healthy mediterranean diet meal plan #24

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It’s probably not too surprising that one of the questions I get asked about, time and time again, is whether meat is “allowed” on the Mediterranean diet.

Since we are clearly in the thick of grill season, I’m serving up a simple answer about meat and the Mediterranean diet in this week’s meal plan. Just follow two simple guidelines: eat small portions, no more than a few times a month.

And one of the most popular ways to enjoy it? Another simple answer: sausage.

But here in Spain, picking out which sausage to serve is not so simple. Every region has their specialities, every carnicería (butcher shop) prides itself on personal interpretation. Chorizo, fuet, sobresada, chistorra, botifarra, bisbe, salsitxa, llonganissa… the list goes on and on. Deeply colored and spiced with paprika, specks of garlic amidst flecks of fat, blends of pork, veal and beef. The beauty of so many choices? You’re bound to find one that is a perfect match for you.

The other beauty of sausage? It’s most often served as perfectly portioned, small bites - whether it’s part of a tapas platter or nestled into a stew.

This is the Mediterranean way with meat. Small bits to savor or build flavor, not 72-ounce slabs overflowing the dinner plate, free if you eat it in an hour at the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo, Texas!

So with that scary thought out of the way, I turn to a much more digestible way to include meat in today’s healthy menu. A shared plate of a simply grilled sausage with an equally simple shared plate of giant white beans simmered low and slow.

George’s absolutely favorite way to enjoy beans, these lovelies are first infused with flavor, then covered in crispy bits as the beans swell to an luscious creamy, crunchy finish.

If you want to watch me make this from start to finish, just head on over to my YouTube channel and join me for the afternoon.

But if you’re ready right now, just pull up a chair, grab a cup or a glass and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen while we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.

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