Until I started planning this newsletter, I’ve never thought about that fact that almost every Spanish restaurant starts the meal with a gut microbiome booster: the little bowl or platter of cured olives that appears as soon as you sit down to lunch or dinner.

Japanese cuisine might be best known for its love of all things fermented, but actually Spain and other countries bordering the Mediterranean sea are right up there too. It’s just easy to overlook.

So following my gut, I built this week’s healthy menu around a classic Spanish tapa — Ensaladilla Rusa, or Spanish potato salad — because I wanted to focus on something most people don’t associate with the Mediterranean diet at all. Fermented foods. And the role they play as part of a healthy diet.

the Mediterranean diet and gut health

I don’t want to just jump on a social media bandwagon, but research keeps pointing in the same direction: the community of bacteria living in your digestive system has a real influence on your immune function, your mood, your inflammation levels, and your long-term metabolic health.

A recent, lengthy article in the New York Times presented just how long and complicated a journey it is to understand what’s going on in your gut.

But one thing is fairly clear already. Feeding your gut with the right foods matters. And the foods that do it best are fermented ones — foods that have been transformed by bacteria, yeast, or time into something more complex than what they started as.

Before we get started though, I want to emphasize a word of caution. At-home fermentation can be fun and really rewarding when you follow basic food safety rules but dangerous if not done properly, so please do your homework if you decide to explore. Nowadays, for simplicity sake and to offload one more thing on my “to-do” list, my solution is to buy store-bought yogurt and kefir, store-bought pickled vegetables and sauerkraut, and miso paste.

the Mediterranean fermented pantry

Yogurt is the obvious one. It’s in a breakfast bowl, it’s in tzatziki, it’s in labneh. The live cultures in plain whole-milk yogurt are genuine probiotics — bacteria that survive the journey to your gut and contribute to the diversity of the microbial community there. Diversity is the thing you’re aiming for. A gut with a wide variety of bacterial species is a better-functioning gut.

Olives are, for the most part, fermented. Almost nobody thinks of them that way, but the curing process — whether in brine, salt, or oil — is a fermentation process, and traditionally cured olives carry beneficial bacteria along with all those healthy fats. The bland black olives you might be used to are not, in fact, fermented, they’re oxidized and canned.

The bowl of olives that shows up automatically when you sit down at a bar here isn’t just a snack. It’s a small act of gut maintenance kindness dressed up as a little way to wet your appetite.

So are many of the “encurtidos” (pickled vegetables) — that appear as free tapas at bars all across Spain alongside a glass of wine or a cold beer. A little dish of pickled pearl onions, gherkins, olives and peppers. Nobody orders them. They just arrive.

And nobody here is thinking about their microbiome when they reach for one. They’re just eating the way people have eaten in this part of the world for a very long time.

That’s what I love about this. The health benefits aren’t there because they are a trendy way of eating. They’ve just been there so long, they‘re a part of the fabric.

this week’s recipe

The classic Spanish potato salad, or Ensaladilla Rusa — is one of the most beloved tapas in Spain. Every bar has its own version. Every family has its own version. And every version involves some version of potatoes, tuna, vegetables - pickled or not or both, and a generous hand with the garlic mayonnaise.

My version uses boiled potatoes and carrots, frozen peas, hard-boiled eggs, olive oil-packed tuna loosely drained, and homemade aioli — the garlicky olive oil mayo that is Spain’s answer to just about everything.

If I’m in a hurry, I just grab a jar of pickled vegetables from the pantry, blend in the potatoes, eggs, tuna and alioli and fold it all together in a bowl. Either way, it’s a incredibly flavorful “all-in-one” meal in a bowl. A simple Mediterranean lunch at the ready.

The aioli (garlic mayonnaise) recipe is in your PDF this week alongside the salad, because it deserves its own moment. Make more than you need — it keeps for a week in the fridge and earns its place on almost everything.

My tzatziki recipe is there too — another fermented-food classic, this time from the Greek side of the Mediterranean. Naturally-fermented yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, a drizzle of olive oil. It shows up in this week’s afternoon snack alongside Kalamata olives and a slice of Manchego cheese. Which means that one snack plate contains three different fermented foods without trying at all.

That’s kind of the whole point.

a note about today’s menu

The rest of the day follows the same thread — fermented ingredients woven in naturally from breakfast through dinner, with grilled sea bass and roasted vegetables over bulgur in the evening to round things out.

The full menu, complete shopping list, and three BONUS recipes are in your PDF below.

If you want some extra help in putting the recipes through their paces, you can make them right along with me by watching these videos:

If you’re already a paid subscriber, you know that these bonus recipes are just one of the small extras that show up pretty much every week — my way of saying thank you for being part of this community.

And if this email spikes your curiosity about what else you might find on my Substack to help you with your own healthy journey, I’d encourage you to consider moving from a free subscription to the full access paid option.

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But right now, it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a glass or cup, and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen. The alioli is made. The potatoes are boiled. The olives are already on the table.

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Classic Russian potato salad is a favorite in Spanish tapas bars known as ensaladilla rusa. But it’s a really easy Spanish tapa you can make at home, loaded with healthy protein tuna, carrots, potatoes and Spain’s answer to the perfect garlic mayonnaise, alioli.

It only takes a few minutes to prepare this as a perfect Spanish side dish to a multi-course meal or even Spanish main dish if you are just looking for a light lunch! It’s delicious, it’s very simple, and only requires a few ingredients.

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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Shrimp and I have not always been pals. In fact, until I arrived in Spain I hadn’t eaten shrimp since I was 24.

The reason I stopped? A really scary experience with an entrée at a fancy Los Angeles restaurant that ended up with me being rushed to the ER at UCLA.

The reason I started up again? My friend, María José San Roman, acclaimed Michelin and Repsol chef, wanted me to sample a new creation and I just couldn’t say no. I figured if there was anywhere in the world that was safe for me to get reacquainted with shrimp, it was at her famed restaurant.

Plus it looked so innocent. A single, almost translucent, gorgeous red shrimp from the Mediterranean waters of nearby Dénia, delicately sauced with an emulsion of extra virgin olive oil and the reduced juice from the shrimp.

One bite reignited a friendship and I’ve been enjoying fresh shrimp straight out of the Mediterranean ever since. Not to mention, benefitting from one of the healthiest proteins of the Mediterranean diet.

what makes it work

The Mediterranean diet’s emphasis on seafood several times a week isn’t just about fish. Shellfish count too, and they carry their own distinct nutritional profile.

