can imagine how
long ago that was ! ) These 3 darling girls so far away from their homes couldn’t wait for the week ends when they came to our home & do their ‘home cooking”. I remember the glorious fragrances permeating our home on weekends.
So now that I’ve discovered your wonderful source, I’m surely going to try these recipes & buy ingredients. (While I’m thinking about it & being a senior & widowed, do you possibly honor North Carolina food stamps/EBT)
Thank you so very much for sharing cooking memories & your knowledge !
What a wonderful memory, Gale! Thanks for sharing! Regarding your question about food stamps/EBT, please reach out to our sales team at sales@themediterraneandish.com. They’ll be able to answer that question for you. Take care!
I changed my eating habits to vegan 3 years ago with one other hitch (no oil in the ingredients). I do eat a limited amount of nuts and seeds, not more than 1 cup every few weeks. No oil in cooking, just use wine, beer, veg broth and or water. Prior to this change was eating Mediterranean foods for the most part since working in Jerusalem Israel for Hilton International in F&B management in 1978. My question, is there a way you can think of that I could consider using tahini by pouring off all the oil at the top? For instance Is there another liquid that could be substituted such as wine, vegetable broth or water that would allow my use of this liquid ground sesame mixture or would this just not work when creating middle eastern foods that use tahini as an ingredient? I currently make a petty good hummus without tahini, but this is not so difficult, but not so sure this would work as well with baba ganoush for instance. I pour off the oil from almond butter for instance etc.
Hi, John. I can’t really give you a good answer here, as this pertains to your health (things you can/cannot eat). You may want to speak with a registered dietician or nutritionist who understands your dietary needs and would have more expertise in this area.
I absolutely love your recipes. Our local restaurant has a Melitzanosalata Dip. We have tried to recreate this and have never been able to get the right texture or color. Pretty sure they add either Greek yogurt or Feta. How does this differ from Baba Ganoush? Do you have a recipe? Why don’t you have cookbooks. I am old-school (I am old) and love cookbooks. Thank you for sharing these delicious recipes!
Thank you for sharing, Janet. I do not currently have a Melizanosalta dip, but it is slightly different than baba ganoush in that it does not use tahini paste. Melizanosalta may also have some red onion.
My doctor has recommended adopting the Mediterranean way of eating. I have noticed lemon is a staple in which I truly am not a fan of. Is there a way to still enjoy with using less ? ?
Hi Andrea, thanks for stopping by. You’ll find that you can adjust the use of lemon in most recipes. You can browse our free recipes here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/recipes/
Hello Suzy,
I have type 2 diabetes. Will this diet be good for me? Please let me know
Hi there! This is a great question that is more suited for your doctor or a healthcare professional who is more familiar with your health needs.