Mediterranean diets

Firstly I would like to stress that I do not mean diets as in limiting food/calories. I mean the kind of food people in the Mediterranean eat. The average person from this area eats plenty of tomatoes, olives, fish, fresh fruit, aubergenes (egg plant), courgettes (zuchinis), lots of garlic, figs and spinach, to name a few items.

This is most certainly the time of year to start eating in a fashion similar to those who are lucky to live in this wonderful area of the world. People from this area tend to be healthier for longer, and live far longer than those of us who do not live there!

Beginning small:
We had a guest over for dinner tonight. We had a selection of antipasto (as a starter). These included red peppers stuffed with feta cheese, olives stuffed with garlic, red grapes, cheddar cheese and a few salamis. Everything was fresh and packed with flavour as they had been purchased from a local delicatessen. The Perfect Antipasto Plate is a great place to start if you're not sure what to serve but I would hasten to say that breads should be an accompaniment for a main course, or soups, rather than antipasto (in my humble opinion), as they tend to fill you up quicky.

If you wish to go much further and really immerse yourself in this type of eating lifestyle, have a look at the Mayo Clinic website for a little insight.

At this time of year raw vegetables are simply divine, especally served with a homemade vinaigrette drizzled over it. Olive oil should always be the base for any Mediterranean food. Please note that the above link uses a 3:1 ratio for oil-vinegar but I do like a tart vinaigrette, so I tend to add a little more vinegar.

I hope you enjoy the Mediterranean diet this summer xx

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1 The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Recommendations

As you know, I am a big fan of making pretty much everything myself rather than buying pre-made items in a shop. However, some items are simply too good to miss out on.

MacKay's have a beautiful range of condiments on the go at the moment and I can personally recommend their beetroot and horseradish chutney, their strawberry and champagne preserve and their seedless bramble preserve. These are truly lovely items that are worth popping into your shopping basket. Now I know most supermarkets don't stock these items - we got ours at the local spar but do try any local spar ot deli shop.

The other item I would love to promote is Phillipo Berio's Stuffed Green Olives with Garlic. Yum, yum. Truly lovely and the olives are so much larger than supermarkets own version of this - almost double the size. Of course, this isn't as tasty as the ones you buy in a delicatessan but they are a close second :D

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Seasonal foods in June and July

I am a bit proponent of eating seasonally and getting free food where you can. My husband fishes and we often go (when in season) mushroom picking, berry hunting and getting as much free food as possible!

At this time of year we are particularly lucky with the variety of foods currently in season. Food is fresh and tactile and very, very healthy :D

Seasonal foods in June:
http://healthyeating.knoji.com/seasonal-foods-in-june/


Seasonal foods coming into July:
http://food-nutrition.knoji.com/whats-in-season-in-july/


As you will see, Mackerel is in season. This fish is very good for you, being an oily fish packed with Omega 3. Berries are coming into season now and many can be picked for free, you just know where to find them.

Something else I love at this time of year is light lunches, with pitta breads lightly toasted, hummus and black olives!

Enjoy the feast of summer!

My book is now available in paperback as well as Kindle now.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Sword-ebook/dp/B006ZQIEPG/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3

Paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stone-Sword-N-Roy/dp/1477466347/ref=tmm_pap_title_0/279-1528994-5900510?ie=UTF8&qid=1327179005&sr=1-3