healthy mediterranean diet meal plan #3
There are all sorts of seafood here in the Mediterranean to enjoy. I’m still trying to work my way through the 100 or so vendors at my local mercado and the hundreds more of fish and seafood they offer, but one fish is a “go-to” any day. Salmon.
It’s on my menu almost every week. Most often, just a straight forward bake in the air fryer for 10-11 minutes with some baby potatoes and carrots strewn around the bottom of the cage. And yes, I have a recipe for that right here in the resource index and a video on YouTube too.
This week though, I wanted to celebrate salmon and embrace the winter flavors of fennel and shallots, baked fork-tender in the oven along with a salty, briny mix of olives and a light marinade of garlic and lemon for the salmon. It’s a technique I call “flavor-layering” and one I recommend with all my heart that you can watch me practice in the YouTube video for this recipe. There’s a little something different in each bite but they act like the best of friends and play together very nicely on the plate.
Today’s salmon recipe wraps up a day filled with lots of fruits, veggies and healthy proteins. Of course, you can always switch what’s planned for lunch with what’s planned for dinner because it’s entirely up to you and your schedule. And no matter when you enjoy it, it’s surprisingly easy to pull together.
Before we get to that delicious lunch or dinner (remember you choose when to plate it), today’s menu starts with a light simple “toast” of ricotta cheese smeared atop a little whole grain toast with a smattering of pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of George’s farm-raised honey. To give credit where credit is due, it’s really the bees that do most of the work, but don’t tell George I said so!
When they are in season, nothing’s quite like the healthy pomegranate. Whether you enjoy it juiced or as crunchy bits for a breakfast or salad addition, these little tidbits are a master at disguising the powerful healthy antioxidants hiding behind a beautiful rosy color and pop of juicy crunch.
You can buy pomegranate seeds in some markets already prepped in a little box, but if you want to learn just how easy it is to seed one, you can always watch my one-minute “master course” on YouTube!
We’ll wind our way through the day with a couple of healthy snacks. A quintessential Mediterranean classic, hummus is a perfect meal prep idea for the week. If you make it up today, you’ll have a prepped snack for days this week. And pickling the leftover cucumber means you’ll also have some salad toppers for later too.
As always, you’ll find a few of these recipes in the menu PDF besides the one I promised you (mostly because I just can’t help myself). When I can, I’ll reach into the archive and include them so that you don’t have to go hunting around. You’ll also find a few tips for ways to stretch this menu into a meal plan that will cover you for a few days. If you want to know what one of my favorite recipes of all-time is, double batch the farro and make that farro salad.
So 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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Caroline, the video shows you adding some items to the farro. Can I please ask what seasoning you are using to flavor the farro?
Looks delicious and I look forward to fixing this salmon! I do have a question about gluten….it seems that I’m gluten intolerant and was wondering if you have a video or info on how to deal with that while on this way of eating? Thank you for any info you may have.