Shellfish — shrimp, mussels, clams, prawns — are among the most nutrient-dense proteins in the Mediterranean diet and among the most underused in home kitchens outside of the Mediterranean itself.

Partly because they are more difficult to source and partly because they are often a more expensive option. But when you can get them, they are well worth adding to your everyday diet.

Shrimp are especially lean. A single serving delivers around 32 grams of protein for fewer than 100 calories from the protein alone, with virtually no fat even though they taste incredibly rich.

They’re also a solid source of iodine — important to thyroid function and often missing from everyday diets — along with selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and a meaningful amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

With about 100 fresh fish and seafood vendors at my local mercado, I’m blessed. So in our kitchen, shellfish show up constantly. Steamed mussels for a quick lunch — one of the simplest and most satisfying things you can make in under ten minutes. Clam spaghetti on a weeknight when I want something that feels elegant but takes almost no effort. A spontaneous Sunday shrimp lunch aka a “pile-up accident” from one of last month’s Notes.

The clam spaghetti recipe was featured back in Healthy Menu Meal Plan #12. George likes it so much that it’s on repeat every couple of weeks and remains one of our favorites in the archive.

Shrimp, though, is the most flexible of the group. Grilled, sautéed, baked, in pasta, in rice, in a salad — it adapts to almost anything.

what to do with them

This week’s featured recipe is a garlicky shrimp pasta that comes together in minutes and tastes like something you’d order at a chiringuito (beach shack restaurant) along the playa. The secret is in the shells.

The first time I made this dish, I’d picked up a kilo of whole fresh shrimp at the market that morning — heads on, shells on, the way they’re sold here.

I almost asked the fishmonger to clean them for me. I’m glad I didn’t.

Because what happens when you take those shells and heads, cook them in a little olive oil for five minutes, and strain the result is one of the most intensely flavored stocks you will ever make. Orange-red, deeply savory, and completely free — made from something most people throw straight in the garbage.

That stock is what makes this dish.

the secret sauce

The pasta starts with the stock. Reserve the shells and heads when you clean the shrimp — or better yet, watch the short clip below where I show my trick for trimming them quickly with kitchen scissors. It’s faster than it looks and the payoff is totally worth it.

Once the stock is made and strained, the rest moves quickly. The garlic paste — pounded in a mortar with sea salt and two Maggi cubes — is worth a word.

Maggi is not a Mediterranean pantry staple. Invented in Switzerland, it’s pretty popular in many parts of the world, but I use it rarely. In this dish though, it’s a small cube of magic. It adds a deep umami backbone that amplifies the shrimp flavor in a way that’s hard to explain until you taste it. If you can source it, don’t skip it.

a note about today’s menu

The rest of the day is built light and seasonal — breakfast, two snacks, and a simple dinner — so that the shrimp pasta can carry the afternoon the way a good lunch should.

Your full menu PDF is just below, along with three bonus recipes from the archives — one weeknight simple, one for company, one for fun — and the complete day’s menu with shopping list.

If you’re already a paid subscriber — thank you. Every issue exists because you’re here.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s waiting on the other side — recipes, full menus, shopping lists, the archive — this is a good week to find out.

Your full menu PDF is just below, along with three bonus salmon recipes from the archives to make sure you have what it takes to follow the whole day — one breakfast, one snack, one dinner — and the complete day’s menu with shopping list.

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But right now, it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a glass or cup, and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen.

The stock is ready. The mortar and pestle are waiting to work their magic. The shrimp are all set to join in.

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So simple, yet so elegant. This richly flavored pasta dish comes together in a few minutes for those nights when you’re just too tired to cook! It’s so much easier for everybody to enjoy the shrimp when it’s already shelled and sauced, but you’ll want to make the most of the shells when you make a super fast stock straight in the pan. Totally. Saucy. Shrimpy!

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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There’s a question I get asked a lot, and I want to answer it before I do anything else.

Does a dish have to come from the Mediterranean to count as Mediterranean?

No. It doesn’t.

The Mediterranean diet is about how you eat, not where a recipe was invented. It’s about fresh whole foods, the right balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and keeping things simple enough to actually do every day. All through the day. Every time you sit down to eat. From morning to night.

That’s the whole point of this week.

A smoothie made with yogurt, banana, and a handful of zucchini is every bit as Mediterranean as a plate of hummus — maybe more so, because you made it yourself with real ingredients.

And since starting the day off right is the single most important thing you can do to help yourself maintain a plan to reach your own healthy goals, I want to focus for a minute on breakfast and how it fits into a Mediterranean diet plan.

why it’s so important

Breakfast matters more than most people give it credit for. Not because skipping it is catastrophic — though it does tend to lead to overeating later — but because getting it right sets the tone for everything that follows. When you start with the right balance of nutrients, you have energy, you’re not hungry by 10am, and you’re far less likely to reach for something you’ll regret before lunch. It is the most important meal of the day. And the Mediterranean diet makes it remarkably easy to get right.

what makes it work

A good Mediterranean breakfast does three things: protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Together, these three keep you energized and genuinely full until lunch — no 10am slump, no reaching for something you’ll regret.

Protein gives you the energy to power through the morning and helps manage blood sugar from the first meal of the day. In the Mediterranean diet, breakfast protein comes from yogurt, kefir, eggs, beans, cheese, nuts and nut butters. Greek yogurt and kefir in particular are not only high in protein but full of probiotics that do good things for your gut over time. A simple bowl of yogurt with fruit and nuts delivers more protein than most people realize — and takes about ninety seconds to put together.

Fiber slows digestion, keeps you feeling full longer, and makes weight management considerably easier. Whole grain toast, overnight oats, fresh fruit, and vegetables are all excellent fiber sources at breakfast — and yes, that includes the zucchini hiding in your smoothie.

Healthy fats round out the picture. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nut butters, nuts, and full-fat dairy all belong at the breakfast table. They’re not the enemy. They’re the reason breakfast actually keeps you going.

what to reach for

The good news is that the Mediterranean pantry makes all of this easy. Keep a few things stocked and ready — plain whole milk yogurt, eggs, whole grain bread, almond butter, hummus, seasonal fruit — and a healthy breakfast is never more than five minutes away. The challenge isn’t knowing what to eat. It’s having the ingredients on hand when you need them.

