Serena Ball - The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

If there were a trifecta for cookbooks, The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook would be a winning bet for the planet and your kitchen. Deanna and Serena bring you well-crafted, healthy recipes, seasonal swaps, and tips to make your kitchen sustainable. Plus, their healthy kitchen hacks will have you cooking instinctually like a pro!

Lari Robling, author of the internationally acclaimed Endangered Recipes, independent radio producer and writer, and James Beard nominee for Best Food Radio

The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is not only delicious, but a nutritious collection of recipes that are good for your health and the environment, and easy on your pocketbook. The Mediterranean diet has long been known as one of the healthiest diets in the world because the people who enjoy this delicious cuisine are super healthy and free of many chronic diseases. If there is one diet plan that is universally good for health and the planet, its the sustainable Mediterranean diet. Everyone needs this cookbook by these very talented registered dietitian nutritionists who know the importance of delicious food, sustainability, protecting the planet, and eating a plant-forward diet for good health.

Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RDN, owner of No Nonsense Nutrition and host of True Health Initiatives True Health Revealed podcast

So much more than a cookbook, [The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook] is a path to sustainability and health through delicious, nutritious food. The top 10 eco-friendly kitchen guidelines are approachable and innovative. Serena and Deanna provide crave-worthy Mediterranean-style recipes that are simple and tasty.

Chef Abbie Gellman, MS, RDN, CDN, author of The Mediterranean DASH Diet Cookbook and Instant Pot Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

In The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly share resourceful and sustainable cooking tips inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. These creative, easy recipes put flavor first and are built around ingredients that nourish both people and the planet.

Kelly LeBlanc, MLA, RD, LDN, director of nutrition at Oldways

Also by Serena Ball, MS, RD, and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD

The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

Easy Everyday Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

This book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical advice. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific medical situation. Any product mentioned in this book does not imply endorsement of that product by the author or publisher.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and BenBella Books was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters.

The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook copyright 2022 by Deanna Segrave-Daly and Serena Ball

Photographs by Elise Cellucci

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

10440 N. Central Expressway

Suite 800

Dallas, TX 75231

benbellabooks.com

Send feedback to

BenBella is a federally registered trademark.

First E-Book Edition: 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022013471

ISBN 9781637741542 (paperback)

ISBN 9781637741559 (electronic)

Editing by Claire Schulz

Copyediting by Karen Wise

Proofreading by Amy Zarkos and Isabelle Rubio

Indexing by Debra Bowman

Text design and composition by Kit Sweeney

Cover design by Sarah Avinger

Cover photography by Elise Cellucci

Special discounts for bulk sales are available.
Please contact .

Welcome to our Mediterranean table. Its overflowing with simple but delicious dishes rich in colorful vegetables, lentils and beans, olives and olive oil, succulent fruits, herbs and spices, whole grains, crunchy seeds and nuts, briny fish and shellfish, yogurt and cheeses, eggs, and occasionally chicken and meat. While the origins of the Mediterranean diet began in the 1960s after nutrition researchers found that working-class communities in Greece and Italy had low incidence of heart disease, the term has evolved to encompass the similar eating patterns found in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. These countries include Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, and southern France. People from these cultures often eat with purpose; they slow down and enjoy meals with good cheer and sociability when they sit at a table. With decades of solid nutrition research to support it, this lifestyle continues to appeal to people of all ages who like to eat (we bet youre one of those).

As you sit down at this table, you may notice something else: everything here is not only good for you, but also good for the planet.

Thats right: while we love the Mediterranean diet for its health benefits and fabulous flavors, it also provides an easy template for eco-friendly food shopping, preparation, and cooking. In fact, experts have deemed it one of the best eating plans for protecting the planets resources. So if youre looking for climate cuisine, look no further.

But if youve ever found yourself standing in the grocery store wondering where to start with the Mediterranean diet, or even wondering if its worth it to worry about one more thing (after all, youre already considering price, nutrition, and most importantly, taste), we can help! This book is designed to make the Mediterranean lifestyle easy and fun. Taking a few small steps at a time can make an impactin lowering your grocery bill, reducing your electricity use, and improving your health and the Earth.

If your doctor told you to follow the Mediterranean diet and you grabbed this cookbook, the recipes here will help you sit down to savor sustainable meals youll enjoy making for yourself and your family. You may even want to start cooking for your friendsa leisurely, sociable dinner is the Mediterranean way!

This is our third Mediterranean diet cookbook. We are registered dietitians and busy moms, Serena from the Midwest with five kids and Deanna from Philly with a teenager. These are recipes we actually feed our families and friendsand we have for over a decade. They are not necessarily traditional recipes, and we are not experts in Mediterranean cultural cuisines, compared to those who are natives of those regions. But the dishes you will find here are rich in ingredients originating from the Mediterranean. Over the years, we have traveled to several Mediterranean countries and fallen in love with the flavors there. Our hope is that you, too, will embrace the spice zaatar, use olive oil as your main fat source, and try cooking with little fishes and other Mediterranean-style foodsmany of which are made or grown by Mediterranean-descended families in our neck of the woods, and most likely yours too!