The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner: 125 Easy Mediterranean Diet-Inspired Recipes to Eat Well and Live Joyfully: A Cookbook

by Suzy Karadsheh

Overview

Keep the love, ditch the labor with more than 125 fresh, hearty, Mediterranean diet-friendly sheet pan, one-pot, and mix-and-match meals from the bestselling author of The Mediterranean Dish.

“With its vibrant, bold, and robust flavors, this cookbook promises to bring you an array of healthy, fresh, and effortlessly seasonal recipes perfect for gathering friends and family around the table for years to come.”—Carla Hall, chef, TV personality, and author of Carla Hall’s Soul Food

In The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner beloved blogger and bestselling author Suzy Karadsheh offers more than 125 recipes for incredibly delicious, nutritious Mediterranean diet-inspired meals that are so easy to get on the table.

Each chapter hones in on a different save-the-day technique, like the magic of one-pan cooking (One-Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Orzo); efficient and cozy one-pot suppers (Pantry Tomato Soup with Couscous and Pine Nuts); and fast and lean grilling (Shawarma-Spiced Steak). Skillet meals, supper salads, and mix-and-match mezze abound, along with a section devoted to protein add-ons in case you just want to add some quick skillet shrimp to Blistered Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Roasted Garlic–Dijon Dressing and call it a day.
 
Along with practical ideas, meal planning, storage tips, and no-fuss shortcuts, Suzy shows you how to build flavor the Mediterranean way so that you can turn even the humblest of ingredients into what she calls a “flavor party.” Both new fans and devoted ones will love Suzy’s joyful, relaxed approach to accessible and bold-flavored cooking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593582121
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	5,500
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Suzy Karadsheh is the founder and CEO of The Mediterranean Dish, the leading site for modern Mediterranean cooking and lifestyle, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Mediterranean Dish. She has been featured on Good Morning America and CNN, as well as in Forbes, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Well + Good, Food Network, and more. She was born and raised in Port Said, Egypt and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and their two daughters and two dogs, Max and Minnie.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Reimagine Dinner, the Mediterranean Way

So many of us view making dinner as a grind—but what if it didn’t have to be? What if we channeled the casual, relaxed, fresh, and delicious Mediterranean approach and used dinner as an opportunity to enjoy the company of one another—a lifegiving exercise, not a chore? On her popular podcast One Real Good Thing, Ellie Krieger asked me about my three Mediterranean Diet principles: Eat with the seasons, use mostly whole foods, and, above all else, share. She asked me what stood out as my one good thing. Without hesitation I said sharing meals the Mediterranean way.

I was not talking about entertaining or elaborate meals and fancy silverware. (I told Ellie that I object to the idea of “entertaining” because it comes with certain expectations.) As someone who grew up with the Mediterranean, and specifically the Egyptian, principles of hospitality, I love the way people come together casually to share a meal—no special occasion required. No fuss. Not a ton of planning. Just spontaneity and open hearts. And whether you’re gathering for a cozy Sunday azooma (feast) or a simple snack board of veggies, nuts, and feta cheese (see page 64), there is only one unspoken rule: Just show up! Show up as you are because you are needed at the table.

In my first book, I drew from my childhood in Egypt, where I took you to the souq in Port Said where my late father taught me how to pick the best produce, while instilling in me a sense of community and a love for others. I shared a glimpse into my mother’s Egyptian kitchen and the varied flavors, including Middle Eastern, North African, Greek, Italian, Turkish, and more, that seamlessly came together in her meals. You saw my favorite tabouli salad and the celebratory maglooba rice dish that I learned in my mother-in-law’s Levantine kitchen. My kitchen had been a vehicle to honor my family and to connect my Michigan-born daughters to the sunshine of the Mediterranean—to their roots.

But it’s equally important for me to note that I have lived in the United States for more than twenty years, far, far away from my mother’s kitchen. I created homes with my husband and two daughters in the snowy parts of Michigan and Iowa, before finally moving to the heart of the American South. Over these decades, my accent has morphed to reflect my new identity—still Egyptian, partly Michigander, and ever so slightly Southern. I am all three at once.

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me even a little that, like my accent, my cooking is a bit of a synthesis—a deliciously messy fusion. It’s informed by travel, my past, and my current home, and yet it is also fully rooted in Mediterranean principles. All executed with my own flare—that of a busy working mama in a North American kitchen.

My Farmers’ Market Avocado Hummus (page 38) is clearly nothing like the hummus kassa of fourteenth-century Egypt, nor is it guacamole. My mom has never made a Tuesday Night Skillet Lasagna (page 103), but she does make a mean casserole loaded with zucchini and topped with creamy bechamel (see page 181). And how do I make my chili? With shredded chicken, white beans, and spicy Green Chermoula (page 256). I wouldn’t dream of having the Southern stamp of approval on my BBQ Chicken Wings with Pomegranate, Honey, and Harissa Sauce (page 155), but they sure carry a similar vibe—somewhat spicy, tangy-sweet, and appropriately saucy. And I heartily believe that a small arrangement of mezze like Simple Marinated Chickpeas with Halloumi (page 60) and Roasted Pepper and Feta Nachos (page 59) are as worth gathering around as is a beautiful Greek-style spatchcock roasted chicken (see page 178) with loads of vegetables, all wrapped in a parchment parcel that, once opened, never ceases to elicit oohs and aahs.

