More Than A Greek Salad: my new cookbook featuring the Mediterranean Diet

I have the pleasure to announce that my second cookbook has just been published on The Amazon Kindle.

Rocket, Pear and Pomegranate Salad

As I have a love for food and a sweet tooth, ever since I can remember myself, I used to carry a few extra kilos.

Nistisimo (Vegan) Cherry Cake

I went on my first diet after adolescence and since then I have been battling to control my weight.

Vegetarian  (Nistisimoi) Chickpea Patties with Minty Yoghurt Sauce

There were times I followed these silly crash diets some friends would recommend to me.  One of them was eating one kind of food a day, for example eating as much spaghetti as I wanted all day, then as much chicken the next day, or nothing but yoghourt, or only boiled courgettes (zucchini) etc.   Really, how much spaghetti, chicken, yoghourt or courgettes can you eat all day long?

Whole Wheat Penne with Sausage and Vegetables

I have tried various types of diets and although there was some weight loss, it was only temporary, as when you starve yourself, you lose some weight at first, but once you start to eat normally again, you end up gaining it all back again and even more.

Kebabs, Tomato Relish and Yiaourtlou Sauce

If you search the internet, you will find a plethora of information about the Mediterranean Diet, sometimes described in very scientific terms, which will probably only confuse you.  What I have aimed to do in this book is to take all of the research I have done and laid it out in simpler terms, so that you won’t have to spend endless hours cross-checking the information you come across and trying to decide which source is giving the best info.

Tourkakia (grilled offal)

During the first three years of blogging, I got carried away and lost track of what we (I refer to my family) should have been eating.  Seeing new recipes which I had never tried before made me want to try everything.

Peinirli (Pontian Cheese on Flatbread)

I loved learning more about cooking and the new horizon which was open to me, by using the internet to learn more about other cuisines and cooking techniques, apart from broadening my horizons, it also contributed to broadening my figure!

Salata Rossiki (A much healthier version of Olivier salad)

As that was not enough, to make matters worse, my blogging addiction meant that I was spending all day in front of a computer screen, and I became completely sedentary.

Tahini Artichoke Sauce

The increase in caloric input plus the decrease in physical activity lead to hypertension, high cholesterol, and back problems.

Fava Soup with Caramelized Onions

I knew I had to change my lifestyle immediately if I wanted to enjoy a healthy middle age, not to mention a long life.

Nistisima (vegan) low-fat Chocolate Cookies

In 2011 I started my final diet and have maintained my weight loss to this day. If I gain a couple of kilos over the holidays, I always make sure to lose them before I gain too many and they become difficult to lose.

Nistisimos (vegetarian) Moussakas and Melitzanosalata (eggplant dip)

My wish  now is to inspire more people to start eating healthier!

This new cookbook is a collection of over 250 of the best healthy Greek recipes as well as many of my own, based on the Mediterranean Diet, with no starving and no bland food.  My culinary skills and knowledge allow me to transform classic, traditional Greek dishes with healthy twists that don’t compromise on taste. Although many of the recipes in this cookbook have already been posted on my blog, many of them have been revamped to reflect my new lifestyle.  Unfortunately, these changes have not changed in the older posts, due to lack of time.

Red Pepper Pasta

Many new recipes have also been created exclusively for “More Than A Greek Salad”, always based on the principles of the Mediterranean Diet.  The pictures you see through this post are only a small sample.

Imam Bayildi

The cookbook is divided into three sections.  The first section covers useful information about the Mediterranean Diet, which in fact is not a diet but a lifestyle approach which leads to long, healthy lives with less chance of chronic disease.

Soupa me Kolokassi kai Prasso (Leek and Taro Soup)

The second section showcases those Greek recipes which are based on the Mediterranean Diet.

All the traditional recipes are in the cookbook but also the low-fat, but mouth watering recipes I came up with while I was on a diet.  Those of you who follow my blog already know that during this period I lost 18 kilos over the course of six months.

Xifias Plaki (Swordfish plaki-style)

The third section consists of a Diet Plan based on the recipes of the cookbook, from which you can choose what to eat.

 

Quinoa cake

For more recipes, please follow my blog Kopiaste (in English) and Κοπιάστε (στα Ελληνικά).

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,