I made a whole video about building a healthy Mediterranean breakfast — including smoothies, toast treats, meal prep shortcuts, and a few morning habits worth breaking. And I’ve put together a free Mediterranean Breakfast Basics PDF to go alongside it, with ingredient lists, recipe ideas, and everything you need to stock your morning kitchen. Watch the video, download the bonus PDF below, or do both — it’s all there for you.

how it fits in today’s menu

In the summer, this smoothie is part of my morning almost every day.

When it’s hot — and in Alicante from June to August, it’s pretty hot — the last thing I want is something warm and cozy. A cold, thick smoothie loaded with whatever’s in the fridge is just such a refreshing way to start the day. Come winter, I move on to something warmer. But right now, this is it.

The genius of this recipe is what’s hiding in it. Zucchini. Cauliflower. Maybe beets. None of these things taste like themselves once they’re blended with frozen banana and yogurt — but they add fiber, nutrients, and creaminess that you simply won’t get any other way. The almond butter is optional but worth adding; it smooths out the edges, bumps up the protein and keeps you going longer than you’d expect from a smoothie.

And this is just one starting point. Once you have the basic formula — yogurt or kefir as the base, a frozen fruit for sweetness and texture, a hidden vegetable for nutrition, a nut butter for staying power, and whatever liquid brings it together — you can take it anywhere.

If all things green is your thing, a tropical smoothie swaps the banana for mango and adds a fistful of greens like watercress, spinach or kale and broccoli. The color can be a little off-putting (for me, anyway). The taste is not. With locally-grown mango, papaya, pineapple, and lime coming from Spain’s Canary Islands, it’s easy for me to shop “local” and whip together an island treat that’s so good it barely feels like breakfast.

The variables are yours. The formula is the thing to learn.

a note about today’s menu

This week’s menu is built around the breakfast theme — the smoothie to start, then light and largely no-cook from there. As always, the menus are built to satisfy a 2,000 calorie/day target squarely committed to the Mediterranean diet guidelines for balanced macros of 50-55% carbs, 15-20% protein and 25-30% healthy fats.

The full day comes in right around 1,950 calories with a macro split that sits squarely in Mediterranean range. Your complete menu, shopping list, and the bonus Breakfast Basics PDF are all in the download below.

No matter whether you’re already a paid subscriber who knows these bonuses show up every week or somebody brand new to my Substack or reading it for free — the Healthy Menu Meal Plan PDF below is unlocked and has the full smoothie recipe, the complete day’s menu, and the shopping list. And as a bonus this week, the full Mediterranean Breakfast Basics guide is included — the same PDF that goes with the breakfast video, with everything from the three keys to a full morning pantry checklist.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and been on the fence about joining, this is a good week to experience what you’ll be getting every week as a supporter of my channel with a paid subscription — the recipes, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive, and bonus content.

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But for now, it’s time to download the PDFs, gather up your own breakfast goodies and come join me in my Mediterranean kitchen for the best possible start to the day.

The blender is ready. The banana is frozen. The zucchini is already chopped.

Motd 81 Breakfast

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Mediterranean Diet Breakfast

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Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided in Mediterranean Minutes is intended for general guidance only and is not a substitute for personalized medical or dietary advice. Individual needs vary. Please consult a qualified health professional before making significant changes to your diet.

On the other hand, starting your day with a nutritious breakfast can help you make healthy choices all day long. And what's most important is to make sure you include at least small portions from three slices of the Mediterranean pie to keep you feeling full until lunchtime: fruits or veggies, whole grains, and a little protein.

So when you're looking for a healthy way to start the day, choose one of these simple, time-saving morning meals and feel great about giving yourself a running start on success.

And if you want to learn more details, just click on the video below and watch it now!

Sooner or later, you are going to know what’s in every single one of my kitchen pantry drawers. You’ve seen the grains drawer. You’ve seen the pasta drawer. Today’s big reveal is the nuts drawer.

Nuts are a big deal in our house. So I picked one of the Mediterranean diet’s most nutritionally powerful ingredients - the walnut - to be the star of today’s post.

The menu features a lunch that’s a riff on a classic with just two simple swap-outs: affordable omega-3 packed walnuts in place of pricey pine nuts and spicy arugula subbing in for sweet basil.

Turns out it’s one of the tastiest, easiest pestos in my repertoire and one of those dishes that tastes far more indulgent than it has any right to.

what makes it work

The Mediterranean diet places nuts and seeds in the same category as legumes and fish — recommended several times a week as a source of healthy protein, healthy fat, and a dense lineup of micronutrients that are hard to get anywhere else.

Walnuts sit at the top of that category for one specific reason: they are the only nut that contains a significant amount of ALA — alpha-linolenic acid — the plant-based form of omega-3 fatty acids. Your body cannot produce omega-3s on its own. You have to eat them to get them.

And while fatty fish like salmon are the most concentrated source, walnuts are one of the most accessible plant-based alternatives for anyone looking to hit the Mediterranean diet’s omega-3 targets without eating fish every day.

Beyond omega-3, walnuts deliver vitamin E, magnesium, copper, folate, and a collection of polyphenols that support brain health, reduce inflammation, and contribute to cardiovascular protection over time.

Research consistently links regular walnut consumption — as little as a small handful a day — to improved cholesterol profiles, better blood sugar regulation, and reduced markers of inflammation.

They are also one of the most satisfying nuts you can eat. The combination of healthy fat, protein, and fiber means that a small amount goes a long way toward keeping you full — which is why you’ll find them turning up at snack time in this week’s menu alongside fresh figs, and in the pesto itself as the foundation of the sauce.

what to do with them

Today’s pesto starts with toasted walnuts — a quick five minutes in the oven or air fryer (which I always use because it’s simply a lot less energy and takes a lot less time) until they’re fragrant and slightly golden — then into the food processor with garlic, lemon, Parmesan, olive oil, and four cups of fresh arugula. Bam. Done.

The arugula is the choice here rather than the more classic basil because it brings a peppery bite that balances the richness of the walnuts and olive oil in a way that basil simply doesn’t. The result is a pesto that’s more complex, more interesting, and — maybe — more Mediterranean.

Toss it with whole grain rotini or any other shell type pasta you have on hand, top it with some of those roasted walnut bits and a dusting of Parmesan, surround it with a light lettuce salad. That’s lunch.

