Wizard Recipes

If vegetables make up the soul of traditional Mediterranean cuisine, then grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds comprise the body. This food group constitutes the bulk of the traditional Mediterranean diet, and the many manifestations of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds make delicious, comforting, fragrant, filling, and deeply satisfying food.

Nothing distinguishes a Mediterranean kitchen more than the aroma of fresh-baked bread. Whether a dense, round loaf of country bread from France or crispy Moroccan flatbread, whole-grain bread accompanies most Mediterranean meals in one form or another.

Imagine steaming pots of pasta in shapes ranging from prodigious lasagna noodles and giant shells to rice-shaped orzo and the “little ears” called orecchiette to couscous, the grain like pasta so common in African and Middle Eastern cuisine.

The types of pasta are endless: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, penne, rigatoni, ziti, conchiglie, and fusilli, to name just a few.

Creamy risotto, a heavenly Italian rice concoction, may be flavored with any number of vegetables from artichokes to zucchini. Other rice dishes are prevalent as well: saffron colored Spanish rice that is the one consistent ingredient in a Spanish paella, the classic Greek rice pilaf, and various combinations of rice with vegetables or seafood, baked in the oven or added to soup.

Porridge like when fresh, crispy when chilled, sliced, and grilled, cornmeal-based polenta is an Italian specialty, as are gnocchi, little Italian dumplings made with flour and often potatoes. From the Middle Eastern shores of the Mediterranean comes bulgur wheat, cooked into pilafs or tabouli salad. And then there are pizzas, calzones, vegetable and meat pies, moussaka. Anybody hungry?

Grains sit at the base of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, which suggests eight or more servings of whole-grain breads, pasta, cereal, rice,  bulgur, couscous, polenta,and others each day. One of the best ways to eat Mediterranean is to add more whole grains to your diet.

Grains of all types become even heartier and more delectable with the addition of protein-rich legumes, nuts, and seeds: penne with white beans, rice with peas, chickpeas with bulgur wheat, spaghetti with walnut sauce. Legumes exist in every Mediterranean country, often taking the place of meat as a main course and, even more often, serving to stretch very small amounts of meat to serve many.

Legumes contain many vitamins (such as folacin) and minerals (such as selenium), are protein- and fiber-rich, and are satisfying dressed with nothing more than a little olive oil and a splash of lemon juice. Their sizes, colors, and types are far too numerous to list here, but some of the more common Mediterranean legumes are white canellini beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), fava beans (broad beans), black beans, green and red lentils, tiny white haricot beans, red kidney beans, lima beans, and Egyptian ful beans.

Many cultures have used legumes for centuries as a primary protein source, and the Mediterranean region is no exception.

Nuts and seeds (technically, nuts are large seeds of fruits with hard husks, except for peanuts, which are actually legumes) are often used to add flavor and crunch to raw and cooked foods, whether part of an appetizer, such as almond paste mixed with chickpeas for hummus; a feature of the main meal, such as pasta with pesto rich with pine nuts; or sprinkled over stewed fruit for dessert.

Nuts and seeds can add significant nutrients, phytochemicals, protein, and mono-unsaturated fats to a traditional Mediterranean inspired diet. Although most nuts and seeds can be high in total fat, generally only 10 percent of this fat is saturated.

Frequent nut and seed consumption has been linked to low rates of many chronic diseases such as certain cancers and heart disease. Despite many fears that eating these beneficial foods (especially nuts) will cause weight gain, recent studies have shown otherwise.

Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts (filberts), pine nuts (pignolia), pistachios (in the Middle East), and peanuts (technically a legume) are the nuts most common in the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean or not, all nuts and seeds, except for the coconut (which is high in saturated fat) can be added to a Mediterranean-inspired way of eating. Just be sure that the nuts and seeds you consume (whether in spreads, such as peanut butter, or in the “whole” form) are not packaged with added hydrogenated oils, which spells trans-fatty acids.

Other types of nuts and seeds include chestnuts, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Nuts and seeds, either plain or roasted without added oils and salt, make a wonderful and convenient snack food. A handful of nuts and another handful of dried fruit-raisins, currants, dates, dried cherries and blueberries, and so on- make a nutritious quick fix between meals.

Grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds are delicious and filling sources of good nutrition in the true Mediterranean style.

Fruits (nuts, olives, peanuts, almonds, avocado and coconuts) and seeds (sun-flower, pumpkin) contain a high caloric content, being rich in unsaturated fats, minerals (zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and selenium), vitamins (B and E) and proteins. These fruits and seeds can be consumed as they are or used for producing oil.

Oleaginous Fruits

Advantages:

-         Due to the high content of minerals, these stimulate the immune system and increase the body’s capacity to protect itself.

-         Decrease cholesterol level, assuring a good blood fluidity, arterial wall elasticity and a normal blood pressure

-         Improve male fertility and sperm quality

-         Nuts ameliorate PMS symptoms through B6 vitamin content.

-         Olive oil is the best absorbed by the intestine and improves intestinal transit and digestive functions, preventing constipation.

-         If you hold olive oil in your mouth for a few minutes, it maintains teeth whiteness and gum health

-         Rich in mono non saturated fats, olive oil is good for your heart, whereas sun flower oil has a high content of E vitamin, being a good antioxidant

-         Pistachio contains Iron and Calcium

-         1 fist of peanuts or nuts per day increase intellectual performances

Avocado is one of the least fruits rich in oils and E Vitamin fruits; E vitamin helps cicatrisation, maintains skin quality, improves immune system, diminish heart disease risk

Any of several species of plant grown for its acrid seeds and leaves, which are called mustard greens. The mustard plant belongs to the same family as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale and kohlrabi.

Down through the centuries it has been used for culinary as well as medicinal purposes; the most notable example of the latter is mustard’s purported efficacy as a curative for the common cold.

The name is said to come from a Roman mixture of crushed mustard seed and MUST (unfermented grape juice), which was called mustum ardens (”burning wine”). Likewise, the French word moutarde (”mustard”) comes from a contraction of their moust (”must”) and a form of ardent (”hot” or “fiery”).

There are two major types of mustard seed - white (or yellow ) and brown (or Asian ). A third species, the black mustard seed, has been replaced for most purposes by the brown species because the latter can be grown and harvested more economically. White mustard seeds are much larger than the brown variety but a lot less pungent. They’re the main ingredient in American-style mustards.

White and brown seeds are blended to make English Mustard. Brown mustard seeds are used for pickling and as a seasoning, and are the main ingredient in European and Chinese mustards. Mustard seeds are sold whole, ground into powder or processed further into prepared mustard.

Powdered mustard is simply finely ground mustard seed. Mustard seeds can be stored for up to a year in a dry, dark place and powdered mustard for about 6 months. Whole seeds are used for pickling, flavoring cooked meats and vegetables and as a source for freshly ground mustard.

Powdered mustards and freshly ground seeds are used in sauces, as a seasoning in main dishes and as an ingredient in salad dressings