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ISBN: Print 978-1-64739-743-2 | eBook 978-1-64739-445-5
R0
For my greatest loves, Matthew and Cash.
Contents
Growing up in a Southern home meant my life was always filled with delicious foods. My childhood was packed with family meals, Sunday dinners, holiday gatherings, and fellowship with friends centered around our favorite things to eat.
From then until now, food has consistently been a huge part of my life. Whether at the stove cooking a meal or simply sitting on the piano bench on the back side of my grannys dining table, much of who I am has been defined by my experiences with food.
Its no surprise then that my journey took me from baking cookies for my crush as a young teenager to becoming a food blogger as an adult. Food is not just a part of who I amits one of the ways I show love to those around me.
The air fryer came into my life a few years ago as a way to help satisfy my cravings for delicious foods while remaining true to a healthier lifestyle. After being diagnosed as a diabetic, I had to make changes to my diet.
Striving for a better way to eat, I gravitated toward the fresh vegetables, lean protein, and healthy grains of the Mediterranean diet. It became a naturally easy choice to use foods I already loved to build a manageable food plan that left me satisfied and healthy, while remaining true to my dietary needs.
Using my air fryer regularly was the obvious choice for creating meals I not only enjoyed but craved. It helped me make healthier versions of the recipes I loved, and I quickly discovered how versatile it was for my daily routine.
My favorite granola became surprisingly simple to make, and I could make it in small batches without leftovers that went to waste. I could also make a healthier version of pita chips to dip in fresh hummus. When dinner rolled around, an easy meatless meal of falafel and salad was simple to make and delicious to eatand was no longer loaded with added unhealthy fats from deep-frying. There was no question that the air fryer would become mandatory in nearly every meal I prepared.
When I was approached to write a cookbook, I knew the air fryer had to be a big part of the process. Combining the air fryer with an eating plan that is more lifestyle than diet made it a passion project.
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I enjoyed preparing them for you. Most of all, I hope they help you maintain the healthier lifestyle you need and want.
Clockwise from top left:
The road to a healthy lifestyle begins with what you eat. To help you get started on your journey, I will share all of my favorite recipes from the Mediterranean diet that are made partially or in full with the air fryer. I will also show you how to use the Mediterranean food pyramid to build meals that not only fuel your body, but satisfy your cravings without guilt.
If you already have an air fryer, you may have purchased it to enjoy guilt-free low-fat versions of traditionally fried foods. The air fryer, however, is not only a replacement for a deep fryerit is an incredibly versatile appliance that allows you to cook a wide variety of foods with greater ease, in less time, and with less mess than traditional cooking appliances.
My intention with this book is to help you understand the basics of the Mediterranean style of eating, while using your air fryer to its full potential. I will show you how to maintain the fresh flavors and wholesomeness of food through traditional Mediterranean cooking methods such as roasting, grilling, and bakingall in the air fryer. Most important, youll discover how Mediterranean cooking with the air fryer provides you with an easy and delicious way to achieve your health goals.
Eating a Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a style of eating based on the observed eating patterns of people in some areas of southern Europe along the Mediterranean, primarily Greece and Italy. While it did not gain widespread popularity as a diet until the 1990s, it has been a traditional way of eating in that part of the world for many centuries.
The Mediterranean diet focuses mostly on eating a delicious variety of plant-based foods, such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. It also uses healthy fats, such as olive oil. Moderate amounts of fish and other seafood are encouraged, but dairy, poultry, and red meat are limited for optimum health.