One of my “indispensable” tips that’s worth knowing: this pesto freezes beautifully. I make a full batch, fold it into ice cube trays, freeze until solid, then transfer the cubes to a labeled and dated freezer bag. Each cube is roughly one tablespoon — a perfect single serving. Pull out what you need, defrost in minutes, and you have pesto on the table on any weeknight with almost no effort. It keeps for months, so make a big batch and thank yourself later.

If you want to watch me make it, the video is less than a minute but if you can’t spare the time, don’t worry, the full recipe is in your PDF below.

a note about today’s menu

A quick note before we get into it: pesto is a fat-dense sauce by nature. The olive oil and walnuts together push the fat percentage higher than a typical Menu of the Day — but this is exactly the kind of fat the Mediterranean diet is built on.

Heart-healthy, unsaturated, and genuinely good for you. If you’d prefer a lighter version, use one tablespoon of pesto per serving instead of two. The flavor is still there.

The rest of the day is built to let the pesto pasta do the work at lunch — lighter snacks and a clean grilled chicken and brown rice dinner in the evening keep the day balanced.

If you’re already a paid subscriber — thank you. Every issue exists because you’re here.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s waiting on the other side — the recipes, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive — this is a good week to find out.

Subscribe now

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

The walnuts are toasted. The arugula is ready. The food processor is standing by.

Motd 80 Walnut Arugula

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This week's healthy menu is built around one of the Mediterranean diet's most fundamental ingredients — the tomato. It's July, they're at their absolute peak, and there is no better moment to let them be the star.

I’m so lucky to live in Spain where the tomato season starts, unseasonably, in November and December when the winter “Raf” tomato shows up at the market, dark green on the outside, deeply flavored and ripe on the inside. The first time I saw them, it made no sense to me at all. Dead of winter? Garden (not hot-house) tomatoes? Boy, did I have a thing or two to learn.

But it didn’t take long to realize just how essential tomatoes are to the Mediterranean diet. Fresh tomatoes just can’t be out of season for very long here.

They appear in some form almost every single day in the Spanish kitchen — from the simplest pan con tomate for morning toast to a toss-it-together-at-the-last-minute summer platter for lunch or a slowly simmered pasta sauce for dinner.

During the summer months, this love affair just gets steamier when all sorts of varieties are at their absolute peak. So it is time to set aside the rest of the summer garden’s bounty and pay homage to the humble tomato.

fruit or vegetable: cooked or raw

Botanically a fruit, culinarily a vegetable, and nutritionally one of the most versatile and well-studied foods in the Mediterranean pantry. They do something most ingredients don’t: they qualify as both - but if you’re tracking your “5-a-day”, it wouldn’t be quite fair to count it twice!

Lycopene is the headline nutrient — the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color and is linked to reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

What a lot of people might not know is that lycopene becomes more bioavailable when tomatoes are cooked, which is one reason a simple tomato sauce is one of the most nutritious things you can put on pasta.

On the other hand, raw tomatoes bring a different mix of healthy goodness to the table: vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K in measurable amounts, plus a collection of polyphenols that support cellular health.

And at 95% water content, a simple plate of ripe summer tomatoes is one of the most hydrating things you can eat — a big benefit in the middle of a steaming hot Mediterranean July.

what to do with them

Start with the famously simple dish from the isle of Capri, Caprese salad.

Quality of the ingredients is everything — which is exactly why right now is the right moment.

Vine-ripened tomatoes, the best buffalo mozzarella you can find, a handful of fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil and a smattering of sea salt. No cooking, no dressing.

Serve it as a dinner starter alongside grilled sea bass, roasted vegetables and bulgur, and you’ll have this week’s dinner on the table in no time.

But your options to celebrate tomatoes in the kitchen are only limited by your imagination. This week, I’ve grabbed just three recipes from the archives to show how far one ingredient can travel. But you’ll find plenty there if you’re looking for even more fresh inspiration.

• Spanish gazpacho — made from a mix of summer varieties blended cold — is silky, intensely flavored, and one of Spain’s greatest contributions to the summer table.

• A cherry tomato pasta sauce is Granny’s weeknight answer to an abundance of small tomatoes: twenty minutes, bright and slightly sweet, works on pasta, polenta, or spooned over fish.

• And tomatoes & tuna belly salad (ensalada de tomate y ventresca) — oil-packed tuna belly plated simply on sliced ripe tomatoes with olive oil, razor-thin onion slices and sea salt — it’s one of the great tapas of the Spanish table. Effortless and completely disproportionately good.

  Want to make any of these along with me? Just click on the videos for a few minutes of hands-on lessons!

If you’re already a paid subscriber, you know that these bonus recipes are just one of the small extras that show up in the PDF almost every week - my way of saying thanks for supporting my work.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s waiting on the other side — the recipes, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive — this is a good week to find out. Peak tomato season only comes once a year.

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But right now, it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a glass of something cool, and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen while we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.

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It’s almost not fair to call this a “recipe” so I’ll call it a reminder. A reminder to lean into the freshest most flavor ingredients of the season and let them shine all on their own.

Summer time produce is your best friend during the hot months. It doesn’t require prep, it doesn’t require time in the kitchen, it doesn’t require anything fancy.

Just plate and serve!

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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When I was growing up in Michigan, my version of salmon was rainbow trout.

If you’ve never had it, rainbow trout is milder in flavor, a little more delicate and equally beautiful baked or grilled. It was the fish I grew up with — the one that meant a good day on the water, a fire later, and dinner that you actually caught yourself. I didn’t think much about the nutrition at the time. I just knew it tasted like summer.

Moving to the Mediterranean shifted a lot of things about how I eat. But the fish habit stayed — it just upgraded. Many more types, many more nights. And I was happy to switch from trout to salmon.

Salmon is what rainbow trout always wanted to be when it grew up. Richer, fattier, more complex in flavor, and nutritionally in a category of its own. George and I eat it at least once a week, sometimes more.

It’s the rare ingredient that works either as a dead-simple weeknight dinner (11 minutes in an air fryer) or as the kind of dish you put on the table when people are coming over and you want to treat them to something special.

Today’s recipe is firmly in the second category. But it’s easier than it looks.

what makes it work

Salmon is one of the most nutritionally complete foods you can put on a plate.