“Labor of love” is a common phrase used to express the idea that toiling is required to show affection, but I don’t think it has to be that way. My mission has always been to help you eat well and live joyfully. One way to get there is to keep the love and ditch the labor—and that’s what I’m emphasizing in this book of simple, efficient, Mediterranean-delicious dinners (with desserts, too, of course).

The last thing I’ll say about reimagining dinner (well, at least for now!) has to do with flavor expectations. In this book, you’ll see recipes that reimagine familiar classics like a wedge salad, cornbread, and homemade ice cream with a new twist, leaning on wholesome ingredients and Mediterranean flavors from familiar fresh herbs (not just for garnish), garlic, citrus, and olive oil, to pomegranate molasses, feta cheese, and slightly smoky urfa pepper. And let me tell you, the wonderful people who tested every recipe in this book were totally on board in every way—and I know you will be, too.

Editorial Reviews

08/05/2024

Eschewing “a rigid food plan” and embracing the idea that “anything can be dinner,” Karadsheh’s cheery second collection (after The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook) brings ease and simplicity to the fore. Many of these tangy, colorful dishes are inspired by Karadsheh’s Egyptian heritage, featuring bold eastern Mediterranean and Levantine flavors. The mezze chapter offers appetizers to mix and match into a meal, including sweet corn and salmon nuggets; muhammara, a tangy Syrian dip; and no-bake roasted pepper and feta nachos. Salads include “reimagined familiar classics” such as a mini–wedge salad that replaces bacon bits and blue cheese with grilled corn, tomatoes, and feta, and fattoush with strawberries, arugula, and spinach. A kebab chapter features chicken kebabs and scallop skewers, while plentiful meatless dishes include a veggie phyllo pizza and a quick lasagna that’s whipped up in a skillet. Seafood options include pan-seared snapper and garlic and Dijon baked salmon. Olive oil–fried lemon rings stand out as tangy additions to many of the dishes while a handful of drinks and desserts round things out. Simplified meal prep and pantry-stocking tips prove useful, but readers turning to a Mediterranean diet for health reasons may wish there was nutritional information included. Home cooks seeking to broaden their Mediterranean repertoire will enjoy the range and accessibility of these recipes. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Eschewing ‘a rigid food plan’ and embracing the idea that ‘anything can be dinner,’ Karadsheh’s cheery second collection brings ease and simplicity to the fore. . . . Home cooks seeking to broaden their Mediterranean repertoire will enjoy the range and accessibility of these recipes.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Here is a cookbook that speaks straight to my heart—and my stomach. The pages are filled with recipe after recipe for easy, flavor-packed, healthy(ish!) Mediterranean-inspired recipes that work equally well as a weeknight meal or for a casual dinner party with friends. . . . If the pages of this cookbook aren’t speckled with saucy spatters and smudged with spices within a month, I’ll be shocked.”—Simply Recipes

“The recipes in The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner are truly spectacular—vibrantly colorful, boldly flavorful, and brimming with nourishment. I have long been a fan of The Mediterranean Dish and now I have even more reason to be. Suzy serves up the very best stress-free meals that draw people to the table and keeps everyone happy and healthy.”—Ellie Krieger, RD, Food Network and PBS show host and James Beard Award–winning cookbook author

“Suzy reimagines familiar classics that feel comforting and approachable yet also keep meals exciting. It’s what we’re all looking for—making nutritious and tasty meals without long hours of preparation, so we can get to the good part: joyfully sharing a meal with our loved ones.”—Natasha Kravchuk, New York Times bestselling cookbook author and creator of Natasha’s Kitchen

“Dive into the heart of Mediterranean cuisine in Suzy Karadsheh’s new book, The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner. With its vibrant, bold, and robust flavors, this cookbook promises to bring you an array of healthy, fresh, and effortlessly seasonal recipes perfect for gathering friends and family around the table for years to come.”—Carla Hall, chef, TV personality, and author of Carla Hall’s Soul Food

“When it comes to choosing vibrant, healthy, satisfying, and effortless meals to gather your family around the dinner table, no one turns casual into spontaneous magic quite like Suzy Karadsheh. With tips for meal prep, storing, reimagining, and customizing (so none of us turn into short order cooks!), The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner is for every great/good/or would-be cook who wants to eat well, and live joyfully.”—Daphne Oz, bestselling cookbook author and Emmy award–winning television host

From the Publisher