Nick Nigro - Living the Mediterranean Diet: Proven Principles and Modern Recipes for Staying Healthy

Text copyright 2015 Nick Nigro and Bay Ewald. Photographs copyright 2015 Nick Nigro and Bay Ewald except as noted below. Design and concept copyright 2015 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the U.S. by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-459-9

Library of Congress Control Number 2014952010

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions editor: Keith Riegert

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Alice Riegert

Copyeditor: Lauren Harrison

Proofreader: Renee Rutledge

Cover and interior design: Ashley Prine

Layout and production: Jake Flaherty

Index: Sayre Van Young

Interior photographs: Nick Nigro and Bay Ewald except on pages 2829, 31, 37, 49, 50, 125, 130, 133 (except bottom right) Dulcet Creative; pages 7677, 92, 101 Meiwen Wang

Cover photographs: Nick Nigro and Bay Ewald except top row front Dulcet Creative, beets Meiwen Wang

Distributed by Publishers Group West

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment after consulting with his or her physician and is the readers sole responsibility. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for a physician.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and products mentioned in this book.

We dedicate this cookbook to Gloria BosGram.

We thank you for sharing your kitchen and your wisdom.

And to Carter Dean Smithmay your curiosity always inspire you to create and dream.

We love you both.

Contents

We met on a cold evening a few days after Christmas in San Francisco. Bundled up in beanies and sweaters with our good friends, we ventured to Scomas in Fishermans Wharf, a bustling yet intimate place on the water. From there, as we munched on calamari and broiled wild king salmon, it became love at first meal. We spent the next 30 days straight together, adventuring up and down the California coast, eating, laughing, and falling deeper into a food-filled romance. When Nick made his way back to Orange County and Bay stayed in San Francisco to finish graduate school, nightly conversations often, if not always, revolved around our grandiose dreams and big plans once we were able to finally live in the same city.

In October 2013, we launched comewecreate, a boutique culinary arts company that focuses on all creative aspects of food through design, photography, written words, film and recipe development. We see food as the fundamental building block to all of our endeavorsthe thing that helps us make sense out of our crazy, hectic, bizarrely beautiful life together. Whatever has gone on in our days, whether individually or together, we come to the kitchen to put on our favorite tunes, light a candle, and reconnect with ourselves and with each other.

We both come from families who cooked healthy and wholesome meals, and when we moved in together, the idea of a Mediterranean diet wasnt something we plotted or plannedit was just the way we instinctively ate. Nick grew up in an Italian-American family with traditions and recipes that had been passed on for generations, and Bay grew up on an avocado farm in a rural area where nearly every meal was homemade.

Over the years, we began to notice that on days when we filled our bodies with whole grains, fresh fish, and beautiful plant-based foods, we felt good. We had more energy, more patience, and were more lively. We had those days, of course, when we indulged in one too many treats or french fries, but we made sure to remember how good we felt when we were eating the Mediterranean way, and that always encouraged us to get back on track.

What we hope is that the Mediterranean lifestyleand this bookcan give you what it has given us: the ability to feel good from the inside out. Our diet is one of abundance, not restriction, a combination of tastes with healthy foods full of vibrant colors and rich aromas, traditional recipes with modern twists that will transport you across the Atlantic Ocean. We want to emphasize the importance of enjoying your meals and an active life with those you love, to trust your instincts, heart, and mind in the kitchen and in life, to taste, see, feel, and hear every bit of the world around you. We want you to loveto really lovethe life you lead and the food that nourishes that life.

May you bring your own soul and your own piece of you into the recipes that follow.

Mangia beneEat well!

Nick and Bay

Before delving into the recipes, lets take a look at what comprises the Mediterranean diet. It revolves around healthier, sustainable principles of eating and living. Its not a diet in a traditional senseits a lifestyle.

The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based diet consisting of eating whole, unprocessed foods, such as vegetables and fruits, as well as whole grains, good fats from nuts, seeds, and olive oil, and fresh seafood. These are the staple foods of a Mediterranean diet, though good-quality dairy, meat, and poultry make appearances as well. Because this diet is primarily plant-based, you will effortlessly increase the amount of fruits and veggies you eat, which improves fiber intake and the overall quality of your nutrition.

Mediterranean eating stems from southern Italy, Greece, Spain, and Morocco. Traditionally, people ate fresh, whole foods instead of the processed fare of today. They caught fish from the sea, enjoyed unaltered whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and delicious fats from olives and olive oil.

The roots of a Mediterranean diet are rich. Its not just about foodtheres a lifestyle attached. Its about eating with your family and enjoying your food. Its about being active. Its about food making you healthy and