It’s a rich source of EPA and DHA — the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that your body cannot produce on its own and that almost everyone, everywhere, is not getting enough of. The research on omega-3s is among the most consistent in nutrition science: regular consumption is linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced inflammation, improved brain function, and better mood regulation over time.

The Mediterranean diet’s recommendation to eat fish two to three times a week wasn’t written with one type of fish in mind — but if it had been, salmon would have been a strong candidate.

Beyond the omega-3s, a single serving delivers around 30 grams of high-quality protein, meaningful amounts of B12, selenium, and potassium, and a fat profile that is almost entirely heart-healthy unsaturated. It is, in short, one of the most efficient things you can eat.

I’ve covered salmon before in this newsletter so I won’t dwell. But I do want to say something about the fennel.

Fennel has been an ingredient I’ve liked for a long time — raw in salads, shaved thin with citrus, as a base for a braise. But I came late to baking it. And baking it, it turns out, is where fennel becomes a completely different vegetable.

The raw version has a sharp anise note that not everyone loves. Roasted or baked, that sharpness softens almost completely. What’s left is sweet, slightly caramelized, and silky in a way that makes it one of the best possible companions for rich fish. Nutritionally it brings fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and folate to the plate — a clean, underrated addition that earns its place on its own terms.

what to do with both

The salmon sits on a bed of baked fennel, finished with toasted pistachios, and a scattering of Parmesan to garnish. A little fennel seed and fresh thyme. Lemon over everything.

It takes about thirty minutes start to finish and it looks like something from a restaurant (once it’s plated of course). The pistachios add crunch and a toasty richness that ties the whole dish together — and they happen to be one of the lowest-calorie nuts available, with protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fat all showing up in the same small handful.

The half cup of white wine in the recipe is listed as optional. But if I were you, I’d add it. And if you don’t want to open a bottle just for a half cup, here’s a trick I use constantly: freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays. Two cubes is roughly a quarter cup. Problem solved, nothing wasted.

Serve it with the toasted buckwheat, the mixed green salad, and a couple of fresh apricots alongside. The buckwheat is earthy and nutty in a way that matches the fennel perfectly — and if you haven’t cooked with it before, this is a good time to be introduced.

how it fits in today’s menu

The rest of the day is built to let the salmon be the centerpiece — light and seasonal from morning through afternoon, so that dinner feels like the arrival it’s meant to be.

Your full menu PDF is just below, along with three bonus salmon recipes from the archives — one weeknight simple, one for company, one for fun — and the complete day’s menu with shopping list.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, this is just one of the small extras that show up almost every week — my way of saying thank you for being part of this community. And if you’ve been on the fence about joining, this is a good week to see what you’d be getting.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s waiting on the other side — the recipes, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive — this is a good week to find out.

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

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Salmon is such an easy fish to incorporate into your everyday diet. It bakes in minutes and plays nice with so many different flavors, from tomato-based sauces to this bright and cheery anise-flavored finish with fennel and pistachios.

The crunchy nut crust is a perfect juxtaposition to the tender, almost creamy salmon and the succulent bulbs. Just add a simple salad of mixed greens, a hunk of rustic baguette or a side of grains and lunch is all set!

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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Growing up in Michigan, there were two things that meant summer had properly arrived.

Cherries and corn.

The cherries came first — those deep, dark sweet ones from the orchards up near Traverse City that you could eat by the handful until your fingers were stained red. And then, a few weeks later, the corn.

My family would drive out to the farmer’s big wagon parked by the side of a dirt road early in the morning with a big cooler in the car, pick up the freshest ears we could find, and keep them cold the whole way home — because we knew that the moment you let sweet corn sit, the natural sugars start converting to starch and you’ve already lost something.

I’ve lived a long way from Michigan for a long time now. But every July 4th, I still think about that cooler in the back of the car.

So, this week’s special menu is a treat for me and for the holiday. Two featured recipes not one, sizzling hot links, cold drinks, good company, and a plate that feels like exactly what summer is supposed to taste like.

a note about those links

Locally-made bratwurst is a July 4th essential. It’s non-negotiable. I can’t imagine the fireworks party without them. But they also fall into that food category I might refer to as “once in a blue moon”. So let’s talk about the role of meat and the Mediterranean diet.

The diet guidelines have a category I call “meats and sweets” — the things you enjoy a few times a month rather than every day. The smallest part of the pyramid.

Red meat. Porterhouse. T-Bone. Sausage. The occasional indulgence. It’s not a cheat. It’s not a failure. It’s a built-in feature of the most well-researched eating pattern in the world, because the people who designed it understood that sustainable eating has to include the meals worth celebrating.

A bratwurst on July 4th is exactly that kind of meal.

The fat numbers in today’s menu are higher than a typical issue — I’ll be honest about that. The bratwurst is why. But everything else on the plate is clean, seasonal, and genuinely good for you. And one cookout in July is not going to undo anything.

Especially when it includes so many healthy sides.

what makes it work

Corn doesn’t always get credit for what it actually is.

It’s a whole grain. The same category as farro, bulgur, and buckwheat — just in a form that most people eat straight off the cob without thinking about the nutrition at all. One ear of corn delivers meaningful fiber, B vitamins, and a lineup of antioxidants including lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health in ways that accumulate quietly over years of eating well.

And here’s the thing about fresh corn in peak season: it tastes completely different from what you find in a can or a frozen bag. The sugars haven’t had time to convert. The kernels are still tender. It’s worth getting to the farm stand early.

Sweet cherries are working just as hard on the other part of this plate.

Whether sweet or tart, their deep red color comes from anthocyanins — the same family of antioxidants that show up in blueberries and pomegranates and that research consistently links to reduced inflammation, better cardiovascular health, and faster recovery after physical activity. They’re also one of the few natural food sources of melatonin, which is not nothing on a summer night when you’re trying to wind down after a long day outside.

staying in the moment

Eating seasonally is one of the simplest things you can do for your health — not because out-of-season produce is harmful, but because in-season produce is more nutritious, more flavorful, and usually cheaper. July 4th happens to fall at one of the best possible moments of the American summer calendar. Take advantage of it.

this week’s recipes

The corn salad started exactly the way the recipe description says — at a farm stand, early morning, cooler in hand.

Shuck it. Cut the kernels off (a mandolin makes it extra easy). Fire up the stovetop. Toss with bell peppers, red onion, a jalapeño or two, fresh cilantro, good olive oil, and lemon. That’s it. And take it from me, make plenty — this will be the first dish on the table to disappear.

Another dish that screams “summer party”, this cherry and pineapple salsa is the kind of recipe that surprises people.

Sweet cherries, pineapple, jalapeño, lime, Aleppo pepper, and fresh parsley. It’s fruity and bright and has just enough heat to make you reach for another spoonful. It works on the bratwurst, alongside the corn salad, and honestly just on a cracker with nothing else going on.

Both recipes are in your PDF below, along with the full day’s menu and shopping list.

how the rest of the day looks

Breakfast is a yogurt bowl with fresh strawberries, blueberries, banana, granola, and honey — all the July fruit in one bowl, no cooking required.

Mid-morning: cold watermelon and a small handful of almonds. The definition of a hot-day snack.

Lunch is the cookout. Grilled bratwurst on a whole wheat bun, the corn salad, the cherry salsa, and a cold beer or a glass of wine if that’s your July 4th. Eat outside if you possibly can.

The afternoon snack is hummus and cucumber — cooling, simple, exactly right after a big lunch in the sun.

Dinner is deliberately light. A chopped salad of iceberg, tomato, red onion, carrots, a hard boiled egg, and a scoop of white tuna with an EVOO and red wine vinegar dressing, alongside a good thick slice of baguette. Spain does this kind of simple supper better than almost anywhere — and it turns out it’s perfect for the night of July 4th too.

This issue is free for everyone — no paywall, no subscription required. If you’ve been reading along and wondering what the paid side looks like, the full menus, recipe PDFs, and shopping lists are what’s on the other side. This week you get a taste of all of it.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a paid subscriber — thank you. Genuinely. Every issue exists because you’re here.

Happy Fourth everybody. The corn is ready. The salsa is in the fridge. The grill is lit.

Come join me for the best kind of summer celebration.

Motd 77 Corn & Cherry July 4

19MB ∙ PDF file

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Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided in Mediterranean Minutes is intended for general guidance only and is not a substitute for personalized medical or dietary advice. Individual needs vary. Please consult a qualified health professional before making significant changes to your diet.

Usually salsas are tomato-laced affairs, but this sweet and spicy option is an unexpected, delightful addition to a party spread.

Cherries are always counted for end-of-the-meal desserts... who doesn’t love fresh cherry pie, crumble or trifle? But sometimes these nutritional powerhouses deserve a seat at the table at the beginning of the meal too.

Motd 77 Corn & Cherry July 4 Recipe #2

648KB ∙ PDF file

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Growing up in Michigan, corn season was a highlight of the summer when we could head over to the farm early in the morning with a big cooler in the car and collect fresh ears for the day... keeping them cool before the natural sugars converted to starch.

The rest is simple. Shuck, cut the kernels off, cook lightly and make plenty. This will be the first dish of the party to disappear!

Motd 77 Corn & Cherry July 4 Recipe #1

568KB ∙ PDF file

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Living in the Mediterranean will do things to your pantry. If you’ve been reading the newsletter lately, you might remember the little reveal of my grains drawer.

What you might not know is how that drawer started.

One bag. One grain. Farro.

I found it at Alicante’s Mercado Central, brought it home, cooked it, fell completely in love with it, and then — in the way that these things tend to go — got wildly distracted by everything else. Barley. Buckwheat. Bulgur. Freekeh. Teff. Millet. Sorghum. Three kinds of quinoa. I went deep, I went wide, and I had a whole bunch of fun doing it.

But here’s the thing about going wide.

You find out what you actually keep coming back to.

And for me, every single time, it’s farro. Perhaps that’s why its share of the drawer space is twice what every other grain gets.

But before I get ahead of myself, I want to address…

the elephant in the room

There’s a question I get asked a lot about: the Mediterranean diet and carbohydrates. People see a macronutrient split with 50 to 55% of calories from carbs and immediately get nervous. It looks like exactly the kind of eating they’ve been told to avoid.

But the Mediterranean diet isn’t built on the most popular refined grains like white pasta, white rice, white bread and dinner rolls.

It’s built on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — all complex carbohydrates that digest slowly, feed your gut bacteria, and arrive bundled with the fiber and micronutrients your body needs to actually function well.

what makes it work

The Mediterranean diet recommends three to six servings of whole grains every day. Not refined grains — but the real thing. The whole kernel. Bran, germ, and endosperm intact.

Here’s why that distinction matters so much.

When a grain is refined, almost everything useful gets stripped away in the milling process. What’s left is essentially just the starchy interior — fast carbs with very little fiber, very few minerals, and none of the antioxidants and phytochemicals that made it worth eating in the first place.

Whole grains work completely differently in your body.

The fiber slows digestion, which means blood sugar stays steadier and hunger stays quieter for longer. The B vitamins — thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate — show up in meaningful amounts. So do iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. And the polyphenols and carotenoids that whole grains carry reduce inflammation in ways that add up over years of eating well.

Once that clicked for me, hitting three to six servings a day stopped feeling like work and started feeling like the easy part — because there are just so many good options.

Oats in the morning that keep you going until lunch without the 10am slump. Bulgur or buckwheat that you can get on the table in fifteen minutes. Quinoa with more protein per cup than almost anything else in the plant world. Barley with the lowest glycemic index of any grain and my favorite childhood memory - a hot, chewy bowl of chicken barley soup on a cold snowy day.

And farro. Which has its own treasured spot in my head and my pantry.

I made an entire video on the fundamentals of whole grains — including farro and where it sits in the Mediterranean diet — and if you haven’t watched it yet, you might enjoy it. It covers everything I wish someone had told me when I was standing in front of that grain stall for the first time.

playing favorites

I’ve covered a lot of ground in that drawer since the beginning — and I stand by every grain in it. But farro has a few things going for it that nothing else quite matches.

One serving covers around 20% of your daily fiber needs, which is a strong return for something that tastes this good. It delivers niacin, magnesium, and zinc alongside polyphenols, carotenoids, and selenium — a lineup of antioxidants that support heart health, blood sugar regulation, and brain function in ways that accumulate slowly but meaningfully over time.

It comes in three varieties — emmer, einkorn, and spelt — and it benefits from an overnight soak if you can manage it. Minutes to prep, fewer minutes to cook, easier on the digestive system. Same principle as soaking beans, same payoff.

And then there’s the flavor. Toasty, nutty, satisfyingly chewy. The kind of flavor that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with anything blander.

The cooking itself is straightforward. You can watch how it’s done on another of my YouTube videos if you want to cook along with me.

And it’s worth knowing that batch cooking and freezing in perfect serving-sized portions was made for this grain. It holds up really well for 2-3 months in the freezer.

this week’s recipe

Today’s recipe takes that cooked farro somewhere worth going. It’s a classic in the Mediterranean region using classic Mediterranean ingredients.

Bell peppers, pomegranate seeds, red onion, pistachios, and a generous handful of fresh parsley, all brought together with a dressing built on pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and good olive oil.

It’s bright and chewy and colorful and luscious — the kind of salad that makes you want to make a double batch just so you have it for the rest of the week.

Which, for the record, is exactly what I plan on doing (and BTW, I store the prepped ingredients in separate little glass boxes and toss them together just before I want to enjoy it, dressed at the last minute so it doesn’t get soggy).

One batch makes six servings. Make it on a Sunday and lunch is essentially handled until Thursday. It’s the kind of weekday win that makes this way of eating so sustainable in the long run.

The full recipe is in the PDF below, along with three bonus recipes from the archives that I put together specifically for this week’s theme.

If you’re a paid subscriber already — genuinely, thank you. Every issue I write is possible because you’re here. Your PDF with the complete recipe, the full day’s menu, and the shopping list is just below.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s behind the paywall — the recipe PDFs, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive — this week is a good one to step through.

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The farro is in the pot. The pomegranate arils are ready and waiting. Please come & join me in my Mediterranean kitchen as we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.

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Farro, bell peppers, pomegranate seeds, red onion, pistachios, and a generous handful of fresh parsley, all brought together with a dressing built on pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and olive oil.

It’s bright and toothy and colorful, the kind of salad that makes you want to make a double batch just so you have it for the rest of the week. Which, for the record, is exactly what I recommend doing.

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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If you’ve ever shopped for fish in a typical American grocery store, you know what the fish counter (if they have one) looks like. Fresh or flash-frozen pre-packaged options. Some salmon. Some shrimp. Maybe tilapia. Next to the much larger meat section that might even be staffed by a butcher.

It’s a little different here. Grocery stores all have a long fish counter manned by staff that clean and prep your fish and seafood to order. Where I shop, the central market in Alicante has more than a hundred fishmongers.

More than one hundred.

With countless types of seafood and fish to choose from.

When I walked into the first floor of the market for the first time, I almost didn’t know which way to turn. Whole fish on ice. Octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. An entire counter of different types of clams. Shellfish still moving. And the fishmongers — patient, opinionated, confident that whatever they had was exactly what I needed to take home.

I made myself a promise to eventually try them all. But began with something familiar.

I dipped my toe in the water (thanks for the lessons in pun-making, Dad) and started with cod.

Because cod was everywhere. Because the Spanish have been eating it for centuries. Because dried bacalao — salt-cured cod — is as fundamental to Spanish cooking as olive oil and garlic, and if a culture has been doing something that long, it’s usually worth paying attention to.

what makes it work

Here in the Mediterranean, fish is a centerpiece — recommended at least 2-3 times per week, every week, as one of the diet’s most consistent sources of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and a lineup of micronutrients that most people aren't getting enough of.

And when you think about fish and the Mediterranean diet, salmon is probably what comes to mind. Salmon is wonderful — rich, fatty, and a great source of omega-3s. George and I eat it almost every week.

But the Mediterranean diet’s recommendation to include fish in your diet every week wasn’t written with one type of fish in mind. It’s built on variety — fatty fish, white fish, shellfish and other seafood whenever you can get them.

So I want to take a minute and talk about lean white fish. Cod, tilapia, hake, halibut, sea bass, snapper, sole. The ones that don’t get nearly as much attention but deserve it. And here’s why.

fatty v. lean

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna get their omega-3s from fat stored throughout the flesh — which is why they taste so rich and succulent and why they are always a Mediterranean diet recommendation.

White fish store fat primarily in their liver rather than their flesh, which means the fillet itself is super lean — low in calories, high in protein, and light enough to eat several times a week without ever feeling heavy.

Cod specifically delivers around 20 grams of protein per 100 grams — on par with chicken breast — with almost no fat to speak of. It’s also a meaningful source of B12, iodine, selenium, and phosphorus. B12 for your nervous system and energy metabolism. Iodine for thyroid function. Selenium as an antioxidant. Phosphorus for bone health.

double duty

While a beautifully sautéed fillet of cod supported with a simple sauce or side is an elegant option for a light lunch, one of the things I love most about this week’s recipe is that I’ve teamed up those fillets with another protein powerhouse, French flageolet beans.

Flageolet beans — pale green, creamy, and one of the most prized legumes in Mediterranean cooking — are among the best plant sources of protein you can put on a plate. Combined with the cod, served on a bed of fresh spinach, a single serving of this dish delivers around 40 grams of protein before the salad even shows up.

The combination also hits fiber, iron, folate, and magnesium in one bowl — nutrients that white fish on its own doesn’t cover. They work together in a way that neither one quite manages alone.

Which is, if you think about it, a pretty good description of Mediterranean cooking too.

this week’s recipe

I’d seen variations of a citrus-caper sauce floating around for years. Some leaned heavily on the capers, some on the citrus, some added mustard, some didn’t. Mine is a simple riff: fresh orange juice and zest, lemon juice to keep it bright, capers roughly chopped so they distribute through the sauce rather than sitting in clumps, a little honey to round out the acidity, Dijon, good olive oil, and fresh cilantro (if cilantro’s not your thing, swap in parsley).

It takes about three minutes to make and it does a remarkable amount of work on the plate.

The brightness of the orange lifts the earthiness of the beans. The capers add a briny edge. And the cod — pan-seared until it just flakes — sits on top of it all looking exactly as good as it tastes.

how the rest of the day shapes up

The menu this week is built to let the featured recipe do its thing at lunch without competing with anything else.

Breakfast is a warm whole grain pita with hummus, tomato, cucumber and za’atar — the kind of thing that takes five minutes and keeps you going all morning. A small glass of fresh orange juice alongside, because even though it’s June, the Valencia oranges are still wonderful.

Mid-morning: a handful of grapes, a few walnut halves, and a square of dark chocolate. No explanation needed.

Lunch is the cod and beans on a bed of spinach with a simple mixed green salad.

The afternoon snack leans savory — whole grain crackers with tzatziki and radishes, plus another juicy end-of-season orange. Crunchy, cooling, just right for a warm June afternoon in Alicante or anywhere else.

Dinner is a slow-cooked vegetable and chickpea tagine (think: a deeply spiced Mediterranean stew) over whole wheat couscous with a little drizzle of a slightly spicy harissa yogurt. Bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, canned tomatoes, chickpeas — everything that’s good right now, served over a generous cup of couscous.

If you’re already a paid subscriber — thank you. Genuinely. Every issue exists because you’re here. And it means you already know the weekly PDF usually includes a few bonus recipes too.

All variations on the white fish theme. All proof that white fish is the most versatile fish at the market. And all plucked from the archives of my Substack.

If you’ve been reading the free issues and wondering what’s on the other side of the paywall — the recipes, the full menus, the shopping lists, the archive — this is a great week to check it out.

Subscribe now

So if you’ve unlocked all these goodies with a subscription, it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a glass of something cold or a cup of something hot, and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen while we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.

The cod is sizzling in the pan. The beans are tender and ready. The orange-caper sauce is three minutes away.

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A protein powerhouse of a lunch or dinner, baked or sautéed cod over delicate, creamy French flageolet beans and a bed of spinach. All dressed up with a bright, tangy, citrusy dressing!

Prep for the beans takes a little extra time so make the most of it and cook extra for later in the week. You’ll have plenty of dressing to go with those leftovers too. The perfect extra side.

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

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It’s mid-June and the markets here in Alicante are practically collapsing under the weight of summertime zucchini. Come back tomorrow and there are more. Ask around the neighborhood and everyone has the same story: the garden went completely sideways and now there’s zucchini on every surface in the kitchen.

When we had backyard gardens in California and Spain, I had to get creative. Adding zucchini to our breakfast smoothie (I promise you won’t even know it’s there), making oodles of mini-loaves for George to snack on, and making oodles of “zoodles” to pile raw in salads or barely sauté as a spaghetti alternative.

Every year, my kitchen creativity strains under the weight of “too much of a good thing”. But, eventually, I always find a new way to enjoy summer squash.

Which made this the obvious week to give zucchini its proper moment. Not as a filler. Not as the thing you sneak into a pasta sauce hoping nobody notices. As the actual point.

What makes it work

Zucchini has an image problem.

It gets treated as the background vegetable — the one that stretches a dish, absorbs whatever flavors are around it, and simply disappears into the meal. Which is exactly why most people are surprised to learn how much nutritional work it’s actually doing.

It’s low in calories and high in water content, without adding weight to a meal. It’s a solid source of vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins. And it contains lutein and zeaxanthin — two antioxidants that are particularly valuable for eye health and that almost nobody talks about.

And at the height of summer heat, with its high water content, zucchini is an easy defense against dehydration. Strawberries and watermelon aren’t the only ones to tackle that problem.

Summer squash more broadly — yellow squash, pattypan, and zucchini — all share this profile. Different shapes, same solid nutritional story.

In the Mediterranean diet, vegetables aren’t a side note. They’re the foundation. The base of the pyramid that everything else is built on — recommended daily, in abundance, as the main event rather than the supporting cast. Zucchini fits that role perfectly, in abundance. It just does the work.

And at this time of year, it costs almost nothing.

What to do with it

Most people default to one of two moves with zucchini: slice and sauté, or grate and hide. Both are fine. But neither makes for a particularly show-stopping side.

The technique in the featured recipe in this week’s Healthy Menu Meal Plan does just that.

A very hot griddle pan. Zucchini cut into half-inch rounds. The goal isn’t to cook it through gently — the goal is proper char marks before it softens. That high heat is what unlocks the sweetness that’s been sitting there all along.

Then balsamic vinegar goes on while the slices are still warm enough to absorb it. Fresh basil from my countertop garden or yours. Toasted hazelnuts. A generous drizzle of good olive oil. Parmesan shaved over the top.

This is what I call flavor layering — building complexity from simple ingredients by giving each one its moment. The zucchini is the base. The balsamic lifts it. The hazelnuts add crunch and a toasty richness. The basil keeps it fresh. The Parmesan ties it all together.

And my thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi for the inspiration — and if you haven’t spent time over on his Substack, consider this your nudge.

How it fits in today’s menu

The charred zucchini is tonight’s dinner side — alongside herb-roasted chicken thighs with preserved lemon and a bowl of freekeh (or any other whole grain in the pantry). It does most of the flavor work at the table, which means the chicken can stay simple.

The rest of the day is very June. A poached egg toast with roasted pepper and goat cheese to start. Fresh peaches and almonds mid-morning. White bean tuna salad at lunch — one of those combinations that sounds like a weeknight shortcut and tastes like you planned it. Sweet pea guacamole in the afternoon, because June deserves a good dip. Watermelon to close.

To give you a few more ideas about zucchini, you’ll find a few extra recipes from my archives in the menu PDF besides the meal plan.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, this is just one of the small extras that show up almost every week — my way of saying thank you for being part of this community.

And if you’ve been on the fence about joining, this is a good week to see what you’d be getting.

Subscribe now

But right now for all you paid subscriber folks, it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a glass of something cold or a cup of something hot, and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen while we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.

Read more

This recipe is a classic example of what I like to call “flavor layering”. A simple way to add more depth, taste and nutrition to any dish.

Charred or grilled zucchini with fresh basil, toasted hazelnuts and shaved parmesan packs so many healthy qualities in its many layers of flavor.

What a yummy way to celebrate spring with this nutrient-dense, healthy dish high in anti-oxidants, fiber and Vitamin A!

I will always be eternally grateful to Yotam Ottolenghi for sharing his depth of knowledge and passion for humble vegetables like the zucchini. This recipe was inspired by his renown version from one of my favorites, his popular cookbook, “Plenty”.

Want to upgrade to a paid subscription so you don’t miss out on anything? Everything you’ll want to know to master the Mediterranean diet including exclusive weekly meal plans and recipes, how-to-guides and behind the scenes are all here waiting for you to spend a few Mediterranean minutes with me.

Subscribe now

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